This comedy about an inept counterfeiter who manages to keep one step ahead of the law for years on end earned Edmund Gwenn an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. The stars are Burt Lancaster, (the Secret Service man on Gwenn's trail), and Dorothy McGuire, (Gwenn's friend that Lancaster falls for), and the director was Edmund Goulding who doesn't do anything special here other than keep things ticking along very nicely. If it feels 'Capraesque' at times perhaps it's because the screenplay was written by Capra collaborator Robert Riskin and maybe it's a little too gentle than it ought to be but it's well-played, (the always excellent Millard Mitchell is another Secret Service Agent), with both Lancaster and McGuire proving very adept at comedy. Not much seen now but worth seeing if you get the chance.
Review of Mister 880
