I was happily surprised at the enjoyment this little film provided. It could be described as a screwball comedy, I suppose, but it never gets carried away with itself and stays committed to what really amounts to a mostly subtly comedic sequence of vignettes. There are so many opportunities for this film to become just a silly and hectic hodgepodge but admirably the fantasy-like story is made to seem enjoyably plausible.
The players are just so engaging and the little moves and bits of business exhibited by the cast, especially Louise Allbritton, are admirable. She is gorgeous and her eyes are particularly fascinating. I was particularly impressed by the restrained and excellent performance by Edward Everett Horton...his is the effort that, if not held in check, could have sunk the picture. Luckily, too, the youngsters in the film were not allowed to run amok and bring the picture down. And what can be said of Buster Keaton's appearance... it is as affectingly priceless as the entire bus episode is affectingly unique.
One reviewer found it odd that the story was set in San Diego during the War and that no sailors and soldiers are evident. But there are, for I actually looked for that very thing during a brief street scene and indeed there is a liberal peppering of sailors walking the street in the parade of passers-by. Whether on the street, in the office, or in the home, the sets are decked out appropriately. Additionally, the film's editing is crisp and continuity is wonderful.
For sure this is a fantasy, including the curiosity that the third richest man in America would happily fall for the propellant of a small-town eccentric family. But this is a successfully comedic film from the World War II era and no doubt will be enjoyed by fans of movies from the era.