Screen Team Edition: Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard

I’m back for another round of Screen Team Edition, and, this time, the focus is on Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard, who made three films together: The Cat And The Canary, The Ghost Breakers and Nothing But The Truth. Of course, before I comment on this pair , I have the plot descriptions for all three of the movies that they made together.

The Cat And The Canary: Lawyer Crosby (George Zucco) comes out to the isolated mansion of the late Cyrus Norman. There, he is to read Cyrus’s will to his potential heirs, including Wally Campbell (Bob Hope), Joyce Norman (Paulette Goddard), Fred Blythe (John Beal), Charlie Wilder (Douglass Montgomery), Aunt Susan (Elizabeth Patterson) and Cicily (Nydia Westman). According to the will, Joyce is to inherit everything, unless she dies or goes insane in a short period of time (at which point everything would go to the second heir, whose name was being kept hidden in a second envelope). Since the mansion is rather isolated in the swamps, with no way for anybody to get away that night, they are all given rooms to spend the night in. Soon, some rather spooky things start happening, particularly around Joyce, including Crosby disappearing while he was trying to warn Joyce. While all the remaining men volunteer to help Joyce, Wally in particular helps her out. The two of them manage to find a valuable necklace that Cyrus had left for Joyce, but it ends up disappearing. Wally does his best to try and find out who is behind everything going on, as he cares for Joyce, but can he stop the other heir before Joyce is driven crazy with fear?

The Ghost Breakers: Mary Carter (Paulette Goddard) is on her way to Cuba to see an old, supposedly haunted castle that she has inherited. She is joined (accidentally) by crime reporter Lawrence “Larry” Lawrence (Bob Hope), who is trying to escape the police when he thinks he accidentally murders somebody (which he didn’t do). Larry decides to continue the trip with her when he discovers that somebody is trying to scare her away from the castle. Once they arrive in Cuba, he sneaks on ahead to the castle with his valet, Alex (Willie Best). Some time later, Mary comes to the castle by herself. Can they all figure out what is going on, or will they be scared out of their wits?

Nothing But The Truth: Stockbroker T. T. Ralston (Edward Arnold) is in trouble: his niece, Gwen Saunders (Paulette Goddard), is trying to collect $40,000 for charity, and he has promised to give her $20,000 if she can raise the other half. Of course, he doesn’t want to keep that promise, and, behind her back, convinces everybody he knows not to donate. However, she has managed to collect $10,000, and turns to the one person he hasn’t talked to: the newly-hired Steve Bennett (Bob Hope). Gwen asks him to invest the $10,000 in something that will double her money in a quick period of time (without telling her uncle or anybody else where the money came from). Before Steve can do anything, his boss T. T. tries to get him to sell some bad stock. Steve is unwilling to do so, believing that honesty is the best policy. T. T. and his partners, Tom Van Dusen, a.k.a. “Van” (Leif Erickson) (who also happens to be Gwen’s boyfriend) and Dick Donnelly (Glenn Anders) decide to call him on the idea by betting him that he can’t the tell the truth and nothing but the truth for twenty-four hours. Steve takes up the bet, using Gwen’s money, since he figures he can win easily. With nobody allowed to tell about the bet, the three men decide to stay close to Steve to keep him honest (and try to force him to lie). He’s stuck going with them on T. T.’s yacht for the weekend, and, with their constant pestering in an attempt to get him to lie, he manages to insult almost everybody on the boat. To make matters worse, Dick Donnelly (who is married to T. T.’s daughter) also finds himself trying to avoid trouble, when his mistress, actress Linda Graham (Helen Vinson), comes on board, looking for the money that she had been promised would be put into her show. Since Dick had promised her that Steve would pay, she appeals to Steve by trying to tell him about the show (and, in the process, convincing some of the eavesdropping women that the two are an estranged couple). With everybody mad at Steve (including Gwen, whom he had fallen for), will he be able to win the bet, or will he tell a lie to get himself out of trouble (and lose all that money)?

