With a father-in-law like Judge Vaughan Glaser, that is a sentence worse than life in prison, although I'm not quite sure about the potential bride-to-be, Bonita Granville. The groom is a young William Holden in his third film, playing a coiloge rabble-rouser whose appearance in Glaser's court can you get beds to a nose in the air from Granville but an obvious attraction to him hidden underneath. He's the type of college kid who could charm the fangs out of a lion's mouth although with judge Glaser, that doesn't seem likely to be happening. Glaser is one of those by the book judges who with the last name of Scruggs seems to be an American version of London's Ebenezer Scrooge. But this Scrooge is a widower with a young daughter and it is his determination to keep Granville and Holden apart no matter what it takes.
This obscure comedy has many dry moments that are actually do for those long stretches. It is not a comedy of knee slapping wisecracks but a slice of life and a look into a time capsule going back to the turn of the 19th Century into the 20th. Squeaky voiced Ezra Stone and dizzy blonde Judith Barrett provide more of the comedy as Holden's sidekick and his girlfriend who investigates much of the chaos that gets into trouble. The tale is told through a narration by Glaser himself, showing how he went from a crusty and possessive old dad into a lovable old coot thanks to the power of young love. Holden and Granville seem a bit mismatched for much of the film, but somehow the narrative does it make you root for them. I can see why this film is pretty much forgotten as it is quite odd in its structure. You'll have to look sharp for young Alan Ladd obviously playing one of the college kids.
This obscure comedy has many dry moments that are actually do for those long stretches. It is not a comedy of knee slapping wisecracks but a slice of life and a look into a time capsule going back to the turn of the 19th Century into the 20th. Squeaky voiced Ezra Stone and dizzy blonde Judith Barrett provide more of the comedy as Holden's sidekick and his girlfriend who investigates much of the chaos that gets into trouble. The tale is told through a narration by Glaser himself, showing how he went from a crusty and possessive old dad into a lovable old coot thanks to the power of young love. Holden and Granville seem a bit mismatched for much of the film, but somehow the narrative does it make you root for them. I can see why this film is pretty much forgotten as it is quite odd in its structure. You'll have to look sharp for young Alan Ladd obviously playing one of the college kids.