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With: Joel McCrea, Claudette Colbert, Rudy Vallee, Mary Astor
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Written by: Preston Sturges
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Directed by: Preston Sturges
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MPAA Rating: NR
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Language: English
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Running Time: 88
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Date: 02/11/1942
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The Palm Beach Story (1942)
Coupling and Re-coupling
By Jeffrey M. Anderson Buy The Palm Beach Story on DVD. One of Preston Sturges' best films, The Palm Beach Story is a fairly simple love quadrangle, not unlike Leo McCarey's The Awful Truth. Struggling couple Joel McCrea and Claudette Colbert attempt to split, and each finds a temporary new partner; she hooks up with rich Rudy Vallee, and he with Vallee's sister Mary Astor. Sturges concentrates more on his trademark dialogue than on absurd situations, and so the characters always act intelligently. What sets this film apart, though, is its frenetic opening sequence, unexplained. Largely forgotten throughout the film, it pays off amazingly in the very last moments. DVD Details: Universal has released this title on a budget DVD (about $12) with no extras.
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