What's the difference between screwball and slapstick comedy?

Answer 1

slapstick is physical comedy, where we laugh at people getting physically hurt most of the time. Like Laurel and Hardy, Asterix, Tom and Jerry, and the fights between Calvin and Hobbes.

Screwball is just plain silliness. It's something that appears in a lot of romantic comedies and in sitcoms. It usually has characters of below average intelligence, or of very little manners. Examples include Dumb and Dumber, Bill and Ted's, I Love Lucy, The Cosby Show, Ren and Stimpy.

There are many examples of both of course.

Answer 2

screwball- is baseball
slapstick- hockey