On the heels of the Great Depression, American audiences were badly in need of a distraction. They looked to the entertainment industry and Hollywood came to the cinematic rescue. In trying to offer a respite from the downtrodden state of the country, a slew of comedies were unleashed on the public.

From the 1930’s through the 40’s (and a few outliers which came even later) Hollywood perfected the Screwball Comedy, a heightened subgenre featuring outrages storylines, physical humor and farcical situations. The much-needed laughter was eagerly received and filmgoers kept coming back for more.

This Golden Age of Screwball is jam packed with wonderful films and this list features just some of the many worthy titles of the time. Actors like Cary Grant and directors such as Preston Sturges will show up more than once as they contributed a vast amount to the genre. Here is a look back at the laughs, pratfalls and general merriment of a truly remarkable period in American film.

1. Bombshell (1933)

Jean Harlow’s screen career only lasted nine years but in that relatively short span she became one of Hollywood’s biggest names. Following her untimely death at the age of 26, her status as an iconic symbol of Hollywood’s Golden Age was swiftly secured. Her “Platinum Blonde” image and persona were often the focus of Harlow’s film characters and her famous screen presence is on full, sparkling display in Bombshell.

Harlow is Lola Burns, a popular Hollywood star exasperated by the people around her. Dealing with gold digging family members and a love struck studio publicist bent on scandalizing her image, the starlet decides to quit the business altogether. Upon falling for a wealthy Bostonian who is unaware of her stardom, Lola’s life takes hilarious and unexpected turns where all might not be as it seems.

Harlow carries the film with unbridled confidence and her male co-stars, Tone and Tracy, are a delightful match. It’s a fast moving, crackling farce that pokes pointed fun at the Hollywood studio system while offering audiences a bawdy good time. Meta before meta was a thing, Bombshell one of the pre-code comedies which got the ball rolling on what would become the heyday of cinema slapstick.

2. It Happened One Night (1934)

With a lack of faith from studio and the two leads reluctantly taking part in it, It Happened One Night surprised everyone becoming a critical and financial success upon its release. The film was the first of only three movies to sweep all the major Oscar categories, a most impressive feat for any production but especially a comedy.

Spoiled heiress Ellie Andrews (Claudette Colbert) impulsively marries the cunning King Westley. After being whisked away by her disapproving father, Ellie jumps ship and begins a cross-country trek to reunite with her husband. While on a bus, she meets intrepid reporter Peter Warne (Clark Gable) and reluctantly accepts his help in getting back to her husband in exchange for an exclusive story. Through their journey, they begin to fall in love but not without some very funny misadventures along the way.

Gable and Colbert’s sparkling chemistry combined with Frank Capra’s effectively light touch establish a perfect marriage between slapstick and romance. It is a battle of the sexes, playing out with equal doses of exuberant charm and quick-witted feistiness. Over 85 years after its release, It Happened One Night is still one of the quintessential romantic comedies of our time.

3. My Man Godfrey (1936)

In the thick of The Great Depression, the disjunction between the classes in America was an evident aspect of the social climate. Some film studios addressed the issue straight on, releasing somber dramas detailing the struggles of the time. However, others, committed to providing escapist entertainment, chose to reference the issue within the confines of humor. My Man Godfrey is a shining example of this.

Assigned to find a “forgotten man” as part of a scavenger hunt, a wealthy socialite (Carole Lombard) finds the homeless Godfrey Smith (William Powell) at the local dump. She not only brings him home as a prize but also hires him as the family’s butler. Godfrey excels at his job, keeping life leveled for the otherwise eccentric clan. But could there be more to the mysterious Godfrey Smith than meets the eye?

In addition to being a delightful and acerbic comedy of manners, the film is also a grand showcase for its ensemble of actors. Powell is perfection as the title character and Lombard is at her luminous best. Alice Brady as the family matriarch is also a stand out as is Mischa Auer as her “protégé” Carlo. Incidentally, all four actors deservedly received Academy Award nominations for their work.

My Man Godfrey is high comedy. And though consistently hilarious, the film is also a sly social commentary veiled under a plethora of abundant chortles.

4. The Awful Truth (1937)

Improvisation in film has been an oft-used tool through the years but back in 1937, when filmmaking was still a very strict medium, it was almost an unheard of phenomenon. Director Leo McCarey encouraged the use of this method on the set of The Awful Truth and, though at first put off by it, the cast eventually embraced and relished in the process. The result was an instant classic, garnering McCarey a Best Director Oscar.

It’s been said that Cary Grant cemented his famous screen persona with his performance here as Jerry Wariner, half of a married couple who mutually decide to divorce after each spouse suspects the other of infidelity. Both Jerry and his soon-to-be ex-wife Lucy (Irene Dunne) quickly find new lovers but things go far from smoothly when each ex tries to sabotage the other’s attempt at romance.

