Tired of her struggling existence as the wife of a rather unsuccessful plummer (leading actor Hugh Herbert), housewife Ruth Donnelly decides to take steps towards financial independence by becoming involved in a "sure thing" real estate deal. Thanks to oldest son Eddie Quillan, Donnelly invests the entire family's savings in a plot of land that leads to potential financial ruin. This ends up being a lesson in biting off more than you can chew and having dreams of grandeur that are obviously unrealistic and definitely pretentious. It's only when the family faces disaster that they come together to help each other which leads to a surprising conclusion.
"I haven't seen you in 10 years. You haven't changed a bit. You looked just as old as you do now", says Herbert to society matron Cecil Cunningham, Donnelly's hopeful ticket in society. Of course, having money doesn't bring on class, and it's hysterically funny to watch Donnelly's frustration at a party she throws as her family shows the indignant Cunningham what they are really all about. Black character actress Lillian Yarbo (perhaps the only thin African American actress regularly seen on screen during this time) is delightfully amusing as the tactless maid Donnelly hires, adding more humiliation to her efforts to rise above her station.
The pairing of Hugh Herbert and Ruth Donnelly reminds me of the earlier pairing of Victor Moore and Helen Broderick in a few of the Astaire/Rogers pictures which lead to several films where they were the leads. Herbert isn't nearly as dizzy as he was in most of his films, and Donnelly's desire to rise above lower middle class gives her a phony accent that is delightfully funny. Cunningham, while not as naive as Margaret Dumont or other similar society matrons, is a sort of second string Edna May Oliver who deserved to be a bigger character actress star than she was. Bennie Bartlett, later one of the Bowery Boys, is very funny as the younger of the two sons, causing all sorts of havoc during Donnelly's party which leads to disaster. I could see this having lead to a series of family comedies to off-set the sometimes unrealistic depiction presented by MGM's "Andy Hardy" series. Sitcomish for sure, but entertaining? Definitely!
"I haven't seen you in 10 years. You haven't changed a bit. You looked just as old as you do now", says Herbert to society matron Cecil Cunningham, Donnelly's hopeful ticket in society. Of course, having money doesn't bring on class, and it's hysterically funny to watch Donnelly's frustration at a party she throws as her family shows the indignant Cunningham what they are really all about. Black character actress Lillian Yarbo (perhaps the only thin African American actress regularly seen on screen during this time) is delightfully amusing as the tactless maid Donnelly hires, adding more humiliation to her efforts to rise above her station.
The pairing of Hugh Herbert and Ruth Donnelly reminds me of the earlier pairing of Victor Moore and Helen Broderick in a few of the Astaire/Rogers pictures which lead to several films where they were the leads. Herbert isn't nearly as dizzy as he was in most of his films, and Donnelly's desire to rise above lower middle class gives her a phony accent that is delightfully funny. Cunningham, while not as naive as Margaret Dumont or other similar society matrons, is a sort of second string Edna May Oliver who deserved to be a bigger character actress star than she was. Bennie Bartlett, later one of the Bowery Boys, is very funny as the younger of the two sons, causing all sorts of havoc during Donnelly's party which leads to disaster. I could see this having lead to a series of family comedies to off-set the sometimes unrealistic depiction presented by MGM's "Andy Hardy" series. Sitcomish for sure, but entertaining? Definitely!