Copyright 30 November 1938 by Samuel Goldwyn. Released through United Artists. New York opening at the Radio City Music Hall, 24 November 1938 (ran 2 weeks). U.S. release: 17 November 1938. Australian release: 16 February 1939. 9 reels. 91 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: Fun-loving heiress strings along a dumb but eager cowpoke who is unaware of her real identity.
NOTES: Academy Award, Thomas Moulton (only) Sound Recording. Also nominated for Best Original Music Score (The Adventures of Robin Hood won); and Best Song (the title ditty) which was defeated by "Thanks For the Memory" from The Big Broadcast of 1938.
Despite the raft of writers (see below) who concocted this disappointing fling, the plot is as predictable as the synopsis suggests, with characters and dialogue so vapid and inconsequential they do nothing but waste the talents of a fine cast.
No amount of glossy window-dressing by director, photographer, art directors and music scorer can disguise the script's basic poverty of invention, its supremely unmemorable plot and dialogue. All it adds up to is an extremely dated romance whose comic overtones must have been judged feeble and uninspired even by the most indulgent 1938 audience.
Writers included Anita Loos and John Emerson, Dorothy Parker and Alan Campbell as well as Frederick Lonsdale, Howard Estabrook, Robert Ardrey, Eddie Moran, Frank Ryan, Gene Fowler, Robert Riskin, and Richard Connell. Yes, they all worked on the script at one time or another.
The film commenced shooting on 15 June 1938 with William Wyler directing. Three days later, he was replaced by Potter because Goldwyn thought Wyler was working too slowly. However, Potter himself left before finishing the movie (he had a prior commitment to direct "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle"), so Stuart Heisler finished up.
All these headaches, plus cast replacements (Henry Kolker for Thomas Mitchell, while roles originally set for David Niven and Benita Hume were eliminated) brought the negative cost up to an incredible $1.8 million. (Thanks to Alvin H. Marill in "Samuel Goldwyn Presents" — A. S. Barnes, 1976 — for these interesting facts.)
SYNOPSIS: Fun-loving heiress strings along a dumb but eager cowpoke who is unaware of her real identity.
NOTES: Academy Award, Thomas Moulton (only) Sound Recording. Also nominated for Best Original Music Score (The Adventures of Robin Hood won); and Best Song (the title ditty) which was defeated by "Thanks For the Memory" from The Big Broadcast of 1938.
Despite the raft of writers (see below) who concocted this disappointing fling, the plot is as predictable as the synopsis suggests, with characters and dialogue so vapid and inconsequential they do nothing but waste the talents of a fine cast.
No amount of glossy window-dressing by director, photographer, art directors and music scorer can disguise the script's basic poverty of invention, its supremely unmemorable plot and dialogue. All it adds up to is an extremely dated romance whose comic overtones must have been judged feeble and uninspired even by the most indulgent 1938 audience.
Writers included Anita Loos and John Emerson, Dorothy Parker and Alan Campbell as well as Frederick Lonsdale, Howard Estabrook, Robert Ardrey, Eddie Moran, Frank Ryan, Gene Fowler, Robert Riskin, and Richard Connell. Yes, they all worked on the script at one time or another.
The film commenced shooting on 15 June 1938 with William Wyler directing. Three days later, he was replaced by Potter because Goldwyn thought Wyler was working too slowly. However, Potter himself left before finishing the movie (he had a prior commitment to direct "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle"), so Stuart Heisler finished up.
All these headaches, plus cast replacements (Henry Kolker for Thomas Mitchell, while roles originally set for David Niven and Benita Hume were eliminated) brought the negative cost up to an incredible $1.8 million. (Thanks to Alvin H. Marill in "Samuel Goldwyn Presents" — A. S. Barnes, 1976 — for these interesting facts.)