The genre of romantic comedy, “screwball” comedy is emerging. The stakes are getting lower, but the scenarios are more far fetched as escapism and the divergence from realistic films is really taking root. The actors are celebrities, we love their voices, we love their manners, we love them maybe more so than their characters. The quality of the production is increasing by the day, but the stories are being diluted and washed down through the stringent moral codes being placed upon Hollywood. There is more ability to hold a mirror to society with the level of technology and sophistication of production, use of sound etc... but less and less desire to do so. Everything, especially in regards to the writing, is getting structured and directed. And “the love interest” is really taking precedence, especially in Hollywood. This is the classic era of the leading man and leading lady falling in love that foreign directors will later challenge with their “new wave” films.
The most iconic image of this film that speaks to the morally closed off culture is when Clark Gable draws a clothesline and hangs a sheet halfway across their shared motel room so that neither of them has to see each other in their underwear.
That being said this movie is definitely interesting and engaging, and it subtly tries to make social statements without kicking the audience too hard so that they react and hate the film.
The star system and studio system is being firmly established now, the mechanism by which these movies are mass produced is really coming into its own, with stars on loan, and contracts, shooting schedules etc… You really see the power of voice in creating this star system whereby the actor's draw the audiences and not the characters or stories.
I will say on a personal note this is one of my favorite films of all time. The story is extremely solid and well written, conceived. There's a clear arc for these characters and journey for them to go on and the performances are funny, kind, endearing and very human. You are absolutely witnessing a birth of celebrity in that actors can imbue their characters with human elements that they bring into the movie through the ability to speak, inflect their voice and really impose their human nature on you as an audience goer. You really feel like you are traveling with these people as opposed to just watching them dance and jump around performing theatrics.