Jack Benny and Ann Sheridan play a married couple in New York City, apartment dwellers forced out of their latest residence after their pesky mutt chews up the carpet; Sheridan finds a dilapidated house way out in the country that suits her, not counting on all the money it will take to fix the place up. Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman's play becomes very odd screwball comedy which spends its first act mining laughs from the husband's constant exasperation (and his tendency to fall through weak floors). Later, as pesky relatives--and bills--start accumulating, the movie takes on a different, smarter style, and Benny's peevish disposition is funnier when he's commenting on the harried circumstances rather than having him be a constant klutz. Sheridan is a peculiar match for Benny (the two are more like a boss and his secretary than husband and wife), but Hattie McDaniel gets in some funny wisecracks as their maid and Percy Kilbride is very good as the slow-talking contractor. This tale might have revolved solely around the couple's attempts to fix up their historical shack, but this gets taken care of fairly quickly (a blessing); once the slapstick bend comes to a close, the picture finally takes shape. **1/2 from ****
Review of George Washington Slept Here
