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The Palm Beach Story

The Palm Beach Story

  • Status: Released
  • 28-08-1942
  • Runtime: 88 min
  • Score: 7.003
  • Vote count: 194

A New York inventor, Tom Jeffers, needs cash to develop his big idea, so his adoring wife, Gerry, decides to raise it by divorcing him and marrying an eccentric Florida millionaire, J. D. Hackensacker III.

Claudette Colbert

Geraldine 'Gerry' Jeffers

Joel McCrea

Tom Jeffers

Mary Astor

The Princess Centimillia

Rudy Vallee

John D. Hackensacker III

Sig Arno

Toto

Robert Warwick

Mr. Hinch

Arthur Stuart Hull

Mr. Osmond

Torben Meyer

Dr. Kluck

Jimmy Conlin

Mr. Asweld

Victor Potel

Mr. McKeewie

William Demarest

First Member Ale and Quail Club

Jack Norton

Second Member Ale and Quail Club

Robert Greig

Third Member Ale and Quail Club

Roscoe Ates

Fourth Member Ale and Quail Club

Dewey Robinson

Fifth Member Ale and Quail Club

Chester Conklin

Sixth Member Ale and Quail Club

Sheldon Jett

Seventh Member Ale and Quail Club

Robert Dudley

Wienie King

Franklin Pangborn

Manager

Arthur Hoyt

Pullman Conductor

Al Bridge

Conductor

Fred 'Snowflake' Toones

Colored Bartender

Charles R. Moore

Colored Porter

Frank Moran

Brakeman

Harry Rosenthal

Orchestra Leader

Esther Howard

Wife of Wienie King

Frank Faylen

Taxi Driver (uncredited)

J. Farrell MacDonald

Officer O'Donnell (uncredited)

Edward McNamara

Officer in Penn Station (uncredited)

Bert Moorhouse

Diner on Train (uncredited)

Marcelle Corday

Elderly Maid (uncredited)

Bess Flowers

Gerry's Maid of Honor/Nightclub Extra (uncredited)

Max Wagner

Tom's Best Man (uncredited)

Byron Foulger

Jewelry Salesman (uncredited)

Joe Gilbert

Store Employee (uncredited)

barrymost

A woman leaves her inventor husband, believing that it would be better for him if she were gone. She heads to Palm Beach to get a divorce, and meets kind billionaire John D. Hackensacker the III during crazy train ride there. The energy is bursting in every scene thanks to film's great, seasoned cast. Watch for early scenes with the endearing, little old "Wienie King". The film is a wonderful, joyfully hilarious romp. Would I recommend? Yes. The quintessential screwball comedy.

CinemaSerf

“Men don’t get smarter as they get older, they just lose their hair”! That’s the view of “Gerry” (Claudette Colbert) who is married to frustrated designer “Tom” (Joel McCrea). He needs $90,000 to build a state of the art airport but all of the traditional investment sources have politely declined. She decides that he would do better on his own, or better yet - she could divorce him the go marry a millionaire and try to fund him that way. He thinks this is bonkers, but next thing she is on a train to Palm Beach where she encounters “J.D.” (Rudy Vallee) who just happens to be a very rich gent who is happy to dispense his largesse generously. Hooked up with this man, they meet his open-minded sister (Mary Astor) to whom “Gerry” spins some fanciful yarns about her husband that only come home to roost when that poor soul, determined not to give up on his wife, arrives and risks spoiling her carefully stacked line of fibbing dominoes. What chance they can get the money without someone in this ostensibly spoiled and vacuous scenario cottoning on? The story is a bit on the far-fetched side, but Colbert has excellent comedy timing and there are quite a few pithy gems amidst the fairly relentless dialogue as the story takes aim at the owners of inherited wealth and at attitudes to the wealthy from those who aspire and despise in equal measure. There’s some fun chemistry on display between all four here and though the denouement is a little rushed and disappointing, this is still a fun romp that I did quite enjoy.