For a film that only lasts around 75 minutes this has enough plots to be going on for three films.Firstly there is the on again off again relationship between Helen Twelvetrees and Joe Morrison,then there is the plot about Morrison trying to become a radio singer and finally the plot line about the jammed lift.I have to say that i had never heard of Joe Morrison before but he had a marvellous voice.There is not a great deal of biographical information on this site.He appears to have made a few films at Paramount and disappeared from the scene.I wonder if they signed him as a possible substitute for Bing Crosby.Helen Twelvetrees who played his fiancée had a fairly prolific film career in the first half of the thirties but a year or so after this her film career all but ended.Even Conrad Nagel who made dozens of films in the thirties would come to a full stop in 1940 resuming his film career after the war.On the other hand the very lowly bill Raymond Milland was about to start his ascent to stardom.So although this is a fairly routine 1930s comedy musical it is in its own way rather interesting and never boring.
2 Reviews
Be on time
jarrodmcdonald-122 January 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Joe Morrison had already done a smaller part in a W. C. Fields picture, but this was his chance to shine. A wonderful singer, the studio probably thought he'd become another Bing Crosby. He does have a good screen presence, and Paramount put him in four more pictures over the next year. But for some reason, he did not become very popular. After his contract ended, he never worked at any other studios and faded from view.
In fact there is very little biographical information about Morrison online, though his profile on the IMDb says he had studied to be a priest. Maybe he went back to a religious life after his short-lived career in Hollywood.
The initial scenes of ONE HOUR LATE introduce us to Helen Twelvetrees' character. She is a single secretary that lives in a chaotic household with her sister, brother-in-law and their rambunctious kids. We see Twelvetrees running late for work. On her way out the door, she announces that she's received another marriage proposal from her coworker and steady beau, played by Morrison.
The crux of the story involves a triangle that develops between them and Twelvetrees' boss (Nagel). The script plays up the huge contrast that exists between this refined executive and his worker bees. Twelvetrees endears herself to the boss, which Morrison dislikes.
Morrison also happens to sing on the side, but he is his own worst enemy when he loses his temper and barges into the boss's office to get a few things straight. Despite antagonizing Nagel, Morrison does not get fired right away. Nagel leaves that task to a persnickety office manager (Charles Sellon). There are other various employees, and each one has their own distinct personality.
In addition to the main triangle, there are two additional triangles that occur. When Twelvetrees rejects Morrison, he proposes to another secretary (Arline Judge) who says yes. Meanwhile, the boss' wife (Gail Patrick) is having her own affair with a guy on the side (Ray Milland, at the beginning of his long association with Paramount).
Though these developments seem quite serious, there is a lot of humorous dialogue. And there are four scenes where Morrison gets to sing, so some of this is rather light entertainment.
The most dramatic part involves a group of people stuck inside an elevator. The situation allows Morrison to be the hero, when he performs a daring stunt to rescue them. Twelvetrees realizes how much she loves the lug and decides to marry him after all. But first she breaks the news gently to her boss in a very nicely played amusing scene.
In fact there is very little biographical information about Morrison online, though his profile on the IMDb says he had studied to be a priest. Maybe he went back to a religious life after his short-lived career in Hollywood.
The initial scenes of ONE HOUR LATE introduce us to Helen Twelvetrees' character. She is a single secretary that lives in a chaotic household with her sister, brother-in-law and their rambunctious kids. We see Twelvetrees running late for work. On her way out the door, she announces that she's received another marriage proposal from her coworker and steady beau, played by Morrison.
The crux of the story involves a triangle that develops between them and Twelvetrees' boss (Nagel). The script plays up the huge contrast that exists between this refined executive and his worker bees. Twelvetrees endears herself to the boss, which Morrison dislikes.
Morrison also happens to sing on the side, but he is his own worst enemy when he loses his temper and barges into the boss's office to get a few things straight. Despite antagonizing Nagel, Morrison does not get fired right away. Nagel leaves that task to a persnickety office manager (Charles Sellon). There are other various employees, and each one has their own distinct personality.
In addition to the main triangle, there are two additional triangles that occur. When Twelvetrees rejects Morrison, he proposes to another secretary (Arline Judge) who says yes. Meanwhile, the boss' wife (Gail Patrick) is having her own affair with a guy on the side (Ray Milland, at the beginning of his long association with Paramount).
Though these developments seem quite serious, there is a lot of humorous dialogue. And there are four scenes where Morrison gets to sing, so some of this is rather light entertainment.
The most dramatic part involves a group of people stuck inside an elevator. The situation allows Morrison to be the hero, when he performs a daring stunt to rescue them. Twelvetrees realizes how much she loves the lug and decides to marry him after all. But first she breaks the news gently to her boss in a very nicely played amusing scene.
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