Twentieth Century

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Twentieth Century

1934,

1h 31m,

Comedy

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Watchlist

86%

29 Reviews

Tomatometer

75%

1,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

29 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

When down-on-his-luck Broadway impresario Oscar Jaffe (John Barrymore) meets his discovery and former flame, Lily Garland (Carole Lombard), on the glamorous 20th Century Limited train between Chicago and New York, he uses every scheme at his disposal to win the movie star back both professionally and romantically. However, Lily, along with her new beau, George (Ralph Forbes), and Jaffe's rival producer, Max Jacobs (Charles Levison), who hired Lily to star in his latest play, have other plans.

Robert Daniels

RogerEbert.com

Aug 24, 2024

There aren’t enough adjectives to fully commend Barrymore and Lombard for their peerless work, here.

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Otis Ferguson

The New Republic

Jan 22, 2024

John Barrymore fits [his role] as wholly and smoothly as a banana in a skin; and appropriate metaphors should be devised for Walter Connolly, Carole Lombard and Roscoe Karns.

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Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films

Feb 11, 2006

B+

Often credited as the first screwball comedy… an acerbic satire of show-business ego and superficiality.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Aug 1, 2020

3/10

With all the slimy tricks, delusions of grandeur, and high-pitched shouting matches, it's difficult to appreciate even the moments that demonstrate creative commentary on love and art.

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Leslie Combemale

Cinema Siren

Jul 25, 2019

The witty repartee and lightning fast pacing keeps viewers breathlessly entertained.

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Ann Ross

Maclean's Magazine

Jul 22, 2019

A highly operatic duet of temperament, with John Barrymore as a theatrical producer and Carole Lombard as his star actress. Extremely good comedy.

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Hagrid M

Mar 25, 2019

Essentially boring and hard to watch because of its repetition -- the screaming back and forth between Lombard and Barrymore. This has the distinction of loosening Barrymore up and presenting both the principals to the public as different personas, but as a film, it's below average.

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Jan 26, 2019

The best comedy movie ever made!

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Howard Hawks

Director

John Barrymore

Oscar Jaffe

Carole Lombard

Lily Garland, aka Mildred Plotka

Walter Connolly

Oliver Webb

Roscoe Karns

Owen O'Malley

Etienne Girardot

Mathew J. Clark

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Synopsis

When down-on-his-luck Broadway impresario Oscar Jaffe (John Barrymore) meets his discovery and former flame, Lily Garland (Carole Lombard), on the glamorous 20th Century Limited train between Chicago and New York, he uses every scheme at his disposal to win the movie star back both professionally and romantically. However, Lily, along with her new beau, George (Ralph Forbes), and Jaffe's rival producer, Max Jacobs (Charles Levison), who hired Lily to star in his latest play, have other plans.

Director: Howard Hawks
Producer: Howard Hawks
Screenwriter: Charles Bruce Millholland, Ben Hecht, Charles MacArthur, Ben Hecht, Charles MacArthur, Gene Fowler
Distributor: Columbia Home Video, Columbia TriStar Home Video, Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 11, 1934, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Runtime: 1h 31m
Sound Mix: Mono

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