As a young boy, Bob Hope had idolized comedian Charlie Chaplin, and famously won a prize for impersonating Chaplin in 1915. Paulette Goddard started going out with Chaplin in 1932, and they would marry in 1936. Her big break was opposite Chaplin in his classic Modern Times, proving her abilities as a comedienne. In 1938, Bob Hope broke in to the movies with The Big Broadcast Of 1938, but, outside of that film introducing what would become his theme song, his early films didn’t register much with audiences. However, he was enough of an up-and-comer that Paramount Studios kept trying, and, in pairing him with Paulette Goddard for The Cat And The Canary, they not only gave him a film that would make him a star, but also enabled him to meet his childhood idol, Charlie Chaplin, who complimented Hope on his abilities as a comedian. The chemistry between Bob and Paulette worked, bringing in the box office and leaving Paramount wanting to pair them up again. The following year, they did The Ghost Breakers (also to great success), so of course, Paramount decided to pair them again.

However, with Nothing But The Truth, things were starting to change. The two didn’t get along as well offscreen, as his ego was starting to become too much of a problem, not just for her, but also for that film’s director. Not only that, but he had also enjoyed success with a different team, Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour, through the first two Road pictures. Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard would still appear in another film, Star Spangled Rhythm from 1942, but they would not share the screen, as she mainly appeared for a song with Dorothy Lamour and Veronica Lake, while he acted as emcee for the “show-within-a-show.” Plans were made for them to possibly work together in the film Murder, He Says, but that didn’t come about (although the film did reference The Ghost Breakers).

Personally, I find all three films to be enjoyable, and I can see some progression in style between them. The Cat And The Canary works as an old, dark house film, but, as I said when I originally reviewed the film, Bob Hope is pretty much the reason it is considered a comedy. Everybody else in the movie (including Paulette Goddard) seem to play it straight. The Ghost Breakers keeps that “haunted house” idea going, but increases the comedy. Again, it is mostly Bob, although Paulette does add some more to the comedy. After both of those films, Nothing But The Truth is a bit of a rude awakening, abandoning the horror aspects altogether, and heaping on the comedy. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as Paulette gets more of a chance to show off her comedic skills, while we see Bob trying to tell the truth for twenty-four hours (and making others mad in the process). I think that The Ghost Breakers is the best film of the three, but, depending on my mood and what type of film I’m looking for, I could easily sit through any of these three. So I would certainly have no hesitancy in recommending any films featuring this screen team!

All three movies are available on Blu-ray (individually) from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

The Cat And The Canary

Film Length: 1 hour, 14 minutes

My Rating: 9/10

The Ghost Breakers

Film Length: 1 hour, 25 minutes

My Rating: 10/10

Nothing But The Truth

Film Length: 1 hour, 30 minutes

My Rating: 10/10

What’s Old Is A New Release Again (2021) with… Nothing But The Truth (1941)

We’ve got another Bob Hope film today, and that would be his third pairing with actress Paulette Goddard, the 1941 comedy Nothing But The Truth!

Coming Up Shorts! with… Car Of Tomorrow (1951)

(Available on Blu-ray and DVD as part of Tex Avery Screwball Classics Volume 2 from Warner Archive Collection)

(Length: 6 minutes, 19 seconds)

We are shown the “cars of tomorrow.” This one is fun, as it shows different types of cars. Some car features work (in a literal way), and others backfire. But the gags come fast and furious (and, building off of The House Of Tomorrow, it even throws in one “mother-in-law joke”). There are a few jokes based on stereotypes that haven’t aged well, but it’s only one or two instances. I enjoyed a few good laughs with this one, even if it did just seem to be a series of gags with different types of cars.

