Despite the presence of the unattractive Shirley Deane (and she is photographed and costumed unattractively too), and flawed by an unexpected descent into melodrama and bathos in its last quarter- hour, this is a pleasing and engaging marital comedy. Aside from the spineless heroine, the characters are likable and they are amusingly and ingratiatingly played by such character stalwarts as Jane Darwell. Miss Darwell has the pick of the script's witty lines and she delivers them in her usual impeccable style. I would rate this one as her very best performance and I'm amazed to find myself the only person so far who has reviewed this movie. In her day, Jane Darwell was probably the most popular character actress in Hollywood! She was one of the few such players who could actually pull people into a cinema. I've actually heard people say, "This movie must be good. Jane Darwell's in it!" Dixie Dunbar is also on hand and she does a bit of foot-tapping too, even if she's not given a fully choreographed number. Taylor Holmes is also astutely cast as the downtrodden spouse of that grand mistress of the cold shoulder, Marjorie Gateson. Gene Lockhart is in his element too. It's also pleasing to see Lynn Bari in a tiny, one-line bit, and Ward Bond in a fairly large bit part as the butt of a running gag. Johnny Downs tends to over-do the ingenuousness of the hero. He looks at least ten years younger than his bride, but his role is basically sympathetic. Admittedly, the film could stand some trimming. There is a bit too much dialogue and the phony melodramatics of the climax also hit a wrong note. Although production values are modest, the movie has that highly professional look about it that distinguishes a major studio "B" from a product of Poverty Row.
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