Screwball comedy directed by Norman Z McLeod the man behind several Marx Brothers and WC Fields films is pure silliness. The plot has a family of semi-crazies taking on a man they think is a hobo to be their chauffeur. He is actually a writer of some renowned. As he navigates the waters of the familial home romance and madness blossom.
I stumbled upon this on Turner Classic Movies and was amused from the very start. Very much akin to My Man Godfrey this film takes things into territory that one would expect from the under appreciated McLeod who always managed to produce a unique form of madness akin to the Warner Brother Cartoons. There are some wonderful set pieces such as the much too late arrivals of everyone in the family, each not wanting to wake the rest of the house,or the fainting at the end both of which produce genuine laughter. Its a pleasure to be hold. I love that the film is populated with a bunch of great characters that you care about and stick with you after the movie ends. This is a wonderful and unsung and seemingly rarely seen movie.
If I have any complaints its perhaps that the film has too many things going on at once. This is a film that easily could have gone for twice its length and not felt forced (a rarity with comedies).
This is a movie to keep an eye out for. Turner Classic movies would be well served to get this into the rotation more frequently or better yet to simply get it out on DVD so everyone can enjoy it.
I stumbled upon this on Turner Classic Movies and was amused from the very start. Very much akin to My Man Godfrey this film takes things into territory that one would expect from the under appreciated McLeod who always managed to produce a unique form of madness akin to the Warner Brother Cartoons. There are some wonderful set pieces such as the much too late arrivals of everyone in the family, each not wanting to wake the rest of the house,or the fainting at the end both of which produce genuine laughter. Its a pleasure to be hold. I love that the film is populated with a bunch of great characters that you care about and stick with you after the movie ends. This is a wonderful and unsung and seemingly rarely seen movie.
If I have any complaints its perhaps that the film has too many things going on at once. This is a film that easily could have gone for twice its length and not felt forced (a rarity with comedies).
This is a movie to keep an eye out for. Turner Classic movies would be well served to get this into the rotation more frequently or better yet to simply get it out on DVD so everyone can enjoy it.