And Now For The Main Feature…

Stockbroker T. T. Ralston (Edward Arnold) is in trouble: his niece, Gwen Saunders (Paulette Goddard), is trying to collect $40,000 for charity, and he has promised to give her $20,000 if she can raise the other half. Of course, he doesn’t want to keep that promise, and, behind her back, convinces everybody he knows not to donate. However, she has managed to collect $10,000, and turns to the one person he hasn’t talked to: the newly-hired Steve Bennett (Bob Hope). Gwen asks him to invest the $10,000 in something that will double her money in a quick period of time (without telling her uncle or anybody else where the money came from). Before Steve can do anything, his boss T. T. tries to get him to sell some bad stock. Steve is unwilling to do so, believing that honesty is the best policy. T. T. and his partners, Tom Van Dusen, a.k.a. “Van” (Leif Erickson) (who also happens to be Gwen’s boyfriend) and Dick Donnelly (Glenn Anders) decide to call him on the idea by betting him that he can’t the tell the truth and nothing but the truth for twenty-four hours. Steve takes up the bet, using Gwen’s money, since he figures he can win easily. With nobody allowed to tell about the bet, the three men decide to stay close to Steve to keep him honest (and try to force him to lie). He’s stuck going with them on T. T.’s yacht for the weekend, and, with their constant pestering in an attempt to get him to lie, he manages to insult almost everybody on the boat. To make matters worse, Dick Donnelly (who is married to T. T.’s daughter) also finds himself trying to avoid trouble, when his mistress, actress Linda Graham (Helen Vinson), comes on board, looking for the money that she had been promised would be put into her show. Since Dick had promised her that Steve would pay, she appeals to Steve by trying to tell him about the show (and, in the process, convincing some of the eavesdropping women that the two are an estranged couple). With everybody mad at Steve (including Gwen, whom he had fallen for), will he be able to win the bet, or will he tell a lie to get himself out of trouble (and lose all that money)?

Nothing But Trouble was the third and final pairing of Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard. Like the previous two films, it was based on another property, which first came about as a 1914 novel by Frederic S. Isham before being turned into a 1916 stage play by James Montgomery, and which was then made into a movie twice before (in 1920 and 1929). The basic story, that of somebody betting that they can tell the truth (and only the truth) for a set amount of time has been done many times, both on the big and small screen, so the plot itself is nothing new. What does matter is how well done it is, and I personally think that the cast of this film makes it work quite well here! We still have Bob Hope early in his career, when he did do more as a romantic lead (and did quite well here). Compared to her two previous outings with Bob Hope, actress Paulette Goddard is given a lot more to do as a comedienne, and she shines in that regard, providing just as many laughs as Bob! Edward Arnold, Leif Erickson and Glenn Anders are all fun as the trio trying to trip up Bob (while also keeping their own noses clean), and the rest of the cast is solid, too. While he doesn’t have a lot to do, actor Leon Belasco, who portrays the psychiatrist Dr. Zarak, manages to leave an impression, as he comments on everybody’s actions (mostly by referring to names of famous psychiatric cases he knew of in Europe). The film’s weak spot (for better or for worse) is black actor Willie Best as Hope’s servant, and all the black stereotypes that come with it (although at least he’s not scared all the time like he was in The Ghost Breakers). As I said, this is not a new concept story-wise, but it’s a well-done comedy, and worth seeing!

This movie is available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, featuring a new 2K master. Personally, I think the movie looks wonderful! The detail is improved over the old masters that were previously available, and the image has been cleaned up of dirt and debris! The only problem I have with this release (and sadly, it’s more of an issue than I wish it was), is that the movie is not uncut. I know there is some footage missing at about the hour mark (that had been present on an earlier DVD from Universal). According to a representative from Kino, the missing footage is not on any of the film elements available at Universal (who owns the movie), and may have been a scene cut in the U.S. (and therefore the footage may have been found for the DVD in elements from another territory). That’s the last I have heard on the subject, and I don’t know if anything further will be done about it. It’s disappointing, as it leaves us with a fairly obvious jump cut that takes away from some of the scene’s humor. Hopefully, that’s something that might still get fixed somewhere down the line, but, if it doesn’t, it certainly makes this release a question of whether you want better picture quality (for which it is recommended), or the entire film (for which I would be a bit more hesitant to recommend it).

