Producer: Jerry Wald. Copyright 28 November 1942 by Warner Bros Pictures, Inc. New York opening at the Strand: 30 October 1942. U.S. release: 28 November 1942. Australian release: 21 February 1946 (sic). 94 minutes.
NOTES: As not a single one of Jack Benny's legendary radio shows were ever broadcast in England or Australia, the cinema comedian had but small followings in those countries. A pity.
The stage play opened on Broadway at the Lyceum on 18 October 1940, running a moderately successful 173 performances with Ernest Truex, Jean Dixon, Dudley Digges and Percy Kilbride. It was directed by George S. Kaufman and produced by Sam H. Harris.
COMMENT: A very amusing comedy with sharp, witty dialogue. Admittedly, there has been little attempt to open out the stage play, but with Benny in such delightfully sarcastic form, plus a brilliant assortment of character actors to fill out some meaty support roles like Charles Coburn, Percy Kilbride (repeating his stage role) and Franklin Pangborn, this is scarcely noticed.
Keighley's direction keeps things moving at a pretty fast bat. A bit of war-time patriotic propaganda is worked into the script, but this is so ingeniously done, it is likely to meet with little resistance. Hattie McDaniel is superb and the art director has done a superlative job in creating the run-down house of the First Act.
The picture antedates in some respects Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House, but the treatment here is light and breezy with jokes tossed off at machine-gun pace, whereas Blandings was rather heavy-handed with all the gags scrupulously telegraphed well ahead. Production values are first-rate.
NOTES: As not a single one of Jack Benny's legendary radio shows were ever broadcast in England or Australia, the cinema comedian had but small followings in those countries. A pity.
The stage play opened on Broadway at the Lyceum on 18 October 1940, running a moderately successful 173 performances with Ernest Truex, Jean Dixon, Dudley Digges and Percy Kilbride. It was directed by George S. Kaufman and produced by Sam H. Harris.
COMMENT: A very amusing comedy with sharp, witty dialogue. Admittedly, there has been little attempt to open out the stage play, but with Benny in such delightfully sarcastic form, plus a brilliant assortment of character actors to fill out some meaty support roles like Charles Coburn, Percy Kilbride (repeating his stage role) and Franklin Pangborn, this is scarcely noticed.
Keighley's direction keeps things moving at a pretty fast bat. A bit of war-time patriotic propaganda is worked into the script, but this is so ingeniously done, it is likely to meet with little resistance. Hattie McDaniel is superb and the art director has done a superlative job in creating the run-down house of the First Act.
The picture antedates in some respects Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House, but the treatment here is light and breezy with jokes tossed off at machine-gun pace, whereas Blandings was rather heavy-handed with all the gags scrupulously telegraphed well ahead. Production values are first-rate.