The Palm Beach Story went into production November 24, 1941.

With parts written to their specific talents, most of the actors required little direction. The result was a relaxed set where the cast felt comfortable trying whatever the script demanded. When Joel McCrea had to fall down a flight of stairs at the end of an argument, Sturges even took the fall for him first, just to show him it was safe.

One thing slowing the film down was Sturges's problems with Mary Astor, cast as Rudy Vallee's flighty sister. Although she was an accomplished screen actress, the Sturges brand of comedy did not come naturally to her. She would later write, "It was not my thing. I couldn't talk in a high fluty voice and run my words together as he thought high society women did, or at least mad high society women who'd had six husbands and six million dollars." (Astor, Mary Astor: A Life on Film)

Sturges's perfectionism also slowed down production. He refused to move on to close-ups until he had a perfect master shot, and he would stop and do a new take if an actor changed a word of the script. Co-star William Demarest, who appeared in eight Sturges films, would later say, "He had a great memory. If you changed anything, he'd say, 'Wait a minute,' and, goddamn, he was right." (Demarest, quoted in James Curtis, Between Flops: A Biography of Preston Sturges)

Filming wrapped in January 1942, seven days behind schedule. Final production costs came in at about $950,000.

The Palm Beach Story premiered in England before it opened in the U.S. In summer 1942 it was warmly received there as a welcome respite from the grim wartime news.

The film previewed in the U.S. in October 1942 to enthusiastic audiences who laughed throughout and applauded at the end. This was particularly encouraging given the tepid response to his previous picture, Sullivan's Travels (1941), which had received mixed reviews and had not done as well at the box office as Sturges's earlier hits.

Vallee's performance was named one of the year's best by the National Board of Review.

By Frank Miller