Goodness gracious, I’m in love.

A few weeks back, we discussed how comedies don’t win Best Picture at the Oscars very often. This week’s featured film, You Can’t Take It with You (1938, Columbia), is one of those rare films—furthermore, it has got to be one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. Ever. Adapted from the Pulitzer-winning play of the same name written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart and nominated for seven Academy Awards (Outstanding Production, Directing, Sound Recording, Writing (Screenplay), Film Editing, Cinematography, and Actress in a Supporting Role for Spring Byington, who plays Penny Sycamore), You Can’t Take It with You won only two Oscars: Outstanding Production and Best Directing for Frank Capra, who by 1939 already possessed two Academy Awards for directing (for 1934’s BP It Happened One Night and for 1936’s Mr. Deeds Goes to Town), although arguably his greatest directing achievement was yet to come with It’s a Wonderful Life (1946).

For me, what makes this week’s BP just a simply awesome film is its mix of humor and depth. From Penny Sycamore, who types plays all day because a typewriter was mistakenly delivered to the house, to Essie Carmichael, who constantly practices her ballet throughout the house in between baking desserts into which her husband stuffs revolutionary messages because he likes the font, to Paul Sycamore, who makes fireworks in the basement, the fantastic (and fantastically odd!) family at the heart of the film is completely unpredictable and entirely lovable. Still, in a manner very similar to that of It Happened One Night, You Can’t Take It with You doesn’t shy away from the current issues of its time. There are various references to the Russian Revolution, the Depression, the tensions of upcoming war, business monopolies, and social class disparities, among others. Yet despite the plethora of political and social commentary, You Can’t Take It with You is ultimately a simple story about two families, their values, and their differences.

Just a taste of the Sycamore family’s hilarious antics in You Can’t Take It with You

It’s interesting that this is the film that prefaces the advent of one of the absolute greatest films of all time, next week’s BP Gone with the Wind. It is also the last winner before the start of World War II, undoubtedly the most influential event of the twentieth century, and one whose influence on the film industry seems to never die (Anyone see the previews for this summer’s Dunkirk? Looking forward to it!). So, just as You Can’t Take It with You is a mish-mash of hilarity and solemnity, so also is its time in history a mix of optimism and trepidation. The Great Depression would end in 1939, the year after You Can’t Take It with You was released. But, one gigantic reason for the end of the struggle that was the 1930s was the start of World War II in Europe with the Nazi invasion of Poland in September 1939. The Depression might have been almost over, but a new trial was only just beginning.

I like connections. Here’s one in closing. In the court scene toward the end of You Can’t Take It with You, the cutest judge ever presides over the proceedings—a little old man who smiles so sweetly, deals out mercy to a misguided young runaway, and donates money to the cause of Grandpa Vanderhof. This judge was played by a man by the name of Harry Davenport. He was born about eight months after the close of the Civil War and died a few years after the close of World War II. His brother-in-law was Lionel Barrymore (they had married sisters), the actor who played Grandpa Vanderhof. He acted in three consecutive Best Picture winners: The Life of Emile Zola, You Can’t Take It with You, and Gone with the Wind. And, he gets to close out this week’s warm-up for a couple of reasons. For one, the span of his life covers a fascinating period of history, one of massive changes, triumphs, and tragedies—and a time which includes the wars dealt with in Gone with the Wind and anticipated by You Can’t Take It with You. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, each of the BP winners he was a part of addresses the idea of freedom, albeit in different ways—freedom of the individual, freedom of the group, freedom of the country. Before launching ourselves into the films of the time period of WWII, it’s important to observe the value already placed on liberty and the emphasis on the need to protect it.

For more thoughts on You Can’t Take It with You and its significance, please check out the full post this weekend!