It's a Wonderful World (1939)

Screwball Classic - It's a Wonderful World review by Steve

As the mood in Hollywood darkened with the world at war, this recalled the screwball comedies of the early ’30s. James Stewart plays a private detective on the run from the police, trying to clear his name. And pick up a reward. Claudette Colbert is the crazy poet who wants to help but endangers him at every turn.

There are many references to her Oscar winning performance in It Happened One Night (1934). And like most screwball classics, it's a road film. Ben Hecht contributes an extremely funny script, as the actors switch between comic personas. Jimmy is a hoot as a scout leader in thick spectacles which render him almost blind.

Colbert's lunacy is inspired. When she says 'I swear by my eyes’… it's her indication that she's about to lie. But it's fine because she used her tell. She's so good. Unfortunately, Stewart’s tough guy persona is misogynistic, and there’s a regrettable moment of typical '30s racism.

The murder-mystery at a provincial theatre hardly matters. It's all about the rapid-fire comic sparring between the stars. It is derivative; the quarrelling couple are handcuffed together like in The 39 Steps (1935). It's not profound.  But for pure laughs, it’s among the funniest comedies of the decade.