A FREE AND EASY father and son are dependent upon the largess of rich ladies to continue living comfortable lives.
Running less than an hour, this bit of inconsequential fluff is dignified by its fine cast. Nigel Bruce and Robert Cummings (using a British accent) are the father and son constantly on the prowl for wealthy women. Cummings provides an honest, appealing performance, as was his wont, while Bruce's usual cuddly persona is not tarnished a bit by his somewhat rakish behavior.
Lovely Ruth Hussey is the penniless girl upon which Cummings sets his affections; fusty, fuming Reginald Owen is her lover who wants no rivals. Marvelous old Sir C. Aubrey Smith appears as a horse-loving Duke who can't keep a secret.
Best of all, Dame Judith Anderson plays Sir Aubrey's daughter, a plain-faced woman with an immense amount of money who dotes on Cummings. Portraying a female experiencing unexpected joy and terrible disappointment, Dame Judith gives the kind of beautiful performance one doesn't expect to find in a rather negligible comedy. Having displayed her formidable talent the year before in Hitchcock's REBECCA, and even though possessed of one of the Century's most remarkable speaking voices, it became quickly obvious that Hollywood really wasn't big enough to showcase her properly. Her greatest triumphs would be on the stage.
This is a remake of MGM's BUT THE FLESH IS WEAK (1932), which also starred Sir C. Aubrey Smith, along with Robert Montgomery, as the father/son duo. MGM had previously used the title FREE AND EASY in 1930 for a comedy starring Montgomery and Buster Keaton.
Running less than an hour, this bit of inconsequential fluff is dignified by its fine cast. Nigel Bruce and Robert Cummings (using a British accent) are the father and son constantly on the prowl for wealthy women. Cummings provides an honest, appealing performance, as was his wont, while Bruce's usual cuddly persona is not tarnished a bit by his somewhat rakish behavior.
Lovely Ruth Hussey is the penniless girl upon which Cummings sets his affections; fusty, fuming Reginald Owen is her lover who wants no rivals. Marvelous old Sir C. Aubrey Smith appears as a horse-loving Duke who can't keep a secret.
Best of all, Dame Judith Anderson plays Sir Aubrey's daughter, a plain-faced woman with an immense amount of money who dotes on Cummings. Portraying a female experiencing unexpected joy and terrible disappointment, Dame Judith gives the kind of beautiful performance one doesn't expect to find in a rather negligible comedy. Having displayed her formidable talent the year before in Hitchcock's REBECCA, and even though possessed of one of the Century's most remarkable speaking voices, it became quickly obvious that Hollywood really wasn't big enough to showcase her properly. Her greatest triumphs would be on the stage.
This is a remake of MGM's BUT THE FLESH IS WEAK (1932), which also starred Sir C. Aubrey Smith, along with Robert Montgomery, as the father/son duo. MGM had previously used the title FREE AND EASY in 1930 for a comedy starring Montgomery and Buster Keaton.