The secretary of a newly appointed government official strives to make him a success in spite of his shortcomings.The secretary of a newly appointed government official strives to make him a success in spite of his shortcomings.The secretary of a newly appointed government official strives to make him a success in spite of his shortcomings.
Demetrius Alexis
- Businessman
- (uncredited)
Harry A. Bailey
- Senator
- (uncredited)
Joseph E. Bernard
- Workman
- (uncredited)
Edward Biby
- Hearing Spectator
- (uncredited)
June Booth
- Secretary
- (uncredited)
Patti Brill
- Girl in Hotel Lobby
- (uncredited)
Tom Burton
- Reporter
- (uncredited)
Chester Carlisle
- Businessman
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaOlivia de Havilland absolutely hated her role in the film. She had not wanted to star in it in the first place, but was forced to due to an arrangement - intended to punish her after she protested against working conditions on Princess O'Rourke (1943) - in which Warner Bros. loaned her services to David O. Selznick, who turned her over to RKO. Her distaste for the arrangement is evident in the wide variety of grimaces, smirks and other expressions she used in an attempt to avoid creating a character of any depth or credibility.
- GoofsWhen Ed and Smokey are on the motorcycle, Ed cuts across the park on the lawn saying that it is a shortcut. A few seconds later, he asks Smokey for directions. So he couldn't have taken a shortcut if he didn't know where he was going.
- Quotes
Smokey Allard: I hope there's no poison ivy in the garden!
- Crazy creditsOpening credits are shown over the Capitol building.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Red Hollywood (1996)
- SoundtracksBridal Chorus (Here Comes the Bride)
(1850) (uncredited)
from "Lohengrin"
Written by Richard Wagner
Played in the score for the wedding
Featured review
Comedy about cutting through Washington's red tap during War II
For those who could never imagine Olivia de Havilland in a totally madcap comedy but would like to, I would highly recommend this movie to you!!
The story is set in Washington, D.C. in the middle of WW II, when all the hotels in town are full of important people doing business, mostly to help support the war effort. In this way, this movie is highly similar to The More the Merrier (1943) which was made in the same time period with a similar theme.
However, this movie is more about getting things done quickly rather than taking shortcuts through the housing shortage. Here, de Havilland serves as sort of an activity coordinator, trying to guide people to the right place and keep the herd of visitors moving with the least possible disruption. However, she is not ready for the likes of Ed Brown (Sonny Tufts) who is knowledgeable about manufacturing the huge number of aircraft needed quickly for the war.
Ed will do anything to make airplanes and put them into service quickly. To do this, he takes shortcuts to get through the red tape of Washington, and Elizabeth Allard (Olivia de Havilland) can do nothing but go along with him on his wild ride through the bureaucracy, always about five steps in front of any roadblock that may get in his way.
De Havilland often plays the clown to Tufts character, but is soon brought on board his madhouse tactics when she sees hundreds of new warplanes being launched and deployed, thanks to him.
The story is set in Washington, D.C. in the middle of WW II, when all the hotels in town are full of important people doing business, mostly to help support the war effort. In this way, this movie is highly similar to The More the Merrier (1943) which was made in the same time period with a similar theme.
However, this movie is more about getting things done quickly rather than taking shortcuts through the housing shortage. Here, de Havilland serves as sort of an activity coordinator, trying to guide people to the right place and keep the herd of visitors moving with the least possible disruption. However, she is not ready for the likes of Ed Brown (Sonny Tufts) who is knowledgeable about manufacturing the huge number of aircraft needed quickly for the war.
Ed will do anything to make airplanes and put them into service quickly. To do this, he takes shortcuts to get through the red tape of Washington, and Elizabeth Allard (Olivia de Havilland) can do nothing but go along with him on his wild ride through the bureaucracy, always about five steps in front of any roadblock that may get in his way.
De Havilland often plays the clown to Tufts character, but is soon brought on board his madhouse tactics when she sees hundreds of new warplanes being launched and deployed, thanks to him.
helpful•30
- kijii
- Nov 25, 2016
Details
- Runtime1 hour 34 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content