Film Length: 1 hour, 30 minutes

My Rating: 10/10

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List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections

Caught In The Draft (1941) – Bob Hope – My Favorite Blonde (1942)

The Ghost Breakers (1940) – Paulette Goddard

Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939) – Edward Arnold – Ziegfeld Follies (1945)

The Ghost Breakers (1940) – Bob Hope/ Paulette Goddard (screen team)

What’s Old Is A New Release Again (2020) with… The Ghost Breakers (1940)

Today, we have that classic 1940 comedy The Ghost Breakers, starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard! But before we get to the movie, we have a theatrical short from the Ant And The Aardvark series. This one is available on Blu-ray and DVD as part of The Ant And The Aardvark from Kino Lorber!

Coming Up Shorts! with… Technology, Phooey (1970)

(Length: 6 minutes, 8 seconds)

The aardvark consults a computer for help catching the ant. The reliance on the computer adds something different here, helping keep the cartoon fresh for the series. The gags work really well, and it’s a lot of fun to watch! The only complaint I have (and I don’t know whether it’s just the Blu-ray/DVD from Kino Lorber, or whether this specific cartoon is this way usually) is the out-of-sync sound. Apart from that, it’s a fun cartoon!

And Now For The Main Feature…

(Narrator): It’s a daaark and stormy night in New York City. The storm has knocked out the power throughout the city. In a hotel room, Mary Carter (Paulette Goddard) is packing for a trip to Cuba. Apparently, she has just inherited the Castillo Maldito down in Cuba. It’s a castle that is apparently on Black Island, and is rumored to be haunted –

(Long, ghostly moaning sound)

(Narrator): Yes, haunted, or so she has been warned. Yet, she still wants to go down there to see the place anyway. A lawyer, Parada (Paul Lukas), has been sent with some papers for her to sign so that the estate can be transferred to her. He has also been authorized by somebody else to offer her a lot of money for the place. Before she can make her decision, she receives a phone call from a man named Ramon Mederos (Anthony Quinn), who warns her not to accept the offer from Parada. In another part of the city, crime reporter Lawrence Lawrence Lawrence (Bob Hope), also known as Larry, is packing for his own vacation. He is given a hot tip about a murder by one of his informants, Raspy Kelly (Tom Dugan), when he pays him for a previous tip. On the radio, Larry reports on mobster Frenchy Duval (Paul Fix), but Frenchy is less than thrilled with what he hears. He calls up Larry immediately after the broadcast, and offers to help him get the story straight.

(Sounds of machine guns going off)

(Narrator): Indeed. That is likely what he intended. Anyways, as it turns out, Frenchy is at the same hotel that Mary is staying at. Larry is driven there by his valet, Alex (Willie Best) –

(Host): Hold it! We need to stop to talk about this for a moment. African-American actor Willie Best as the valet is one of the points about this movie that hasn’t aged well. The character is still a racist black stereotype, especially with the way he is so easily scared by many things here. I do admit, I laugh at his antics, but I do realize it is still a problematic depiction just the same (although that is more likely the fault of the writers than of the actor himself). Anyways, back to the movie.

