Tag Archives: screwball comedy

“People don’t know it, but I’m primarily Irish. We get these dark periods.” — William Powell

Posted on July 29, 2025 by sheila

“I have never gone into a picture without first studying my characterization from all angles. I make a study of the fellow’s life and try to learn everything about him, including the conditions under which he came into this world, … Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, Movies | Tagged Carole Lombard, Jean Harlow, Kay Francis, Myrna Loy, Pre-Code, screwball comedy, William Powell | 6 Comments

“I never made a message picture, and I hope I never do.” — Howard Hawks

Posted on May 30, 2025 by sheila

It’s his birthday today. My favorite director. I’ve written so much about his movies, here and elsewhere, it’d be too much to link to all of it. I’ve seen it all. Only Angels Have Wings is my favorite movie ever … Continue reading →

Posted in Directors, Movies, On This Day | Tagged Bringing Up Baby, Carole Lombard, crime movies, film noir, His Girl Friday, Howard Hawks, Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, Lauren Bacall, Montgomery Clift, Only Angels Have Wings, Red River, Rio Bravo, screwball comedy, Twentieth Century, westerns | 4 Comments

2024 Year in Review

Posted on December 27, 2024 by sheila

Here’s a roundup of most of the things I’ve written this year: here on my site, for Rogerebert.com, for my newsletter, and for my new column at Liberties Journal. Every year it’s the same thing. I spend so much time … Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, Books, Movies, Music | Tagged Alain Delon, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brenda Lee, Carl Perkins, Carole Lombard, Charlie Rich, Chile, comedy, Croatia, Denmark, documentary, drama, Dubravka Ugrešić, Edna O'Brien, Elvis Presley, England, France, friends, Gena Rowlands, Gene Vincent, Glen Powell, historical drama, horror, India, Indigo Girls, Ireland, James Burton, Jensen Ackles, John Cassavetes, Liberties, Mia Wasikowska, musicals, newsletter, Nicole Kidman, Opening Night, Radu Jude, reviews, Ricky Nelson, Robert De Niro, Romania, Sam Phillips, screwball comedy, silent films, Spain, Supernatural, Tennessee Williams, Tilda Swinton, Two-Character Play, women directors, year in writing, Yugoslavia | 5 Comments

For Liberties: on Carole Lombard

Posted on May 20, 2024 by sheila

My second article for my Liberties column is now live: Lombard: Queen of Screwball. The column has a Lombard-inspired name and logo – Movies Before Breakfast – which we chose before I even knew I’d write about her. And the … Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, Movies | Tagged Carole Lombard, Howard Hawks, Liberties, My Man Godfrey, screwball comedy, Twentieth Century, William Powell | 8 Comments

March 2024 Viewing Diary

Posted on April 17, 2024 by sheila

Conspiracy (2001; d. Frank Pierson) I went down a little Wannsee Conference rabbit hole so figured I’d re-watch this chilling nasty little movie. Lured (1947; d. Douglas Sirk) I had never seen this. I love discovering new Douglas Sirks! This … Continue reading →

Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television | Tagged Australia, Austria, Boris Karloff, Carole Lombard, documentary, Douglas Sirk, drama, England, film noir, Fred MacMurray, Fredric March, George Sanders, Germany, historical drama, horror, Howard Hawks, Indigo Girls, John Barrymore, Kay Francis, Lucille Ball, musicals, Pre-Code, Radu Jude, Ralph Bellamy, Romania, romantic drama, screwball comedy, The Netherlands, William Powell, William Wellman, women directors, WWII | 12 Comments

“Personally, I resent being tagged ‘glamour girl’. It’s such an absurd, extravagant label. It implies so much that I’m not.” — Carole Lombard

Posted on October 6, 2023 by sheila

It’s her birthday today! Carole Lombard played ditzy and impulsive, but she didn’t play dumb. One of her greatest gifts as a comedienne is her craftiness, how well she creates cunning and sometimes selfish women, women who are heedless, sometimes … Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, Movies, On This Day | Tagged Carole Lombard, Howard Hawks, screwball comedy | 13 Comments

December 2022 Viewing Diary

Posted on January 7, 2023 by sheila

The Whale (2022; d. Darren Aronofsky) I thought it was appalling, and not for the obvious reasons. His body is viewed as literally a movie monster, with all these horror-movie shots of his gigantic ankles, etc.) It felt tired and … Continue reading →

Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television | Tagged action movies, animation, Austria, Brad Pitt, Brian De Palma, Charles Dickens, Christopher Walken, Claude Chabrol, Claudette Colbert, comedy, coming of age, Czechoslovakia, Darren Aronofsky, David Bowie, documentary, drama, England, France, Germany, heist movies, historical drama, Hungary, India, Isabelle Huppert, Kentucker Audley, Natasha Richardson, Paul Schrader, Paul Thomas Anderson, Preston Sturges, Punch-Drunk Love, Russia, Sandrine Bonnaire, screwball comedy, thrillers, Ukraine, war, women directors | 3 Comments

Falling in love in itty-bitty cars

Posted on December 15, 2022 by sheila

Claudette Colbert and Don Ameche, Midnight (1939; d. Mitchell Leisen) Daniel Day-Lewis and Vicki Krieps, Phantom Thread (2017; d. Paul Thomas Anderson)

Posted in Movies | Tagged Claudette Colbert, Paul Thomas Anderson, romantic drama, screwball comedy | Leave a comment

August 2022 Viewing Diary

Posted on September 11, 2022 by sheila

It took me a while to get this up. Shit’s BUSY. Here’s what I watched and saw in August. What Josiah Saw (2022; d. Vincent Grashaw) Pretty grim watch. I reviewed for Ebert. Married at First Sight, Seasons 10 and … Continue reading →

Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television | Tagged Ann-Margret, Aubrey Plaza, comedy, documentary, drama, Elvis Presley, Kurt Russell, musicals, Myrna Loy, screwball comedy, thrillers, true crime, William Powell | 8 Comments

Ringing in the new year like …

Posted on December 31, 2021 by sheila

… Phyllis Brooks in Shanghai Express. It’s such a great character because Shanghai Express is a super weird very dark noir … but SHE thinks she’s in a screwball comedy. … Which is a pretty healthy attitude, if you think … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged film noir, Josef von Sternberg, screwball comedy | Leave a comment

Tag Archives: screwball comedy

“People don’t know it, but I’m primarily Irish. We get these dark periods.” — William Powell

“I never made a message picture, and I hope I never do.” — Howard Hawks

For Liberties: on Carole Lombard

March 2024 Viewing Diary

“Personally, I resent being tagged ‘glamour girl’. It’s such an absurd, extravagant label. It implies so much that I’m not.” — Carole Lombard

December 2022 Viewing Diary

Falling in love in itty-bitty cars

August 2022 Viewing Diary

Ringing in the new year like …

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