Review of The Palm Beach Story (1942) by Emre T — 22 Dec 2009

THE PALM BEACH STORY is a World War II era screwball comedy about the problems of a penniless married couple. Essentially, a screwball comedy is a comedy of errors, often involving mistaken idenities. Gerry Jeffers (Claudette Colbert of IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT) feels that she can do nothing to promote the career of her husband Tom Jeffers (Joel McCrea of RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY) so she tries to divorce him.

Tom refuses to let this happen, but Gerry is fully prepared to see the deed done. The joke here is that the principals do not have a dime between them, yet they wind up traveling cross-country, with Tom in pursuit of Gerry.

Initially, an older couple are inspecting a duplex when the husband, the Wienie King (Robert Dudley),runs into Gerry standing in the shower in nothing but a wrap. He explains that he does not want to move in if Gerry is living there already.

She explains that her husband and she are behind on the rent. Generously, the Wienie King hands Gerry $700 in cash and she kisses him on the cheek. The Wienie squeals with delight. Gerry pays off all their bills, plans an evening repast at a ritzy joint and gives Tom the remaining $14.

00. She complains about their debt problems and the lack of a future. Gerry leaves Tom the next morning, grabbing a train to Palm Beach. She does not have a dime, but she foolish a group of rowdy millionaires, who are a hunting club, to spring for her ticket if she will serve as their mascot.

The hunters go nuts when Gerry leaves their Pullman car to find a sleeping berth where she will not be distu,rbed. The hunters seize their shotguns and loosen their dogs to find Gerry. Before it is over, the hunters has shot up their Pullman car and been disconnected from the train.

Gerry realizes too late that all she has is a pair of millionaire pajamas because her purse with her identification is in a Pullman car on a siding. A younger millionaire, John D. Hackensacker III (Rudy Vallee) who is a bachelor comes to her rescue and buys her apparel.

He takes her on his yacht to Jacksonville, Florida, while Tom flies into Jacksonville to meet the train. He learns from a porter what happened and heads to the dock where he meets Hackensacker and Gerry.