"The Man from Toronto" is a comedy-romance that stars Jessie Matthews. The talented Matthews made fewer than three dozen films in her career. Her forte was musicals and comedies. She made most of her films in the 1930s and before the end of World War II. She was never able to regain her film stature after the war. She worked mostly in TV after that.
Matthews was all but forgotten as a film star when she died of cancer at the age of 74 in 1981. But she left some splendid films for posterity. She was a superb comedienne and singer whose greatest talent was in her dancing. She was so nimble on her feet that she must have been double-jointed. In most of her dance routines, she would do swooshing kicks in which her left or right leg would touch the side of her head perpendicular to the floor.
This film is one of the few she made in which she neither sang nor danced. The plot is somewhat original. She is a widow, Mrs. Leslie Farrar. She is in the will of a deceased wealthy man whom she wouldn't marry. She will inherit 250,000 pounds, but only if she marries his nephew. The nephew, Fergus Wimbbush (played by Ian Hunter) lives in Toronto. But he is wealthy in his own right, and neither he nor Leslie are inclined to marry just for the money - sight unseen. On second thought, of course, they would like to look one another over.
But, Leslie plots a plan to pose as a maid to Mrs. Farrar when Wimbush travels to England to look over Mrs. Farrar. One can imagine where this will go from there. The supporting cast has two characters that play heavily in the story. Frederick Kerr is Bunston, the solicitor and executor of the will. And Margaret Yarde plays Mrs. Hubbard. These and others add some comedy to the story.
The comedy is mostly in situations, so the script has very little by way of witty dialog. The film fits in the category of butler and/or maid comedies. Matthews' character is a bit harsh, sort of spoiled. Wimbush is smitten by the maid, Polly Perkins (Mrs. Farrar in disguise). It's not a roaring comedy but a pleasant one. The film quality is rather poor, and some of the direction and editing appear to have been weak.
This is not one of the better of Jessie Matthews films. But it is a fun film that most people should enjoy.
