A hypochondriac heiress inherits a sanitarium to find that it is a front for bootleggers. This manic comedy is often regarded as La Cava's best silent film. With live piano accompaniment by Forrester Pyke.

In this outrageous political fantasy made at the bottom of the Depression, a political hack is elected President of the United States. After suffering a near-fatal car accident, he is inspired by the angel Gabriel to seize dictatorial powers in order to lead the nation out of its woes. Print courtesy of The Library of Congress.

An evergreen classic of Depression-era screwball comedy. On a "scavenger hunt" for "forgotten men," spoiled socialite Carole Lombard picks up homeless William Powell and gives him a job as her family's butler. Print courtesy of The Library of Congress.

The flow of life at a progressive psychiatric hospital is disturbed by the arrival of the conservative new superintendent and his sister. This unusual melodrama, one of the first Hollywood films to deal with mental illness, is one of La Cava's most visually arresting works. Print courtesy of La Filmoteca Espanola.

An efficient secretary tries to bring some working-class common sense to running her boss's household but meets resistance from his family. Played for naturalistic satire rather than belly laughs, this is an interesting set of variations on some of La Cava's favourite themes.

A brilliant, rarely seen La Cava masterwork in which a small-town woman goes to New York to seek her fortune as a singer. After marrying an alcoholic playboy almost by accident, she tries to make the best of the situation. Print courtesy of The BFI National Archive.