(Narrator): As I was saying, Larry is driven to the hotel by his valet, who gives him a gun for protection. While Larry is nervously working his way to Frenchy’s room, Ramon Mederos also is nearby, and tries to confront Parada, but Parade shoots him. When Larry hears the gunshot, he fires off in self-defense, and assumes he has killed Ramon. He makes his way into Mary’s room to hide, and she helps keep him hidden while the police search. Larry escapes by way of her big steamer trunk, which is taken to a ship. Once on board the ship, Mary lets him out, but he has to stay hidden a moment longer while Parada is in the room with her. After they exit the room, Larry gets back out of the trunk, only to find a threatening note that had been sent to Mary. Instead of trying to get off the boat, Larry decides to come with Mary and protect her, even after Parada warns him of the dangers he may face. When the boat arrives in Cuba, Mary runs into Geoff Montgomery (Richard Carlson), a resident of Cuba whom she had met in New York a few weeks before. He offers to take Mary and Larry out to dinner, which she accepts. Larry, however, decides to sneak off to Black Island via rowboat, with Alex to help him. While out with Geoff, Mary runs into Francisco Mederos (Anthony Quinn), the identical twin brother of the late Ramon. Wanting to get away (especially after realizing that Larry had left without her), she decides to leave Geoff and find her own way out to the island.

(Darkness descends on the stage)

(Narrator): Ah, yes. Night has fallen. Larry and Alex successfully make it to the island just before midnight (much to Alex’s regret), and proceed to search the mansion. At midnight, they see a ghost rise up out of a coffin.

(Eerie music playing in background)

They’re both scared as they watch the ghost walk around and return to the coffin (and who wouldn’t be scared at that sight?). Larry is still curious and insists on continuing to search the place in order to find out what’s going on. Meanwhile, Mary arrives, but finds herself in trouble when the caretaker (Virginia Brassac) sends in her zombie son (Noble Johnson) to do away with her. Mary gets away, but Larry and Alex find themselves dealing with the zombie. Mary helps them by dressing like her ancestor, which spooks the zombie enough for them to capture him. While still searching, Larry and Mary come across a mortally wounded Parada, who tries to warn them of danger. With a nearby pump organ, they find a secret passage that brings them into a mine shaft, where everything is revealed.

(Host): In 1939, Bob Hope was successfully teamed up with Paulette Goddard for The Cat And the Canary. The combination of horror and comedy using an old property worked well for the duo, and Paramount Studios wanted to team them up for another. For this film, they made use of the old play The Ghost Breaker. That tale had previously been filmed twice before, once in 1914 and again in 1922 (both silent films). They made great efforts with the castle sets to help create the atmosphere here, which worked well for them. The movie was a big hit, resulting in Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard being teamed up one more time for the movie Nothing But The Truth (1941), as well as influencing other studios to try their hands at horror comedies. The story would be filmed one more time in 1953 as the Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis vehicle Scared Stiff, which would bring back Bob Hope for a cameo role, alongside his Road movies co-star Bing Crosby.

(Eerie music plays as a ghostly figure comes out on stage right)

(Said sarcastically) Oh yes, very scary. (Back to normal) This is a movie I’ve seen a number of times over what is now fast approaching twenty years, and I still enjoy it. Personally, I would say that the horror aspects don’t really kick in until the last half hour of the movie, with the remaining movie more or less preparing you for what goes on at the castle. The score, especially during the segment at the mansion, really helps provide the atmosphere for the scares. I’m still impressed with the special effects for the “ghost” (of course, if you want to know whether it’s real or not in the story, then see the movie), and the zombie is equally scary (although if you’re expecting something like the more modern image of a zombie, you would likely be disappointed). Bob Hope’s humor is still quite good here (even if he is braver than his later screen persona would indicate), and he has good chemistry with Paulette Goddard. All in all, a very fun movie to watch any time of the year (but especially around Halloween), so I would definitely recommend this movie for some good laughs and a few frights!

This movie is available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, with the disc case claiming it’s a brand new 2K master. From what I’ve heard, the movie, when released on DVD by Universal Studios, had two different transfers, one on the 2002 release, and a different one when the movie was released again in 2010. It sounds like most think the earlier version was actually the better transfer, for whatever reason. The impression I am getting is that Kino was working with the more recent transfer for their Blu-ray release. I can see some spots where the transfer has its issues, but I do think that it’s very likely they did the best with what is available, and they did do some clean-up here (although there are a few spots with specks and dirt remaining). Everybody will get different mileage out of it, but for me, its good enough, and I appreciate the work that was done to make it better.

