The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss (1936)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Alfred Zeisler

Writers:

John L. Balderston (writer)
E. Phillips Oppenheim (novel)

Release Date:

27 February 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Comedy

Tagline:

A Story of Rags to Riches... and More Riches

Plot:

A bored millionaire wagers his doctor that he can support himself at a working class job for year without touching his inheritance.

Plot Keywords:

Doctor | Millionaire | Bet | London England | Con Man

Cast

Cary Grant	...	Ernest Bliss
Mary Brian	...	Frances Clayton
Peter Gawthorne	...	Sir James Alroyd
Henry Kendall	...	Lord Honiton
Leon M. Lion	...	Dorrington
John Turnbull	...	Masters
Arthur Hardy	...	Crawley
Iris Ashley	...	Clare
Garry Marsh	...	The Buyer
Andreas Malandrinos	...	Guiseppi (as Andrea Malandrinos)
Alfred Wellesley	...	Montague
Marie Wright	...	Mrs. Heath
Buena Bent	...	Mrs. Mott
Charles Farrell	...	Scales
Quentin McPhearson	...	Clowes (as Quinton MacPherson)

Also Known As:

Riches and Romance
Romance and Riches (USA)
The Amazing Adventure (USA) (reissue title)
The Amazing Quest

Runtime:

80 min | USA:61 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:S | UK:U | Sweden:Btl

Company:

Empire Films

Quotes:

Ernest Bliss: Here's to us!
[They drink the wine as she laughs softly]
Ernest Bliss: Ah, but it's good!
Frances Clayton: It's lovely!
Ernest Bliss: So cheap, my goodness, I thought it would taste like red ink. Fancy, it's magic. Yes, it's your magic too! It's you who turned this cheap wine, this cheap food into a feast for the gods!

Movie Connections:

Remake of The Amazing Quest of Mr. Ernest Bliss (1920)

amazingly cheap but endearing

This is an obviously low-budget film from Cary Grant. It seems that most of the stars of the 1940s did a few cheap-o independent films during the 1930s (Bogart and Cagney did a few that I recently reviewed). However, what sets this film apart is that despite its poor quality at times, it's a surprisingly watchable. So, if you ignore one or two flat performances by supporting cast members and sets that are not exactly MGM quality, you'll be rewarded with a decent film. Yes, I'll admit that the plot is just a little bit silly, but because of its charm and brisk pace, it satisfies. Cary plays a rich and lazy guy who finds himself bored with life. When he goes to the doctor, the doc tells him to stop sniveling about his life and DO something productive--get a job and stop being a self-indulgent jerk. Cary takes this as a challenge and decides to make himself over--all for the better. About the only strong negative I felt is that the girl that Cary is destined to marry in the film just seems awfully immature and stupid at the end of the film--I wanted him to find someone better!