‘The Major and the Minor’: A Girl, a Ruse, and a ‘Major’ Problem

Billy Wilder’s first screwball comedy hits all the right spots in action, fast-paced dialogue, and funny antics.

Major Philip Kirby (Ray Milland) and Susan Applegate (Ginger Rogers), in “The Major and the Minor.” Paramount Pictures

NR | 1h 40m | Screwball Comedy, Romance | 1942

Sometimes I wish the screwball comedies of old would make a comeback. Their ability to instantly hook audiences with whirlwind antics and delightfully absurd narratives gives them a kinetic energy not unlike a great action film.