Programmed April 2020

Starring Jean Arthur

Though she came up through the silent era, Jean Arthur was truly made for talkies. With her wonderfully expressive voice, offbeat delivery, and impeccable comic timing, she quickly emerged as one of the greatest stars of the screwball genre and a particular favorite of director Frank Capra, who cast her as the plucky working-girl heroines of his classics Mr. Deeds Goes to Town , You Can’t Take It with You , and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Throughout the late 1930s and early ’40s, Arthur delivered memorable performances in comedies and dramas alike for top directors like Frank Borzage ( History Is Made at Night ), Howard Hawks ( Only Angels Have Wings ), and George Stevens ( The More the Merrier ) before abruptly retiring in 1944,…