(Narrator comes out on stage left while the ghost remains on stage right)

(Host): (looks first at narrator, then at ghostly figure, then back at narrator) Ummm… wasn’t that you as the ghost?

(Narrator): (Nervously) No, as you can see, I’m right here.

(Host): Well, if that’s not you, and it’s not me, then who is it?

(Both turn to look at the ghost)

(The ghost starts to laugh an evil, maniacal laugh, similar to the Headless Horseman from the Disney film The Adventures Of Ichabod And Mr. Toad)

Happy Halloween everyone!

Film Length: 1 hour, 25 minutes

My Rating: 10/10

List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections

Road To Singapore (1940) – Bob Hope – Road To Zanzibar (1941)

The Cat And The Canary (1939) – Paulette Goddard – Nothing But The Truth (1941)

The Cat And The Canary (1939) – Bob Hope/ Paulette Goddard (screen team) – Nothing But The Truth (1941)

Film Legends Of Yesteryear (2019): 1939 on… The Cat And The Canary (1939)

Next up from 1939, we have the more Halloween appropriate film The Cat And The Canary starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard.

Coming Up Shorts! with… From Bed To Worse (1971)

(available on Blu-ray and DVD as part of The Ant And The Aardvark from Kino Lorber)

(Length: 6 minutes, 13 seconds)

After getting hit in the road, the ant and the aardvark end up in an animal hospital. With a dog in the hospital that also acts as a foil as well as an older lady running the place, I can’t help but be reminded of the similar 1957 Looney Tunes cartoon “Greedy For Tweety.” In spite of that similarity, this one is still hilarious (although the Sylvester and Tweety cartoon was far better). Still, it’s the last of the Ant And The Aardvark cartoons, and its entertainment value is high enough for me to revisit it!

And Now For The Main Feature…

Lawyer Crosby (George Zucco) comes out to the isolated mansion of the late Cyrus Norman. There, he is to read Cyrus’s will to his potential heirs, including Wally Campbell (Bob Hope), Joyce Norman (Paulette Goddard), Fred Blythe (John Beal), Charlie Wilder (Douglass Montgomery), Aunt Susan (Elizabeth Patterson) and Cicily (Nydia Westman). According to the will, Joyce is to inherit everything, unless she dies or goes insane in a short period of time (at which point everything would go to the second heir, whose name was being kept hidden in a second envelope). Since the mansion is rather isolated in the swamps, with no way for anybody to get away that night, they are all given rooms to spend the night in. Soon, some rather spooky things start happening, particularly around Joyce, including Crosby disappearing while he was trying to warn Joyce. While all the remaining men volunteer to help Joyce, Wally in particular helps her out. The two of them manage to find a valuable necklace that Cyrus had left for Joyce, but it ends up disappearing. Wally does his best to try and find out who is behind everything going on, as he cares for Joyce, but can he stop the other heir before Joyce is driven crazy with fear?

This is the third filmed version of the story, following a silent film from 1927, which shared the same name, and a talkie from 1930 called The Cat Creeps. As best as I can tell, the 1939 film is the movie that established Bob Hope as a major movie star, allowing him to really make use of the screen persona that he would become known for. Admittedly, I wouldn’t *quite* call it fully formed yet, considering the lack of quips around the lawyer named Crosby. Had this movie been made a few years later, I can’t help but think he would certainly have been using the opportunity to make fun of Bing Crosby. But, this was made in 1939, nearly a year before he would first work with Bing onscreen (not to mention the fact that Crosby was the character’s name in the previous versions as well, so it was hardly anything aimed at Bing himself).