Irene Dunne and Cary Grant had only been known for their more serious roles but they surprised audiences with their natural comedic abilities. They, along with Ralph Bellamy, make the transition to comedy with unbridled ease. McCarey’s decision in urging the cast to contribute improvisational ideas in shaping the film results in comedy gold. The Awful Truth’s hilarity works beautifully on its own merit but there is an added charm in knowing the collective artistic effort that went into it creating it.

5. Bringing Up Baby (1938)

The second of four films Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant made together, Bringing Up Baby started life as a proverbial flop. It also contributed to Hepburn being unceremoniously branded “box office poison” by film exhibitors of the time. The film, however, would eventually (and deservedly) become one of the most celebrated screwball comedies of all time and Miss Hepburn one of the silver screen’s most enduring leading ladies.

The spirited comedy finds Cary Grant as David Huxley, a soon-to-be married paleontologist on the verge of completing a dinosaur bone project. Hoping to receive a large donation for his museum from a wealthy benefactor, Huxley meets the donor’s flighty niece Susan Vance (Katherine Hepburn) who immediately sets her sights on the handsome zoologist. With a leopard named Baby in tow, the eccentric Susan wrecks hilarious havoc in David’s structured life and unexpectedly finds her way into his heart.

Hepburn and Grant are a formidable screen duo. Their dialogue and exchanges, along with their physical gags, are impeccably timed and executed (thanks in no small part to the immeasurable directorial talents of Howard Hawks). The film moves quickly, piling on the laughs almost relentlessly with nary a missed opportunity. Bringing up Baby has zany characters, a genius comic spirit and the kind of undiminished hilarity all comedies should be so lucky to have.

“I would like respect for difficult work well done” – Olivia De Havilland

This past July we bid farewell to one of the last conduits of Hollywood’s Golden Age, the great Olivia De Havilland. She lived to the ripe old age of 104 and left behind an enduring and remarkable film legacy. She was a smart, assertive and classy individual who believed in the power of the acting craft and her ability to contribute to it.

Her career spanned over 50 years, leaving and indelible mark on cinema in various genres of film. There’s nary a performance in which she doesn’t shine, even if the material may have been subpar. Who else could bring some regal authenticity to a movie about killer bees (The Swarm) or a downed airplane sinking in the ocean (Airport 77)?

Her kindly and approachable demeanor became one of her hallmarks, but De Havilland suffered no fools. She was honest about her troublesome relationship with her sister, fellow actress Joan Fontaine, and once her career gained momentum she fought for the quality of her roles. In 1944 she sued Warner Bros for violating labor laws within their length of contracts. She won and De Havilland Law was born and is still in use today.

De Havilland’s continued working until 1988 and eventually retired completely and lived out the rest of her life in her Paris home. Upon her passing many mourned not only her death but also the last living connection to the days of classic Hollywood. But isn’t that what movies are all about? To have those incredible, life changing moments captured forever on celluloid. Ready to be revisited whenever we are so inspired.

Here are some of the most unique and memorable performances of Olivia De Havilland’s career. Some of the titles are well known, others slightly more obscure but all are worthy of mention. So much has been said about Gone with The Wind and her classic portrayal of Melanie Wilkes through the years so that title will not be on this list. Instead, let’s take a nostalgic look back at some other significant roles in Olivia’s unforgettable career.

10. In This Our Life (1942)

Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Ellen Glasgow, this was the third of six films Bette Davis and Olivia De Havilland made together. Davis didn’t want to do the picture, believing she was miscast and later labeling it “a most disgraceful film”. Despite Bette’s unhappiness with being involved and De Havilland’s affair with director John Houston during shooting, the final product was well received and made a good showing at the box office.

Davis plays Stanley, a spoiled and calculating young woman who dumps her fiancé Craig and runs of with her sister Roy’s (De Havilland) husband Peter. After an unhappy marriage, which ends with Peter’s suicide, Stanley returns home to wreak havoc on the lives of those she left behind.

The film is a bombastic showcase for Bette Davis who plays the rotten and unredeemable Stanley with her trademark vengeance. She’s fun to watch and the movie as a whole, is an enjoyable, if predictably melodramatic affair. Dangerous sibling rivalry, adultery, blackmail and suggestions of incest are all par for the course.

Perpetuating the “good relative” persona she so memorably fashioned in Gone with The Wind three years earlier, De Havilland is in a familiar place here. She has the less showy role, but she gives the character of Roy a solid, stoic quality. While Davis chews up the scenery, De Havilland keeps it steady. The film is a strong example of Olivia’s ability to hold her own against flashier performances by simply connecting to the truth of the character. The earth might shake under her feet, but she keeps her steady footing with masterful focus.

