When Claire Trevor discovers that the count she has just married was purchased for half a million dollars, she runs away. Her mother tells the papers she's insane and sets the cops on her. To try to get to her father on the coast, she joins a publicity caravan in this laugh-free comedy directed by Malcolm St. Clair.
This one is a puzzlement. It's got a script by writers that include Lou Breslow. It's got St. Clair directing. It's got lots of comedy professional, including William Demarest, Joan Davis, Chick Chandler, Inez Courtney, Fred Kelsey (playing a cop, naturally), but everyone plays it straight: even Joan Davis comes off as more addled than wacky, and Demarest is simply grouchy. What happened? Who decided to film this runaway heiress comedy as a straight drama?
I see the IMDb claims that Alan Dwan was an uncredited fill-in director. Mr. Dwan certainly knew how to direct comedy, but perhaps the difference in comedy styles between him and St. Clair cancelled all the humor; whatever happened, it's simply not funny.
This one is a puzzlement. It's got a script by writers that include Lou Breslow. It's got St. Clair directing. It's got lots of comedy professional, including William Demarest, Joan Davis, Chick Chandler, Inez Courtney, Fred Kelsey (playing a cop, naturally), but everyone plays it straight: even Joan Davis comes off as more addled than wacky, and Demarest is simply grouchy. What happened? Who decided to film this runaway heiress comedy as a straight drama?
I see the IMDb claims that Alan Dwan was an uncredited fill-in director. Mr. Dwan certainly knew how to direct comedy, but perhaps the difference in comedy styles between him and St. Clair cancelled all the humor; whatever happened, it's simply not funny.