Honestly, though, Bob Hope is the main reason that this film is considered a comedy. The rest of the cast otherwise seem to play it straight, as if it was otherwise a dark house type of movie. Gale Sondergaard plays the creepy house caretaker Miss Lu, generally in tune with the “spirits” that are haunting the place, and constantly watching everyone from the sidelines (and creeping you out in the process). In some respects, Bob Hope’s character almost seems to be an audience member that’s been dropped into the movie. Since his character is supposed to be an actor, he seems to have some idea of what’s going to happen (based on many plays and such that he had done), accurately predicting that Joyce would be the heir. Obviously, his so-called “knowledge” doesn’t keep him from being scared, or knowing everything that’s going to happen right from the start, but it does help. However you want to look at it, though, his comedy works, and this is a fun movie to watch any time of the year (but especially around Halloween)! Highly recommended!

This movie is available on DVD from Universal Studios either individually or as part of several different multi-film sets.

What’s Old Is A New Release Again (2020) with… The Cat And The Canary (1939)

On September 15, 2020, The Cat And The Canary was released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber Studio Classics. The case doesn’t appear to be claiming that this is a new restoration/remaster, but, based on how the movie actually looks, I would say it doesn’t need one. The detail is superb, and the movie looks pretty good in action. It’s hard to imagine this movie looking any better than it does here! I would certainly say that it’s an improvement over the DVD from Universal, and would highly recommend the Blu-ray of this wonderful classic!

Film Length: 1 hour, 14 minutes

My Rating: 9/10

List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections

College Swing (1938) – Bob Hope – Road To Singapore (1940)

The Young In Heart (1938) – Paulette Goddard – The Ghost Breakers (1940)

Bob Hope/ Paulette Goddard (screen team) – The Ghost Breakers (1940)

What’s Old Is A New Release Again (2018) with… The Young In Heart (1938)

Here’s a fun little movie: the 1938 comedy The Young In Heart, starring Janet Gaynor, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Paulette Goddard, Roland Young and Billie Burke.

In this movie, we follow the Carletons, a family of con artists. They are caught as the son, Richard (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) prepares to marry into a rich family, and are forced to leave on a train. On the train, they meet Miss Ellen Fortune, a lonely old lady. When the train crashes, they save her, and she offers them her home as long as they are willing to stay. Hoping that she will include them in her will, they decide to act like the people she believes them to be, so Richard and his father, Col. Carleton (Roland Young) both reluctantly get jobs. Of course, the question becomes, whether it is all an act, or have they really changed, becoming better people?

To be fair, calling this movie a comedy isn’t quite accurate. It does have elements of comedy, yes, but it rarely focuses in on them enough that you’re constantly laughing (not necessarily a bad thing). The movie does have its sadder moments as well, allowing for some balance. The movie really does focus in on this family, and allows us to see that they are not completely bad, and are indeed capable of changing, especially when given a chance.

When this movie was originally announced for release on Blu-ray and DVD, it was one I had never heard of. And, quite frankly, I had little to no interest in it. However, I then came off of seeing actress Paulette Goddard in both Modern Times and The Great Dictator, along with a few of her other movies I had seen over the years, so I decided to try this movie because of her. Much to my surprise, in spite of being third-billed and fairly prominent in the posters I have seen, she actually doesn’t have that much of a part, not really appearing until about halfway through the movie, and even then, she doesn’t really do much outside of her scenes with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Honestly, I hadn’t even realized at first that she was only just becoming a bigger star, as a result of being in Modern Times. Still, I did enjoy her performance in this movie (and everyone else’s, too, including Billie Burke as the ever daffy Marmy). So, I do recommend this movie. Maybe it’s only worth renting for most, but it is one I enjoy just the same, so I would at least suggest trying this movie if you get the chance!

The movie is available on Blu-ray and DVD from Kino Lorber.

Film Length: 1 hour, 31 minutes

My Rating: 7/10

Audience Rating:

List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections

Paulette Goddard – The Cat And The Canary (1939)

Merrily We Live (1938) – Billie Burke – Zenobia (1939)