THE BRIDE CAME C.O.D. (Warner Bros., 1941). Directed by William Keighley. Screenplay by Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein; story by Kenneth Earl and M. M. Musselman. With James Cagney, Bette Davis, Stuart Erwin. Eugene Pallette, Jack Carson, George Tobias. (92 min, black & white, 35mm print from the Copyright Collection)
Preceded by the Merrie Melodies cartoon RHAPSODY IN RIVETS (Warner Bros., 1941), directed by Friz Freleng. (8 min, Technicolor, 35mm, preserved from original nitrate negatives in the United Artists Collection)
A pilot is enlisted by an oil tycoon to prevent his daughter from marrying a band leader. A fast-paced screwball comedy that provided both Cagney and Davis with an opportunity to move away from their established screen personas, he from gangster roles and she from leads in romantic dramas. Some have suggested that Davis accepted the part, not dissimilar to Claudette Colbert’s runaway heiress in It Happened One Night (1934), to rival Katharine Hepburn, who had great success with comedies such as Bringing Up Baby (1938) and The Philadelphia Story (1940). The actress was later dismissive of the film, claiming that all she got out of it was “a derrière full of cactus quills.”
Seating is on a first-come first-serve basis. Doors open at 6:30 pm.
Thursday, June 13, 2024
7:00 pm – 8:45 pm EDT
Where: James Madison Building – Pickford Theater (LM302)
101 Independence Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20540
Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 or [email protected].