Palm Springs Cultural Center kicks off Screwball Sundays series with 'It Happened One Night'
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Missing comedies from way back when? The Palm Springs Cultural Center is bringing them back to the big screen in an all-new retrospective series beginning Sunday.
Screwball Sundays will feature some of the most beloved and iconic films of the genre as Sunday matinees from March 5 to June 18. For many, it might offer the opportunity to see these comedies on the big screen for the first time.
The series kicks off with the 1934 classic "It Happened One night," starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, which won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Spoiled heiress Ellie Andrews (Colbert) elopes with fortune-hunter King Westley entirely against her father's wishes, leading him to spirit her away on his yacht. After jumping ship to reunite with her husband, Ellie crosses paths with cynical newspaper reporter Peter Warne (Gable), who offers to help her meet her husband in exchange for an exclusive story. Their travels lead to a few bumps in the road and surprises, like falling for each other.
The screening will take place 3 p.m. Sunday at the Palm Springs Cultural Center, located at 2300 E. Baristo Road in Palm Springs.
"It really was the prototype. It set the standard for the genre for screwball comedy, but romantic comedy more broadly as well," Palm Springs Cultural Center Program Director Lauren Wolfer said.
Other films that will be featured in the series are hallmarks of the genre and fan favorites, including:
March 12: "Bringing Up Baby" (1938)
March 19: "The Thin Man" (1934)
April 9: "The Philadelphia Story" (1940)
April 16: "The Lady Eve" (1941)
May 21: "Libeled Lady" (1936)
May 28: "Adam's Rib" (1949)
June 4: "His Girl Friday" (1940)
June 11: "My Man Godfrey" (1936)
June 18: "Ball of Fire" (1941)
Tickets can be purchased at eventbrite.com/cc/screwball-sundays-1801069
The screwball comedy genre emerged in the 1930s and 1940s and featured witty, fast-paced dialogue, misunderstandings, battle of the sexes and struggles between different social classes, according to Film Inquiry. Many plots revolved around mistaken identities and wild schemes, and often included strong female leads and romantic tension.
One of the reasons why Wolfer is so drawn to the genre is the gravitas leading ladies bring to the screen. "It's like the women in pants kind of genre," she said, adding that while there are certain tropes and depictions that are dated, men and women were typically presented on equal footing, and seen as equal sparing partners.
In "It Happened One Night," Ellie and Peter are at odds with one another throughout their adventure. When their Greyhound bus breaks down, Peter acts all macho and like a know-it-all, but has trouble hailing a ride. Ellie then shows him how it's done by raising her skirt and showing off her leg, which immediately attracts the attention of a passing driver. But as they spend more time with each other, any ill feelings they have go away once they begin to fall in love.
"They're just as intelligent, they're just as witty, they're just as capable," Wolfer said of the women in screwball comedies. "It's not the case that the woman has to be humbled or be more submissive or be more traditionally feminine. It's really this romantic meeting of equal partners in these films."
Local nonprofit Film Society of Screwball Comedy is the presenting sponsor of the series. Wolfer and the nonprofit's founder, Aliece Pickett, will hold a discussion after each film.
The Palm Springs Cultural Center kicked off its retrospective series last summer with Palm Springs Rewinds, which features must-see films of contemporary directors, such as the Coen brothers, Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson.
The theater is currently showcasing six Terry Gilliam movies, including "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" on March 16, "12 Monkeys" on April 6 and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" on April 20. Additionally, the theater took part in the international celebration of 100 years of Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini with its Fellini Retrospective. The series "was so popular" and had "great attendance" that the theater decided to extend it through this year, Wolfer said.
Along with the Screwball Sundays series, the Palm Springs Cultural Center will bring its free outdoor film series, Movies in the Park, back to the Downtown Park. The season will kick off March 8 with the classic musical rom-com "Gigi," directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Leslie Carron and Maurice Chevalier.
Keeping with the theme of comedies, the season will screen classic films of the genre from the '50s and '60s with beloved stars Audrey Hepburn, Doris Day, Cary Grant, Jane Fonda and Marilyn Monroe. Other titles include "How to Marry a Millionaire" on March 22, "Charade" on April 12, "Barefoot in the Park" on April 26, "The Girl Can't Help It" on May 17 and "Funny Face" on May 31.
Movies are scheduled to start at 7 p.m., but times will vary in the late spring depending on sundown, according to the Palm Springs Cultural Center.
Wolfer added all the retrospective series allow people of all ages, particularly youth, to discover something new in entertainment and enjoy the movies their parents or grandparents grew up with.
Changes with first-run showings
Local movie theaters have faced a tough landscape in recent years, particularly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most recently, Tristone Palm Desert 10 Cinemas, located at the Shops at Palm Desert mall, closed its doors in early February after years of poor performance and unprofitability.
In November, the Palm Springs Cultural Center's board also made the tough decision to stop screening first-run movies at the end of 2022.
"We've always featured independent films, small arthouse films, and unfortunately, the movie industry in general is having a hard time, but that category of film has really struggled against streaming," Wolfer said. "People just haven't come back since the pandemic."
She added that ticket sales for first-run films have been down about 70% since the start of the pandemic.
However, revival films have done well, and there's been an eager audience for them in the valley. Often times, as might be the case with the Screwball Sundays series, filmgoers have the chance to see a classic film for the first time on the big screen, taking them back to what it might have been like to see it in the '30s and '40s.
"I love being able to exhibit these films. It's how they're meant to be seen," Wolfer said. "The theatrical experience, you just can't replace it."
The theater will also have some exclusive releases for independent foreign films, but it will be in a more limited capacity.
Along with classic films, the Palm Springs Cultural Center has been diversifying its offerings with the Coachella Valley Philharmonic Chamber Series, which features local musicians, theatrical performances of "The Lincoln Debate" by local resident Terry Ray and "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" with a shadow cast, which will hold auditions on March 11 and 12 for its upcoming shows in May.
Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Springs Cultural Center to show screwball comedies in new series
