Mike at the Movies: Falling in Love with Screwball Comedy

On Sunday, February 9, at 2:00 pm I will be giving a special Valentine’s Day-themed talk at the Wilmette Public Library about the history of the screwball comedy. The students in most of my current classes are eligible to earn up to twenty points extra credit towards their final grades if they attend this event. Please see the extra credit page of your course website for more information. Below is a synopsis of the presentation I wrote for the library’s website:

The “screwball comedy” is a beloved offshoot of the romantic comedy genre that was first popularized in America in the 1930s and early 1940s. This is when glamorous stars like Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck were pitted against one another in films characterized by rapid-fire dialogue and “battle-of-the-sexes” love stories. This special Valentine’s Day presentation will highlight clips from classic movies of the era as well as more contemporary Hollywood films that show the screwball influence.

Non-students interested in attending can find more information in the Wilmette Public Library’s “Off the Shelf” newsletter:

Click to access offtheshelf_january14.pdf

Hope to see you there!