Twentieth Century

Twentieth Century. 1934 Columbia Pictures.
Starring: John Barrymore, Carole Lombard, Walter Connolly, Roscoe Karns, Edgar Kennedy
Director: Howard Hawks
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A 1934 film based on an unproduced stage play Napoleon of Broadway, which was written by Charles Bruce Millholland.

Oscar Jaffe (Barrymore) is a Broadway producer who is a bigger ham than most actors. However, he is still able to build a successful career. At a rehearsal, he encounters Lily Garland (Lombard), and he is the only one to see her as the next big star. Jaffe mentors Lily and turns her into a true star on Broadway, but she has also become just as difficult to deal with backstage as he is.

Lily decides to make the big leap from Broadway to Hollywood, which sends Jaffe's career into a tailspin. Now bankrupt, and desperately seeking a hit to bring him back to the penthouse from the outhouse, Jaffe boards the Twentieth Century Limited train from New York to Chicago. The director's only using the train to duck his creditors, who are all waiting at Grand Central Station in hopes of spotting him.

Not so coincidentally, Lily is also on that same train. She also wants nothing to do with Jaffe at all by now, but that isn't going to stop him from trying to talk her into coming back to him. Oh, and there's also some lunatic onboard the Twentieth Century Limited, and there's no doubt he's going to make things even more interesting.

All of this adds up to a decent screwball comedy that starts out slow, but really picks up momentum after Lily departs for Hollywood. The performances of Barrymore and Lombard were amazing. Recommended.