The screwball comedies of the 1930s are a mixed bag. Certainly, many of the plots are totally unbelievable but they work because they are simply just charming. That is not the case in this let down about an employer (John Boles) and his secretary (Doris Nolan) who agree to enter a marriage of convenience simply because Boles wants to continue his philandering playboy ways without threats of a lawsuit. We're supposed to believe that when Boles" former flame Tala Birell (apparently now a countess) shows up that Nolan's true feelings for her boss will come out and she'll use this against him. Waiting patiently for her to realize what a jerk her boss is, Walter Pidgeon offers the one example of masculine charm and ends up as a Ralph Bellamy likes sap.
This extremely obscure Universal comedy comes the same year that they released "My Man Godfrey", often referred to as the first completely perfect screwball comedy. That had much humor and a chemistry between former real-life married William Powell and Carole Lombard. This has John Boles, a talented dramatic actor who is simply forced to play one of the most charmless jerks ever to be a leading character. There's absolutely no clue that Nolan is in love with her boss and is simply just a loyal employee. They share No chemistry and that makes this absolutely unbelievable.
I actually enjoyed the banter between the amoral Alan Mowbray and the dizzy Dorothea Kent who actually gets some good slams at Mowbray's expense. Katherine Alexander provides some wisdom as Nolan's confidant, with Harry Davenport very good as Bole's legal advisor. But the script in general is very poor and the direction never lets the lightness of the absurd plot take over which is a huge mistake. Had this been played more for farce and the romantic side of the leading couple more realistic, this still wouldn't have been much better but it would have had a slightly higher rating. There is a reason why certain films are quickly forgotten, and in the case of this misfire, they are obvious within the first reel.
This extremely obscure Universal comedy comes the same year that they released "My Man Godfrey", often referred to as the first completely perfect screwball comedy. That had much humor and a chemistry between former real-life married William Powell and Carole Lombard. This has John Boles, a talented dramatic actor who is simply forced to play one of the most charmless jerks ever to be a leading character. There's absolutely no clue that Nolan is in love with her boss and is simply just a loyal employee. They share No chemistry and that makes this absolutely unbelievable.
I actually enjoyed the banter between the amoral Alan Mowbray and the dizzy Dorothea Kent who actually gets some good slams at Mowbray's expense. Katherine Alexander provides some wisdom as Nolan's confidant, with Harry Davenport very good as Bole's legal advisor. But the script in general is very poor and the direction never lets the lightness of the absurd plot take over which is a huge mistake. Had this been played more for farce and the romantic side of the leading couple more realistic, this still wouldn't have been much better but it would have had a slightly higher rating. There is a reason why certain films are quickly forgotten, and in the case of this misfire, they are obvious within the first reel.
