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Twentieth Century Overview:

Twentieth Century (1934) was a Comedy - Romance Film directed by Howard Hawks and produced by Howard Hawks and Harry Cohn.

SYNOPSIS

Here's another whip-smart comedy from Hawks-Hecht-MacArthur, the His Girl Friday (1940) team. Theater producer Barrymore molds Lombard into a Broadway smash, but their hectic life leads her to the saner climes of Hollywood where she becomes an even bigger star. Without his former wife, Barrymore can't get a show together and he's on the run from Chicago to New York aboard the famous Twentieth Century Limited. As luck and romantic farce demand, Lombard's on the same train with her new beau, slow-witted football star Karns. After much hilarious wheedling, wooing, door-slamming, and conniving, Lombard's ready once again for the Great White Way. Barrymore at his best, and a terrific warm-up for even bigger things from the creators.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

Twentieth Century was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2011.

Twentieth Century BlogHub Articles:

Silver Screen Standards: Twentieth Century (1934)

By Jennifer Garlen on Jan 10, 2023 From Classic Movie Hub Blog

Silver Screen Standards: Twentieth Century (1934) Although it’s not as widely celebrated today as Bringing Up Baby (1938), director Howard Hawks’ Twentieth Century (1934) is another go-for-broke screwball comedy with protagonists who are all bonkers. This earlier picture stars John Barrymore ... Read full article

Silver Screen Standards: Twentieth Century (1934)

By Jennifer Garlen on Jan 10, 2023 From Classic Movie Hub Blog

Silver Screen Standards: Twentieth Century (1934) Although it’s not as widely celebrated today as Bringing Up Baby (1938), director Howard Hawks’ Twentieth Century (1934) is another go-for-broke screwball comedy with protagonists who are all bonkers. This earlier picture stars John Barrymore ... Read full article

Of 2020 and "Twentieth Century"

By carole_and_co on Jan 1, 2021 From Carole & Co.

At times we weren't certain we'd reach 2021, but indeed we have, which gives us plenty of reason to smile, just as Carole Lombard is doing above. But as 2020 further retreats in our figurative rear-view mirror, let's look back at a response to one of her most memorable movies, indeed the one that pu... Read full article

Twentieth Century (1934, Howard Hawks)

By Andrew Wickliffe on Aug 14, 2019 From The Stop Button

Even with its way too abrupt finish, Twentieth Century is rare delight. Would it be more successful if the ending hadn’t wasted Carole Lombard? Yes, but also because it would’ve given lead John Barrymore more Lombard to act opposite and Barrymore’s best opposite Lombard. He’s... Read full article

Twentieth Century (1934, Howard Hawks)

By Andrew Wickliffe on Aug 14, 2019 From The Stop Button

Even with its way too abrupt finish, Twentieth Century is rare delight. Would it be more successful if the ending hadn’t wasted Carole Lombard? Yes, but also because it would’ve given lead John Barrymore more Lombard to act opposite and Barrymore’s best opposite Lombard. He’s... Read full article

See More Twentieth Century Articles

Twentieth Century Quotes:

Oscar Jaffe: Get out of my theatre, you gray rat! And don't have that fat wife of yours come around again, pleading for you!
Owen O'Malley: O.J., I'm in no mood for a lot of fuzzy lamentations.
Oscar Jaffe: Owen, something tells me you're not educated enough for this sort of thing. I'll have to hire some professor.
Owen O'Malley: Save your dough, sire. I yield the lamp of learning to no one.
Oscar Jaffe: There's a message I want to go with those gardenias: "To my little madonna of the snows... " No, wait a minute. We won't use that this time.
Owen O'Malley: [referring to a policeman] This demigod thinks he's in darkest Russia.
See More Quotes from Twentieth Century
Twentieth Century Facts
When asked by John Barrymore why he should play the role of Oscar, Howard Hawks replied, "It's the story of the biggest ham on earth and you're the biggest ham I know." Barrymore accepted at once.
This was later adapted as a Broadway musical "On the Twentieth Century", which opened at the St. James Theatre in New York on Feb. 19, 1978 and ran for 449 performances. In the opening night cast were Imogene Coca, Madeline Kahn, John Cullum and Kevin Kline.
After filming had ended, John Barrymore gave Carole Lombard an autographed photo inscribed, "To the finest actress I have worked with, bar none."
Versions presently in distribution, as shown on Turner Classic Movies, bear the updated Columbia logo and title credits from the 1938 re-release.
O'Malley jokes that Jaffe is now calling himself Hemingway and has shot himself, a grim precursor of the writer's death.
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