Hollywood Romantic Comedy : States of Union, 1934–1965

This work explores the changing representation of the couple in romantic comedy, focusing on the key themes of marriage, equality and desire.

It considers the three cycles of production: screwball comedy in the thirties; career woman comedy in the forties; and sex comedy in the fifties.

This work analyses shifting discourses around heterosexuality, gender, romance and love; includes detailed discussion of Myrna Loy and William Powell, Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, and Doris Day and Rock Hudson; and, enables a more sophisticated understanding of the functions of such generic conventions as masquerade, gender inversion, the 'green world' and the happy ending.