An amusing Depression-era comedy, "Hands Across the Table," like its intended audience, is focused on money and those who have it and those who want it. A young gold-digging manicurist, who looks to bag a wealthy husband, runs into a seemingly daffy young man hopscotching in a hotel corridor. However, the good-looking guy is from a family ruined by the Crash, and he is about to marry a rich woman and regain his life of leisure. Romance ensues between the unlikely pair with predictable results. With Carole Lombard as the manicurist and Fred MacMurray as Theodore Drew III, the routine screwball screenplay is enhanced by the star power and offers a few laughable moments and enough entertainment to fill the short 80 minute running time.
Pleasant, but bland, Ralph Bellamy is on hand as a wealthy wheel-chair-bound invalid smitten by Lombard to add a romantic triangle to the plot. Ruth Donnelly as the manager of the barbershop where Lombard works and William Demarest as another of Lombard's potential suitors both have brief, but memorable comic roles that add to the film's appeal. Under the direction of Mitchell Leisen, Lombard displays her comedic skill as Regi Allen, even if her talents as a manicurist leave poor Drew with bandaged fingers. At age 27, MacMurray was already leading-man handsome and, with a few beef-cake shots as a bonus, he well plays the dual comedy and romantic sides of his character.
Ted Tetzlaff's black and white cinematography is soft at times, but offers a few dramatically-lit scenes that stand out. Mix a sham cruise to Bermuda, a cringe-worthy sun-lamp session, and a funny if painful manicure session for a decent second-tier screwball comedy. However, Lombard and MacMurray are worth the price of admission, and the slick and likeable movie is a minor treasure, if only for the enduring charms of its stars.
Pleasant, but bland, Ralph Bellamy is on hand as a wealthy wheel-chair-bound invalid smitten by Lombard to add a romantic triangle to the plot. Ruth Donnelly as the manager of the barbershop where Lombard works and William Demarest as another of Lombard's potential suitors both have brief, but memorable comic roles that add to the film's appeal. Under the direction of Mitchell Leisen, Lombard displays her comedic skill as Regi Allen, even if her talents as a manicurist leave poor Drew with bandaged fingers. At age 27, MacMurray was already leading-man handsome and, with a few beef-cake shots as a bonus, he well plays the dual comedy and romantic sides of his character.
Ted Tetzlaff's black and white cinematography is soft at times, but offers a few dramatically-lit scenes that stand out. Mix a sham cruise to Bermuda, a cringe-worthy sun-lamp session, and a funny if painful manicure session for a decent second-tier screwball comedy. However, Lombard and MacMurray are worth the price of admission, and the slick and likeable movie is a minor treasure, if only for the enduring charms of its stars.