I had the chance to watch this on Youtube yesterday. Someone had just uploaded it a few hours before I found it online. After wanting to see this rare Universal romantic comedy from the 50s, it was a real treat. And worth the wait.
Ann Blyth is at the peak of her career and does nicely as a wound-up-too-tight librarian who gradually comes out of her shell, thanks to the interest an artist (Mark Stevens) takes in her. It's a shame the leads did not reunite on-screen again, because they have real chemistry.
The story is aided considerably by the veteran character actors in the cast. Elizabeth Patterson is perfect as Blyth's prickly aunt; Cecil Kellaway gives one of his best comic performances as the poor sap married to Patterson, whose penchant for fun gets Blyth into trouble; and Jesse White, who disappears a third of the way into the story, plays a bartender. There is also a great turn by Irving Bacon in two sequences as a train conductor.
There are no major surprises in terms of the plot-- you can see how it's going to end a mile away. But it's so well played and there are quite a few funny gags that it's still rather enjoyable. Look for a scene that has Blyth posing for a portrait being painted by Stevens--it features her in a tub of water with lily pads. Earlier, she's glimpsed in an outdoor pool-- resembling how she was photographed in an earlier Universal picture, MR. PEABODY AND THE MERMAID.
If you enjoy comedies about small town scandals, watch this one-- and also check out SMALL TOWN GIRL and THEODORA GOES WILD.
Ann Blyth is at the peak of her career and does nicely as a wound-up-too-tight librarian who gradually comes out of her shell, thanks to the interest an artist (Mark Stevens) takes in her. It's a shame the leads did not reunite on-screen again, because they have real chemistry.
The story is aided considerably by the veteran character actors in the cast. Elizabeth Patterson is perfect as Blyth's prickly aunt; Cecil Kellaway gives one of his best comic performances as the poor sap married to Patterson, whose penchant for fun gets Blyth into trouble; and Jesse White, who disappears a third of the way into the story, plays a bartender. There is also a great turn by Irving Bacon in two sequences as a train conductor.
There are no major surprises in terms of the plot-- you can see how it's going to end a mile away. But it's so well played and there are quite a few funny gags that it's still rather enjoyable. Look for a scene that has Blyth posing for a portrait being painted by Stevens--it features her in a tub of water with lily pads. Earlier, she's glimpsed in an outdoor pool-- resembling how she was photographed in an earlier Universal picture, MR. PEABODY AND THE MERMAID.
If you enjoy comedies about small town scandals, watch this one-- and also check out SMALL TOWN GIRL and THEODORA GOES WILD.