THE LADY EVE (1941)

Although Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda had teamed up for an earlier screwball comedy, they never hit the perfect blend of hilarity, glamour, and sex appeal until Preston Sturges brought them together for one of his best films. She’s a cardsharp preying on wealthy travelers when she spots Fonda, the heir to a millionaire brewery. What starts as a con job evolves into romance, but that quickly goes awry. Sturges defied skeptics by having the normally staid and serious Fonda take repeated pratfalls and he skirted censorship despite pairing his stars in multiple surprisingly risqué love scenes. The film led to more glamorous comic roles for Stanwyck, while Edith Head’s Latin-themed gowns sparked a fashion trend. The always dependable Charles Coburn, Eugene Pallette, William Demarest, and Eric Blore co-star. 

d. Preston Sturges, 94m, DCP

Courtesy of Universal Pictures.

We regret the following will no longer attend as previously announced: Bill Hader