Myrna Loy and William Powell appeared in fourteen films together, made from 1934 to 1947, resulting in an unprecedented number of cinematic pairing within the classical Hollywood studio system. This might prompt one to wonder: what was it about their onscreen personas and characters that contributed to their success as the quintessential ‘screwball’ couple? Drawing upon genre studies, this thesis examines the performances of Loy and Powell, the comedic intertextuality developed within their filmic oeuvre, and their films’ contributions to the romantic comedy genre. The films discussed within this thesis focus mainly on Loy and Powell’s roles as married couples within ‘The Thin Man’ film series, including The Thin Man (1934), After the Thin Man (1936), Another Thin Man (1939), Shadow of the Thin Man (1941), The Thin Man Goes Home (1945), and The Song of the Thin Man (1947), as well as their stand-alone performances in the screwball and marital comedies, Libeled Lady (1936), Double Wedding (1937), I Love You Again (1940), and Love Crazy (1941). By analyzing the progression of Loy and Powell’s roles as iconic screwball and romantic comedy couples, this thesis traces the lasting cultural impact and legacy Loy and Powell’s films have had on subsequent generations of filmmakers and moviegoers.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/39000 |
| Date | 27 November 2019 |
| Creators | Crane, Sarah Constable |
| Contributors | Warren, Charles, Grundmann, Roy |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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