The title of this premiere episode of "Four Star Playhouse" suggested to me a skit by Flip Wilson (involving his iconic drag character Geraldine), but instead we have Charles Boyer giving a charming, heartfelt performance in support of a lousy story. Why he would choose this stinker to launch a tv series (or it be chosen by his three illustrious fellow stars/producers Ida Lupino, Dick Powell and David Niven as lead-off show) remains a mystery.
Larry Marcus's story and screenplay are strictly one-note, with any hint of suspense (or interesting content) ruined by giving away the whole matter in the first minute or two, then hitting the flashback function in pure Spoiler! Fashion. To get a job, Boyer has to pretend he is married, but the ruse of a nonexistent wife obviously (and quickly) catches up with him and gets him in trouble. Marcus' ending gives Boyer a chance to emote, but makes no sense from a storytelling standpoint, merely proving that it's just a shaggy-dog story without even the usual build-up of mystery such tales (see: the Coen Brothers and Wes Anderson, current specialists in the genre) can engender before the final letdown.
Larry Marcus's story and screenplay are strictly one-note, with any hint of suspense (or interesting content) ruined by giving away the whole matter in the first minute or two, then hitting the flashback function in pure Spoiler! Fashion. To get a job, Boyer has to pretend he is married, but the ruse of a nonexistent wife obviously (and quickly) catches up with him and gets him in trouble. Marcus' ending gives Boyer a chance to emote, but makes no sense from a storytelling standpoint, merely proving that it's just a shaggy-dog story without even the usual build-up of mystery such tales (see: the Coen Brothers and Wes Anderson, current specialists in the genre) can engender before the final letdown.