Gabriel Paletz

Instant Screwball: How Director Gregory La Cava Went Beyond the Script Inside the Hollywood Studio System

Prague Film School, Czech Republic

The classic screwball films of director Gregory La Cava like MY MAN GODFREY (1936) and THE HALF NAKED TRUTH (1932) are among the most celebrated comedies of Classical Hollywood. Yet there is not one monograph about him or on his methods of going beyond the screenplay in Classical Hollywood film production. La Cava was known for defying the pre-approved screenplays “shot as written” in the Hollywood studio system, by improvising dialogues and rewriting the script on set. His methods give his movies a unique freshness. This paper shows how La Cava went beyond the script in the production conditions of Classical Hollywood–to the frustration of many producers, inspiration of his actors and delight of both past and contemporary audiences.