When THE DEVIL AND MISS JONES deals with grumpy CHARLES COBURN and his investigation into the workers in his department store (he's heard they're backing union demands for a strike), it hits some of the right buttons and is right on target as a social comedy. But when it veers into other sub-plots and then the romance angle between a couple of the co-workers, it loses steam as a comedy. The result is a mixed bag: sometimes a bright, witty, observant comedy about people and their work habits, other times a cornball romantic comedy with too many sub-plots spoiling the cake.
JEAN ARTHUR is at her usual outspoken best and ROBERT CUMMINGS shows a little more backbone than usual as her leading man--but the film really belongs foremost to CHARLES COBURN in another one of his engaging characterizations as the pivotal character who causes all the fuss and bother.
Summing up: Not half as engaging as THE MORE THE MERRIER, but the Norman Krasna script has some delightful observations to make about the work place.
JEAN ARTHUR is at her usual outspoken best and ROBERT CUMMINGS shows a little more backbone than usual as her leading man--but the film really belongs foremost to CHARLES COBURN in another one of his engaging characterizations as the pivotal character who causes all the fuss and bother.
Summing up: Not half as engaging as THE MORE THE MERRIER, but the Norman Krasna script has some delightful observations to make about the work place.