My Man Godfrey, Four's a Crowd, My Favorite Wife, The Devil and Miss Jones--for their inspired blend of slapstick humor with casual elegance and witty repartee, these movies are examples of what became known as "screwball" comedies. This study focuses on the genre, film-by-film, year-by-year, providing the film enthusiast or serious researcher with an informed guide to the screen offerings of the era.

Each of the major contributors is profiled, from directors (such as Capra, Hawks, McCarey or LaCava) to writers (Hecht, Krasna, Wilder, and others) to the inspired lunacy of performers (Grant, Lombard, Dunne, or MacMurray). The large filmography covers more than 50 films, appearing chronologically, and gives title, studio, date, time, director, producer, writers, source, photography, cast, plot description and background notes.