User Reviews

This is a type of comedy for audiences who like their films to be smart and sophisticated. Gambling establishment owner George Raft sees the opportunity to improve his sophistication (or lack of it) and convinces struggling socialite Dolores Costello to turn her large mansion into his newest casino, helping her out financially while fulfilling his goals in life. One of the first guests is supposed northern heiress Ida Lupino whom we soon find out is not whom she claims to be. Who she is and why she is there becomes the subject of Costello's investigation and it appears that she is not going to win the battle with her sophisticated rival.

A terrific screenplay and an even better supporting cast makes this light comedy so easy to take yet something that is for the intellectual in classic films viewers. James Gleason and Edgar Kennedy are among Raft's staff, instantly resentful of Costello for distracting their boss from business and going uptown when they are definitely of a downton mentality. Reginald Owen is delightfully bombastic as Lupino's con-artist uncle, a stick of dynamite stuck into a cake instead of a candle. Not only are the performances and script extremely well done, but the film has all the panache and sophistication that you would expect from Paramount. The mixture of high class and low class (and no class) obviously made this appealing to audiences of all kinds.

Director: ALEXANDER HALL. Screenplay: Eve Green, Harlan Ware, Philip MacDonald. Original story: William R. Lipman, William H. Wright. Photographed in black-and-white by Theodor Sparkuhl. Film editor: James Smith. Art directors: Hans Dreier, Roland Anderson. Set decorator: A.E. Freudeman. Costumes: Travis Banton. Music director: Boris Morros. Sound recording: Harold Lewis, John Cope. Western Electric Sound System. Producer: Lewis E. Gensler. Executive producer: Adolph Zukor. Copyright 24 July 1936 by Paramount Pictures, Inc. New York opening at the Paramount: 19 August 1936. Australian release: 10 October 1936. Sydney opening at the Prince Edward: 10 October 1936 (ran 2 weeks). 68 minutes. SYNOPSIS: Gangster teams up with impoverished socialite to turn the old family mansion into a plush gambling casino. COMMENT: This is the sort of movie that justifies Joseph L. Mankiewicz's celebrated crack, "If it's a Paramount picture, you don't have to stand in line." Not that it's bad. In fact it actually provides quite pleasing entertainment. True, the script doesn't amount to much, but director Hall keeps it moving along at a lively pace and allows support players Ida Lupino and Reginald Owen to steal the show from principals George Raft and Dolores Costello Barrymore. Lupino looks great too!

On a second viewing: A tame conclusion, cliché-studded dialogue and a somewhat familiar and even corny plot, seem to be offset by the vivacious playing of Ida Lupino. Miss Lupino is so fetchingly costumed and photographed throughout, she has it all over the film's nominal star, Dolores Costello Barrymore (as she is billed in the credits), in both looks and acting ability. In fact, Miss Costello Barrymore is still using some of the eye-rolling techniques she picked up in her days of silent stardom.

Other support players are likewise enjoyable, particularly Reg Owen, Ed Kennedy, Jimmy Gleason and Lynne Overman (even though they do tend to over-do their "business"). Surprisingly, Hall's direction tends to plod much more than it sparkles, but the sets are jolly attractive and production values generally well up to moderate "A".