While the debate around the exact film that kickstarted the screwball comedy genre continues to be a subject of considerable contention (with the general perception being that it can be reduced to the fascinating tug-of-war between Howard Hawks’ The Twentieth Century and Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night as the singular pioneering work), there are a few films that followed in subsequent years that are objectively considered foundational texts of this genre, with very little debate circling them or their status as significant works of early post-Hayes Code humour. One such film is Theodora Goes Wild, which many consider to be one of the finest screwball comedies ever made, an opinion that is difficult to contradict, especially when we witness how masterfully it captures various elements that came to be defining of the genre. Telling the story of a mild-mannered small-town aristocrat who is secretly a novelist who writes incredibly risqué books that shock her small community, the film is a classic comedy that understands all the different elements that go into such a peculiar story, and armed with a striking sense of humour and a lot of heartfelt emotions, director Richard Boleslawski (who is not a name we commonly discuss, since his relatively solid career has been overshadowed by some of the more notable filmmakers working in the genre at the time, and his untimely passing the following year meant that his job was tragically cut short) makes an absolute delight of a film. As hilarious as it is heartfelt, and never missing a single comedic beat, especially in how it examines some very resonant topics, Theodora Goes Wild is quite an achievement. It may not necessarily be the most original work, but there are aspects that are borderline revolutionary, and contribute to the impeccable reputation this film has garnered over the years, which is most certainly very deserving.

The general concept behind Theodora Goes Wild is made quite obvious very early on. This is a film about class differences, and the aftermath of liberal beliefs  (represented in the libertine, laissez-faire New York City) interweaving with small-town values, which leads to a fascinating and very funny comedy built on culture shock and the differences between the classes and how they perceive one another. A lot of screwball comedy employed these ideas, seamlessly weaving them into the narrative and creating something incredibly solid, even if they were sometimes focusing on elements that would date them to a particular moment in time. A film filled to the brim with the most acidic, but still very charming, satirical jabs that are aimed at both ends of the social and economic spectra, Theodora Goes Wild is wickedly funny, and its ability to navigate some truly tricky narrative territory is unmatched. It may not be on the same level in terms of how it interrogates the class system as something like My Man Godfrey (another screwball masterpiece released the same year), but it does arguably approach a different set of social standards, which allows it to be quite unique in its own right. There is something very peculiar about how screenwriters Mary McCarthy and Sidney Buchman tackle some of these ideas, and their tendency to consistently avoid going for the low-hanging fruit (as tempting as it may have been), while still being able to liberally mock both sides of the social divide that forms the foundation for the film immediately makes Theodora Goes Wild quite special, even if it can sometimes veer in other directions that distract from the already quite complex ideas the simmer beneath the surface of the film.

While we can easily imagine any of the great screwball actors of the 1930s  (such as Katharine Hepburn, Carole Lombard or Claudette Colbert) in the titular role, the team behind Theodora Goes Wild decided to go a slightly different direction, casting Irene Dunne in the part, despite it being well-known that she had not previously played a role in a comedy, and was more known as a dramatic actress – this is one of those fundamental facts we encounter with any introductory text or analysis of this film, as a way of showing that some of the most surprising performances come from unexpected sources. Naturally, we know that comedy is much more difficult than drama, which is likely why this film will probably be forever seen as Dunne’s crowning achievement, or at least her most well-loved performance in terms of showcasing her prowess as a genuine screen star. Her work here is impeccable – it’s a part that requires duality since the character is essentially living two different lives and has to adjust her demeanour accordingly, which leads to many of the film’s most hilarious and irreverent moments. Dunne was quite simply one of the greatest actors of her generation, and her performance in Theodora Goes Wild is an incredible performance from someone always profoundly dedicated to her craft. She is joined by the always reliable Melvyn Douglas, who is fully-aware that this film is a vehicle for his co-star, but still manages to turn in a wonderfully charismatic and extremely funny performance, which is exactly what we expected from him at this point in his career. The chemistry between the two leads is impeccable, and we soon find that the best moments are the slightly quieter sequences where they both express a rare sense of emotional vulnerability that feels extremely compelling and quite endearing. Like many screwball comedies, Theodora Goes Wild depends on the strength of the performances, and the two leads, as well as the sprawling supporting cast, are all wonderful.

Theodora Goes Wild is an outrageously funny film, and there are some moments here that are amongst the greatest in the history of screwball comedy. However, perhaps it was the fact that he was not considered a pioneer of the genre that allowed Boleslawski to have slightly more free to experiment with the tone of the film, which is one of the reasons it is sometimes not brought up in conversations on the best the genre has to offer, despite meeting all the criteria. The director takes this blisteringly funny script and mostly adheres to the standards of the genre, but he doesn’t avoid going in other directions. There is a genuine sense of sentimentality, and while it is arguably sickly sweet and slightly heavy-handed, it works in establishing the emotions at the heart of the film. This is as much a social satire as it is a love story, and the film employs elements of romantic melodrama to convey the affection shared between the characters portrayed by Dunne and Douglas, which was not always possible in more zany comedies. Make no mistake, Theodora Goes Wild has some of the funniest moments out of any comedy in the 1930s (particularly in relation to the supporting cast, which is populated by so many fantastic and hilarious actors, it only makes sense they would steal the film), and its earnest sense of humour is a great asset, since it allows the film to be wildly entertaining, while still being grounded by the more sobering message that sits right at the heart of the story, which is as integral to the narrative as the off-the-wall comedy. Ultimately, the intention of this film is to be a faux-Romeo and Juliet narrative, based around social structure, so it makes sense that it would be quite multifaceted in how it approaches the majority of its ideas, which form the overall foundation of this fascinating and very funny narrative.

Over the years, Theodora Goes Wild has always stood as one of those films that exists in the conversation around the screwball genre, but rarely (if ever) gets noted as being amongst the strongest. The reasons for this are not inexplicable – it does have a slightly off-kilter energy that doesn’t quite align with the consistently wacky tone of the purer entries into the genre, and it does resort to a few different ideas that situate it more on the outskirts rather than at the epicentre of qualities that define these films. Yet, for every deviation, there are a couple of elements that prove to be amongst the funniest we’ve seen from this era, making it a continuously exciting and quite unpredictable work, which seemed to be the intention. The writing is sharp, the direction pays attention to the theatricality of the story, and the overall experience is quite exhilarating – we never quite know where the film is going to go, and even at its most subversive, there is something incredibly moving about how it captures the spirit of a particular time and place with such vigour, as well as commenting on social issues in an engaging but distinctly interesting way, never being overwrought but still having some sense of sentimentality embedded right at its core. There’s something really lovely about this film, and its humour and heartfelt emotions all contribute to what is clearly one of the most intriguing comedies of its era.