Directed by the legendary Howard Hawks, Twentieth Century (1934) is a seminal screwball comedy that captures the high-octane, ego-driven world of Broadway. The story follows Oscar Jaffe, a flamboyant and manipulative theater producer whose career has hit rock bottom after a string of failures. Desperate to reclaim his former glory, he boards the luxurious Twentieth Century Limited train traveling from Chicago to New York, setting the stage for a frantic, confined drama where the stakes are as high as the theatrical flair.
The film stars John Barrymore as the eccentric Oscar Jaffe,
delivering a performance defined by comedic melodrama and grandiosity. Opposite
him is Carole Lombard in her breakout role as Lily Garland, a former shopgirl
whom Jaffe transformed into a massive stage star. Having fled Jaffe’s stifling
control years prior to find fame in Hollywood, Lily happens to be on the same
train, leading to a volatile and hilarious reunion between two people who can’t
decide if they love or loathe one another.
As the train speeds toward Manhattan, the narrative becomes
a relentless tug-of-war. Jaffe employs every trick in the theatrical
handbook—guilt, fake illnesses, and elaborate lies—to convince Lily to sign a
contract for his new play. The chemistry between Barrymore and Lombard is
electric, characterized by rapid-fire dialogue and physical comedy that
highlights the absurdity of their professional and personal rivalry. They are
supported by a colorful cast of characters, including Jaffe’s long-suffering assistants
who try to manage the chaos.
Twentieth Century is widely regarded as one of the
films that defined the screwball genre, blending sophisticated wit with chaotic
energy. It explores themes of identity, the artifice of celebrity, and the thin
line between performance and reality. By keeping the action largely restricted
to the sleek, Art Deco interiors of the train, Hawks creates a pressure cooker
of hilarity that moves as fast as the locomotive itself, ensuring the audience
is just as breathless as the characters by the final stop.
Howard Hawks (1896 – 1977) was a versatile titan of
Hollywood’s Golden Age, renowned for his ability to master almost every
cinematic genre with a signature style of understated, fast-paced storytelling.
Often characterized by the “Hawksian woman”—female characters who were as
tough, witty, and capable as their male counterparts—his films frequently
explored themes of professional stoicism and masculine camaraderie. Throughout
his prolific career, he directed foundational masterpieces ranging from the
gritty gangster grit of Scarface and the pioneering screwball energy of Bringing
Up Baby and His Girl Friday to the rugged Western atmosphere of Red
River and Rio Bravo. His economical directing style, which favored
eye-level camera placement and seamless editing, earned him late-career status
as a favorite among “Auteur theory” critics and cemented his legacy as one of
the most influential directors in film history.
John Barrymore (1882 – 1942) was a preeminent force
of the American stage and screen, widely considered one of the most gifted
actors of his generation and a key member of the legendary Barrymore acting
dynasty. Initially a reluctant performer, he achieved immortality through his
athletic and definitive portrayal of Hamlet, a role that bridged
19th-century theatricality with modern psychological depth. Earning the moniker
“The Great Profile” for his strikingly classical features, he successfully
transitioned from silent film romantic leads in Don Juan to the “talkie”
era, where he showcased his versatility in sophisticated dramas like Grand
Hotel and high-energy comedies like Twentieth Century. Although his
later years were marked by a well-publicized struggle with alcoholism that
mirrored the tragic, washed-up characters he often portrayed, Barrymore
remained a magnetic presence whose quick wit and Shakespearean command left an
indelible mark on the evolution of 20th-century acting.
Carole Lombard (1908 – 1942) was the undisputed queen
of screwball comedy and one of the highest-paid, most beloved stars of
Hollywood’s Golden Age. Born Jane Alice Peters, she began her career in silent
films and slapstick shorts before her razor-sharp wit and energetic physical
comedy made her a definitive screen presence in the 1930s. Her breakout
performance in Twentieth Century redefined her image from a
sophisticated blonde lead into a comedic powerhouse, a reputation she
solidified with an Academy Award-nominated turn in My Man Godfrey and
the satirical Nothing Sacred. Known for her off-screen candor,
profanity-laced humor, and high-profile marriage to Clark Gable, Lombard was as
respected for her intelligence and professionalism as she was for her luminous
beauty. Her life was tragically cut short at the age of 33 in a plane crash
while returning from a record-breaking war bond rally, an event that led
President Franklin D. Roosevelt to posthumously award her the Presidential
Medal of Freedom as the first woman killed in the line of duty during World War
II.
Carole Lombard, far right
Twentieth Century trivia
The Lombard Transformation:
Before this film, Carole Lombard was primarily cast as a sophisticated clothes
horse in dramatic roles. Director Howard Hawks, frustrated with her stiff
acting during early rehearsals, famously took her aside and told her to stop acting
and just be the outspoken, energetic woman he knew her to be in real life. The
result was her breakout performance, which redefined her career and established
her as the queen of screwball comedy.
A “Great Profile” Parody: John Barrymore’s flamboyant
performance as Oscar Jaffe was largely a parody of his own legendary theatrical
persona and that of his real-life mentor, the eccentric Broadway producer David
Belasco. Barrymore reportedly enjoyed the role immensely because it allowed him
to mock the very high-acting style that had made him famous on the stage.
Real-Life Inspiration: The character of Oscar Jaffe
was based on the notorious Broadway producer Morris Gest, known for his
melodramatic flair and volatile temper. The original play, written by Ben Hecht
and Charles MacArthur (who also wrote the screenplay), was a thinly veiled
satire of the chaotic backstage world they had experienced firsthand in the New
York theater scene.
The “Hawksian” Pace: Twentieth Century is
often cited as the first true screwball comedy because of its relentless,
overlapping dialogue. Howard Hawks encouraged the actors to speak over one
another to simulate the frantic energy of a real argument, a technique he would
later perfect in films like His Girl Friday. This rapid-fire delivery
was a technical challenge for early sound equipment but became a hallmark of
the genre.
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| Carole Lombard and John Barrymore |
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Discussion questions
The Nature of Performance:
Oscar Jaffe and Lily Garland seem unable to turn off their theatrical personas,
even in their most private moments. Do you think they are ever being their “true”
selves, or has the world of Broadway permanently blurred the line between their
real personalities and the characters they play?
The Power Dynamic: At the start of the film, Oscar is
the mentor and Lily is the protégée, but the scales shift dramatically by the
time they meet on the train. How does the film portray the struggle for control
between them, and does Lily ever truly achieve independence from Oscar’s
influence?
Screwball Archetypes: Twentieth Century is
often cited as the film that launched the screwball comedy genre. Which
elements of the film—such as the rapid-fire dialogue, the confined setting, or
the battle of the sexes—do you think were most influential in defining this
style of filmmaking?
Sympathy for the Villain: Oscar Jaffe is
manipulative, dishonest, and ego-driven, yet he remains the protagonist of the
story. How do John Barrymore’s performance and Howard Hawks’ direction manage
to make such an objectively difficult character charming or even relatable to
the audience?