9. The Screaming Woman (1972)

The 1970s proved to be a fertile ground for suspense TV movies. Shot economically but with care, many of these 90-minute films achieved cult status in years to come.

While not in the same league as minor TV classics like Duel and Trilogy of Terror, The Screaming Woman is a slight and rather enjoyable TV film from Universal. A wealthy matriarch (De Havilland), having recently returned from a mental institution, hears a woman crying for help under the ground in an area of her estate. Horrified, she seeks help in saving the buried victim, but no one believes her.

Loosely inspired by a Ray Bradbury story, the movie has some effective tension and some creepy moments. There’s nothing technically memorable here and that’s to be expected. It does, however, feature a score by John Williams and costumes by Edith Head.

As the 1970s rolled around, De Havilland began to slow down her work in features and began to appear more steadily in television. The Screaming Woman maybe a footnote in her legendary filmography but it’s a strong example that no matter what the medium, she always treated the material with expertise and commitment. Her performance is predictably strong. Her empathy and frustration ring true in every moment. The film is on this list chiefly to illustrate that even a basic TV movie can benefit greatly from an actor who takes their work seriously.

8. Lady in a Cage (1964)

Released the same year as “Hush…Hush Sweet Charlotte” and subtly banking of the hagsploitation subgenre of the time, “Lady in a Cage” was yet another vehicle originally planned for Joan Crawford. Due to scheduling conflicts, Crawford backed out and the film was offered to Olivia De Havilland.

Due to an electrical problem, a wealthy woman (De Havilland) gets stuck in an elevator in the middle of her large home. A young thug (James Caan in his first starring role) and his unsavory friends proceed to taunt and terrorize the hapless woman in her own home.

A dark thriller, ahead of its time is mostly successful albeit with some plot holes and a penchant for exploitive sleaze. It is unflinchingly grim and violent for its time and does manage to be a mostly gripping piece of film.

Having the main character trapped in the cage-like elevator feels gimmicky but it offers an exceptional challenge to the actor. De Havilland rises to this challenge in spades. The performance could have become repetitive or meandering but in Olivia’s expert hands, it crackles and pops. Starting helpless and frightened she eventually works her survival instinct to a fever pitch. It is impressive how she tailors her performance to match the tone of the film, beat by beat. It’s the work of a true expert.

7. A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935)

The sparkling adaptation of William Shakespeare’s comedic fantasy is mostly remembered for its ingenious cinematic imagery and for being De Havilland’s screen debut. Joining a stellar cast which included the likes of James Cagney, Mickey Rooney and Dick Powell, Olivia was cast as Hermia after having been seen playing the role in a grandiose production of the play at the Hollywood Bowl.

The story of Athenian lovers and their forest exploits at the hands of the mischievous sprite Puck is given the royal treatment in this fanciful opus. It’s a sumptuous production featuring impressive sets, exquisite costumes and some truly awe-inspiring visuals (Hal Mohr’s sterling black and white cinematography received an Academy Award). It feels a bit long and it is, of course, expectedly verbose but its charms outweigh any of its minute flaws.

De Havilland feels right at home alongside her more seasoned co-stars. She displays a confidence and comfort which belies the fact that this is her screen debut. And, probably due to her previous experience with the source material, she delivers Shakespeare’s iambic pentameter with the greatest of ease (often more so than some of her fellow cast). At only 18 years of age, Olivia delivers sizeable charm and screen charisma right out of the gate. It was to be the start of a most impressive screen career.

6. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Errol Flynn and Olivia De Havilland had a magnetic chemistry and it’s never more evident than in “The Adventures of Robin Hood”. Their third of eight films together, it’s a lively and energetic adventure which still holds up over 80 years after its release.

The familiar story of Robin Hood who steals from the rich and gives to the poor has been immortalized by the visuals of this film. Famously shot in gorgeous Technicolor and featuring some thrilling set pieces, the movie is exciting in an unabashedly cheerful way. Helmed by Michael Curtiz, the film also features spirited performances by the likes of Basil Rathbone and Claud Rains.

Errol Flynn is a pitch perfect screen hero, handsome and charismatic. But he’s matched every step of the way by Olivia De Havilland as Marion. Her beauty and smile are almost hypnotic but it’s her charm and confidence which sell the role. And her skillful portrayal, along with Flynn’s, makes Robin’s and Marion’s conversion from adversaries to lovers surprisingly believable.

There’s thrilling swashbuckling and vibrant visuals. There’s high adventure and an exciting hero. But there’s also a sparkling Oliva De Havilland, reminding audiences that great actors are part of the magic of the movies.