During the Great Depression of the 1930s, viewers yearned for an escape from the harsh realities of daily life. As talking films got more popular, silent comedians began to fade away, and humor became more important than ever.
Silent slapsticks were quickly replaced by fast-talking humor as a younger generation of writers saw an opportunity to include snappy dialogue into films. Screwball humor was the most popular comedic genre in both the 1930s and 1940s. After silent slapstick, this is the next important step towards humor.
Screwball comedies were a crazy new type of fast-talking love melodramas that originated in the 1930s, combining comedy and elegance. It featured sex conflicts and was set in a civilization on the verge of collapse, with helpless men caught in the whirlwinds of fierce women.
The majority of screwball comedies included two major actors in the lead romance roles, as well as a slew of brilliant supporting cast members. Many of these films served as platforms for romantic entanglements between two of Hollywood’s most promising newcomers.
At least until the final scene, they were too obsessed with verbally and occasionally physically fighting one another onstage to recognize that they were all in love. Screwball humor was a popular genre throughout the 1930s, but there were numerous others as well. Throughout the decade, comedy legends such as the Marx Brothers and Charlie Chaplin published a flood of comedies, providing viewers with a variety of reasons to go to the movies.
So, while there was a lot to discuss in terms of 1930s comedy, this article will focus on the top 21, so let’s get started. Besides, the best way to learn about a period’s on-screen comedy is to watch its greatest films in a marathon.
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