weezeralfalfa
It doesn't take long to figure out who is going to be the archvillain. Basil Rathbone frequently played villains. For example, he opposed Errol Flynn in fencing duels in "Captain Blood", and "The Adventures of Robin Hood". Here, he plays the imposing dictatorial Wroxton, who functions as the butler in the mansion of Mr. and Mrs. Winfield. More importantly, he is given the authority to hire and fire other household functionaries, besides which he takes a cut of their salaries to insure his continued approval of their work. He is uncommonly stiff and formal, and treats the staff as a drill sergeant treats his recruits. He reluctantly offers Loretta a job. She doesn't accept right away, and is about to leave, as she can't imagine working under the thumb of the zombie-like Wroxton. However, maid Patsy Kelly, as Gracie, flags her down, and convinces her to give it a try. Patsy becomes her friend throughout the film. The son of the Winfields: Richard)Robert Taylor) is immediately smitten by Loretta's beauty, initially assuming she is a guest, rather than a maid. Soon, he's talking marriage, but she initially objects that a marriage between a scion of a wealthy family and their maid wouldn't be accepted socially. He nixes this objection, and eventually, she gives in, not telling his parents, initially. Meanwhile, evil Wroxton finally makes his move, proposing marriage. She flatly turns him down. Wroxton spends the remainder of the film trying to get Loretta in trouble with the family or the law. He announces to the parents, that one of the staff is going to have a baby, of which Richard is the father. Loretta admits such, but informs them that they are married. Wroxton's major success relates to an incident in which a broke Loretta hesitantly accepts a ride with an unfamiliar man((Monroe Owlsey, as Coakley),who supposedly stops to introduce her to his grandmother(May Beatty, as grandma Gammon), but it turns out to be an illegal gambling den. Unfortunately, the police stage a raid just then, and Loretta winds up at the police station, with no money. Loretta reluctantly calls Wroxton to take a taxi to the police station and pay her fine. This he does. Thus, he finds out about her entrance to the gambling den. When, he tells the Winfields about this, they demand an annulment of the marriage. Richard is not so demanding at first, and refuses to sign the annulment, but after talking to Loretta, he gives in and signs it. However, there has to be a trial. Her lawyer finds Coakley, who agrees to tell about his role in her being found in that gambling den. However, Wroxton pays Coakley to lie, and make it look like Loretta was the sleazy one, which seemed to cook her goose. But, Loretta's lawyer finds out about the dirty deal between Wroxton and Coakley, and tells Richard, who promptly socks Wroxton's jaw, causing him to fall over backwards over a desk: the most satisfying moment in the film! Loretta's lawyer called her to the stand once more, and she testified that she was only 17 at the time, thus underage to be in such an establishment This sealed Richard's mind to withdraw the annulment request........Besides the police raid, there was another episode of pandemonium when a guy who talked like a mobster got fresh with Loretta while she was seated in a nightclub. The big sailor with buck teeth, who hardly talked, got up and socked this guy. In response, his buddies came at the sailor, followed by various sailors coming to his defense. Soon, everybody was fighting, and Loretta's salary was stolen from her purse....... As always, Loretta is extraordinarily beautiful, with many closeups of her face, with those big soulful eyes. Robert Taylor was also in his prime, and made a very handsome groom.
JohnHowardReid
The first half of this movie is better than the last, though Peverell Marley's photography is always a joy to look at, and Mark- Lee Kirk's sets (decorated by Thomas Little) are always wonderful to behold! And there's also a fine music score by Louis Silvers! The performances are never less than great, and the direction by Roy Del Ruth is always highly commendable. I would regard this entry as his best film. Of course, he did have a marvelous cast to work with! And it's true that the first half of the movie is more enjoyable than the last, because that's when we're introduced to people like Basil Rathbone's delightfully tyrannical butler; to Patsy Kelly's running interference; and to Joe Lewis and his idea of the perfect first date - and a blind one at that! In the first half, director Del Ruth stages a really wonderful brawl, which he caps by a glorious scene in which the GOODY TWO-SHOES HEROINE IS ARRESTED IN A BROTHEL! (I say again: This movie is a product of the moral clamp-down? Who's kidding who here!)From first to last, Peverell Marley's photography is always a joy to behold. Ditto Mark-Lee Kirk's sets (decorated by Thomas Little). And, joining the fine performances and the highly commendable direction, we must pay tribute to the screenplay concocted by Gene Markey and William Conselman from a story by Cleves Kinkead.
