JLRVancouver "Twentieth Century" pre-code 'screwball' comedy sees ingénue 'Lily Garland' (nee 'Mildred Plotke', played by Carole Lombard) play off against melodramatic director Oscar Jaffe (John Barrymore). Much of the film takes place on the train Twentieth Century Limited (hence the title), as Jaffe tries to con Garland into being the leading lady in his play about Mary Magdalene. The dialogue is fast and generally clever and Barrymore is great as the aging auteur who saw his parade of hit plays dry up when he lost Garland to Hollywood. Lombard is beautiful and her 'Lily Garland' character allows her to run the theatrical gamut from frightened neophyte to diva. The supporting cast is fine and the shenanigans on the train generally comic. All in all, a fun film but (IMO) not one of the era's top-tier comedies.

lasttimeisaw Being the devil's advocate, I hazard to say that, as a progenitor of screwball comedy under the craftsmanship of Howard Hawks, who would in due course bring into fruition of quintessential specimens like BRINGING UP BABY (1938) and HIS GIRL Friday (1940), TWENTIETH CENTURY has lost much of its luster compared with his nearest cousin, Frank Capra's more sought-after IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934), came out in the same year, and another commonality: both movies have Walter Connolly and Roscoe Karns in the supporting cast. The plot can be boiled down to a sado-msochistic relationship between an egoist Broadway impresario Oscar Jaffe (Barrymore) and a prima-donna Lily Garland (Lombard), née Mildred Plotka, a lingerie model turns theatre star under his exclusive tutelage. While it seems that the Jaffe- Garland collaboration is synonymous with success, their relationship actually comes apart at the seams due to Oscar's ingrained controlling nature and objectification of Lily as his private property. When Lily eventually leaves him and Broadway, and subsequently becomes triumphant in Hollywood, Oscar's theatre output continues to slump sans his muse, his company is going to the wall, only two put-upon sidekicks Oliver Webb (Connolly) and Owen O'Malley (Karns) show their loyalties, both have an inclination of intemperance though, a career hazard by working for Oscar far too long. But fate reunites them and Lily on the 20th Century Limited from Chicago to New York, can Oscar win her heart back, or if that is quite a long shot, at least he can persuade her to sign a new contract with him, to halt his business downturn?Both Barrymore and Lombard chew up the scenery to the hilt and apparently wallow in their verbal tit-for-tat, but in the eyes of a new audience from the 2lst century, unfortunately Barrymore's overbearing lunacy and Lombard's sentimental tomfoolery do not chime with today's aesthetic values, there is no sympathy or empathy can be teased out, in spite of its initially charming divertissement of the duo's two-play rehearsal segment, the story begins to pall once the train journey starts. A subplot pivots around a lunatic on board (is there only one?) , Mr. Clark (Girardot), a diminutive but harmless asylum escapee, actually makes for a wackier farce than the central bawling game, it is an ominous sign for this odd satire, don't tell me it represents the hallmark of talkie in that era, that simply cannot be true!

utgard14 Broadway actress Lily Garland (Carole Lombard) leaves eccentric director Oscar Jaffe (John Barrymore), who made her a star. She successfully makes the move to movie acting while his career falters. After a disastrous show in Chicago, Oscar boards the Twentieth Century, a train bound for New York. When he discovers Lily is also on board, he decides to get her back, no matter what it takes.Exceptional screwball comedy from the great Howard Hawks. Lombard's wonderful in the movie that made her a star. Barrymore gives a tour-de-force performance that has to be seen to be believed. Good support from Walter Connolly, Roscoe Karns, and Etienne Girardot, among others. Rapid-fire pace, terrific script, and excellent direction. A true classic. One of the top five screwball comedies ever made.

Robert J. Maxwell I hate having to say this but I found "Twentieth Century" a snooze-inducing bore from start to finish. I realize a good many people find it a masterpiece but to me it looked like a staged play with a lot of semi-hysterical running around and screaming. The whole production seemed forced.The most amusing feature was a lunatic aboard the train, a fly-bitten fustilarian who has a tendency to write large but phony checks and who posts stickers on every surface that read: "Repent. The end is coming." Carole Lombard seems competent, but no more than that. The story is carried mainly by John Barrymore who overacts outrageously and, in his excess, is sometimes funny. (See Barrymore imitate a walking camel!) I have a feeling that without Hawks' name in the credits, and with two unknown but equally talented stars, the movie wouldn't have received the plaudits it did.The first time I saw it on TV -- perhaps twenty years ago -- I was disappointed but later questioned my disappointment as the result of, I don't know, some disagreeable digestive disorder or an attack of restless legs syndrome. So I just bought the DVD and watched it again, hoping to be in a more appreciative mood.Nope. It's still a headlong rush of shouting, scurrying around, and a dozen ancillary characters, none of which add up to much in the way of either story or laughs.