John Barrymore, the great Shakespearean actor, explodes with manic intensity for 90 minutes straight in Howard Hawks' 1934 screwball comedy.
As heard by us
A patient, sharp look at Barrymore's comic grandeur in *20th Century*.
Dan and Mike keep 20th Century focused on performance control, and the best stretch of the conversation is the one that lingers on Barrymore's knack for making solemnity funny without ever winking at it.
Why you'd press play
Barrymore's tragic overreach becomes the whole joke.
Listen to the show on