Review of The Palm Beach Story (1942) by Brian P — 24 Oct 2006

Preston Sturges reunites with Joel McCrea one year after his masterwork Sullivan's Travels, presenting us with another savvy, offbeat road movie. The Palm Beach Story finds Joel's character pursuing his wife after she bolts to find a millionaire to marry.

Her natural charm and feminine whiles help to get across the country on an amusingly absurd train journey, finding a drunk hunting club and a smitten millionaire who she stays with even after breaking two pairs of his glasses! She is wined, dined and treated lavishly, but when Joel makes his reappearance, she is forced to decide between riches or true love.

Effortlessly charming, The Palm Beach Story is both comical and heart-warming. Sturges succeeds in creating a richly-textured film of the battle between the sexes for such an early age. Also observe his technical flair, in particular the speedy mini-movie at the start of the picture and the brilliant 'triple-shot' at the end.

Unfortunately, as with ST, the film does suffer from 'amusing' black performances of the age ("yes, massa!", etc).