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"Starting as a humble gagman, [Leo McCarey] rose to head of production at the Hal Roach Studios in the 1920s, making a major contribution to the development of Roach’s distinctively realistic, slow-burn style of comedy. Molehills became mountains as the quirks and peccadilloes of McCarey’s all too human characters bounced off each other and created an escalating chain of events. Using this 'Particle Theory of Comedy,' McCarey’s always seriously funny outlook gave birth to some of the 1930s’ most memorable classic comedies, and later led to examinations of darker, more bittersweet aspects of the human condition." —MoMA