Test pilot Eddie Albert better watch his back. The mom and pop shop restaurant owners (Raymond Walburn and Maude Eburne) are out to make him crack up as they have been named beneficiary of a million dollar life insurance policy he was mistakenly issued. Insurance saleswoman Anne Shirley becomes pretty much his left hand, showing up basically to guard him from any and all catastrophe, simply because it was her mistake. Albert, a fan of Eburne's "homemade" chicken soup (actually out of a can), becomes groggy, along with Shirley, after eating some of the sleeping powdered soup, and by chance, Walburn, Eburne and their chef (Edward Brophy) all end up trapped on the two seater plane, taking over the wheels when Albert and Shirley fall asleep. With the plane flying over a military testing site, the plane is shot at for being in restricted space areas, and efforts to wake Albert and Shirley up seem to fail. Be careful what you wish for, greedy mom and pop, because a million dollar policy won't do you any good if you end up toast along with the person who holds the policy!
I've always enjoyed the work of character actress Maude Eburne, a prickly and earthy older woman who played matrons, bag ladies, nosy landlady's and sweet but common aunts, and a definite scene stealer. Walburn, too, adds to the fun, and while Albert and Shirley are a great team, it is the two character players who add the zest to this black comedy, made before the term black comedy was even created. The film is very "B" like in nature, with "second feature" written all over it. You don't find too many comedies however about insurance fraud, although I doubted many people went out and checked their policy to make sure that it had been done correctly. There are tons of character actors in smaller roles, among them Clem Bevans and Mary Treen, and Roger Pryor, billed high in the credits, has little to do amidst this complicated plot.
I've always enjoyed the work of character actress Maude Eburne, a prickly and earthy older woman who played matrons, bag ladies, nosy landlady's and sweet but common aunts, and a definite scene stealer. Walburn, too, adds to the fun, and while Albert and Shirley are a great team, it is the two character players who add the zest to this black comedy, made before the term black comedy was even created. The film is very "B" like in nature, with "second feature" written all over it. You don't find too many comedies however about insurance fraud, although I doubted many people went out and checked their policy to make sure that it had been done correctly. There are tons of character actors in smaller roles, among them Clem Bevans and Mary Treen, and Roger Pryor, billed high in the credits, has little to do amidst this complicated plot.