Why Theory Screwball Comedy
15 snips
Aug 6, 2022 
A lively tour through screwball comedy, from It Happened One Night to Bringing Up Baby and The Philadelphia Story. Ryan and Todd explore romantic sparring, class tensions, Hollywood’s production code, and the genre’s love of mistaken identities, frantic dialogue, and relationships rebuilt through detours.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Screwball Comedy Defines Sexual Antagonism
- Screwball comedies are defined by sexual antagonism and rapid-fire dialogue between couples often in crisis or divorced.
- These films reflect Hollywood's struggle with women's emancipation and feature active female characters challenging social norms.
Class Matters in Screwball Comedy
- Screwball comedies often engage with class consciousness, usually favoring the working class or highlighting class divides.
- This contrasts with modern romantic comedies where class is typically irrelevant to the story's obstacles.
Ethics of Trust in Relationships
- Screwball comedies focus on an ethical code between people rather than legal codes, centered on trust and fiction in relationships.
- Losing trust threatens the romantic tie, but the fiction sustaining love can be regained even after total loss.