There was William Powell as Godfrey; Brian Aherne in "Merrily We Live", and recently reviewed by me, Dan Duryea in "White Tie and Tails". For this very popular British film (one of the biggest hits in their cinema history), it's pretty obvious that footman Michael Wilding is something that he is pretending not to be in this British drawing room comedy starring the enchanting Anna Neagle who is the secretary to her wealthy uncle and finds herself entrenched by the cheeky Wilding. Neagle's uncle (Tom Walls) is furious when she turns away a painter whom Wilding insists is a phony, and it's very lucky for Wilding that he isn't fired on the spot. I figured out early on that Wilding somehow sneaks into the household undetected as a new employee, worming his way into the good graces of the feisty cook (Josephine Fitzgerald), is flirted with by the cockney maid (Lana Morris) and has a comfortable relationship with the butler (G. H. Mulcaster) whom he seems to have known outside the household.
This film certainly is stuffed with elegance, witty lines and memorable characterizations. There are several witty lines that have references to modern culture, and at one point, somebody tells Wilding that he even looks like movie star Michael Wilding. Another line has one of the characters indicating that they saw the situation before once in a Tyrone Power movie. The one uncomfortable element is Neagle's attempts to interject a few songs into the film because in spite of her charm, singing isn't her strong suit even though she's a capable dancer. The Fred and Ginger style number with Wilding is weakened by the lack of Wilding's dancing skills although he's perfectly charming, funny and romantic. While I knew that something was going to be revealed concerning Wilding's character of Richard, I was taken completely by surprise. It's only suffered a little bit by age, but with the upstairs/downstairs storyline, fans of "Downton Abbey" who discover this film will find a few similarities.
This film certainly is stuffed with elegance, witty lines and memorable characterizations. There are several witty lines that have references to modern culture, and at one point, somebody tells Wilding that he even looks like movie star Michael Wilding. Another line has one of the characters indicating that they saw the situation before once in a Tyrone Power movie. The one uncomfortable element is Neagle's attempts to interject a few songs into the film because in spite of her charm, singing isn't her strong suit even though she's a capable dancer. The Fred and Ginger style number with Wilding is weakened by the lack of Wilding's dancing skills although he's perfectly charming, funny and romantic. While I knew that something was going to be revealed concerning Wilding's character of Richard, I was taken completely by surprise. It's only suffered a little bit by age, but with the upstairs/downstairs storyline, fans of "Downton Abbey" who discover this film will find a few similarities.