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The Affairs of Annabel

  • 19381938
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 8m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
501
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Lucille Ball, Ruth Donnelly, Jack Oakie, and Bradley Page in The Affairs of Annabel (1938)
  • Comedy
Wonder Pictures' seedy publicity man Lanny Morgan has put the studio's biggest star, Annabel Allison, in one crazy stunt after another. His latest scheme has Annabel pretending to be a maid ... Read allWonder Pictures' seedy publicity man Lanny Morgan has put the studio's biggest star, Annabel Allison, in one crazy stunt after another. His latest scheme has Annabel pretending to be a maid in order to research her next screen role. Her disastrous attempts at cooking and cleaning... Read allWonder Pictures' seedy publicity man Lanny Morgan has put the studio's biggest star, Annabel Allison, in one crazy stunt after another. His latest scheme has Annabel pretending to be a maid in order to research her next screen role. Her disastrous attempts at cooking and cleaning, and her involvement with two fugitives hiding out at her employers' house provide her wi... Read all
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
501
YOUR RATING
  • Directors
    • Benjamin Stoloff
    • Lew Landers(uncredited)
  • Writers
    • Bert Granet(screen play)
    • Paul Yawitz(screen play)
    • Charles Hoffman(story)
  • Stars
    • Jack Oakie
    • Lucille Ball
    • Ruth Donnelly
Top credits
  • Directors
    • Benjamin Stoloff
    • Lew Landers(uncredited)
  • Writers
    • Bert Granet(screen play)
    • Paul Yawitz(screen play)
    • Charles Hoffman(story)
  • Stars
    • Jack Oakie
    • Lucille Ball
    • Ruth Donnelly
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 13User reviews
    • 4Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos12

    Lucille Ball, Elisabeth Risdon, and Lee Van Atta in The Affairs of Annabel (1938)
    Lucille Ball and Jack Oakie in The Affairs of Annabel (1938)
    Lucille Ball, Jack Oakie, and Bradley Page in The Affairs of Annabel (1938)
    Ruth Donnelly, Jack Oakie, and Bradley Page in The Affairs of Annabel (1938)
    Lucille Ball and Jack Oakie in The Affairs of Annabel (1938)
    Lucille Ball, Granville Bates, and Elisabeth Risdon in The Affairs of Annabel (1938)
    Lucille Ball in The Affairs of Annabel (1938)
    Lucille Ball and Jack Oakie in The Affairs of Annabel (1938)
    The Affairs of Annabel (1938)
    The Affairs of Annabel (1938)
    Lucille Ball and Jack Oakie in The Affairs of Annabel (1938)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jack Oakie
    Jack Oakie
    • Lanny Morganas Lanny Morgan
    Lucille Ball
    Lucille Ball
    • Annabel Allisonas Annabel Allison
    Ruth Donnelly
    Ruth Donnelly
    • Josephine (Jo)as Josephine (Jo)
    Bradley Page
    Bradley Page
    • Howard Webbas Howard Webb
    Fritz Feld
    Fritz Feld
    • Vladimiras Vladimir
    Thurston Hall
    Thurston Hall
    • Majoras Major
    Elisabeth Risdon
    Elisabeth Risdon
    • Mrs. Fletcheras Mrs. Fletcher
    Granville Bates
    Granville Bates
    • Mr. Fletcheras Mr. Fletcher
    James Burke
    James Burke
    • Muldoonas Muldoon
    Lee Van Atta
    • Robert Fletcheras Robert Fletcher
    Anthony Warde
    Anthony Warde
    • Baileyas Bailey
    Eddie Marr
    Eddie Marr
    • Martinas Martin
    Leona Roberts
    Leona Roberts
    • Mrs. Hurleyas Mrs. Hurley
    Brooks Benedict
    Brooks Benedict
    • Man in Webb's Officeas Man in Webb's Office
    • (uncredited)
    Stanley Blystone
    Stanley Blystone
    • Copas Cop
    • (uncredited)
    John Butler
    John Butler
    • Scriptwriteras Scriptwriter
    • (uncredited)
    Maurice Cass
    Maurice Cass
    • Dr. Rubnickas Dr. Rubnick
    • (uncredited)
    Charles Coleman
    Charles Coleman
    • Perkinsas Perkins
    • (uncredited)
    • Directors
      • Benjamin Stoloff
      • Lew Landers(uncredited)
    • Writers
      • Bert Granet(screen play)
      • Paul Yawitz(screen play)
      • Charles Hoffman(story)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Wonder Pictures' seedy publicity man Lanny Morgan has put the studio's biggest star, Annabel Allison, in one crazy stunt after another. His latest scheme has Annabel pretending to be a maid in order to research her next screen role. Her disastrous attempts at cooking and cleaning, and her involvement with two fugitives hiding out at her employers' house provide her with more material than she really wanted. —Daniel Bubbeo <dbubbeo@cmp.com>
    • screwball comedy
    • satire
    • character name in title
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Genre
      • Comedy
    • Certificate
      • Approved
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The car that picks up Annabel from prison is a very rare 1938 Cadillac Series 95 model 9053 7-passenger town car. Only 11 were built in 1938 and it was priced at $7,170 (over $138,000 in 2021) with an optional radio for $95.00 ($1,830 in 2021). It features a V-16 engine. In excellent condition at auction this car could fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars in 2021.
    • Quotes

      Annabel Allison: Over, my left eyebrow!

    • Connections
      Followed by Annabel Takes a Tour (1938)

    User reviews13

    Review
    Top review
    5/10
    "Why is a good-lookin' doll like you workin' as a kitchen mechanic?"
    Rather forced comedy with Lucille Ball as a movie star who lets her publicity agent Jack Oakie get her into one far-fetched scheme after another. Considering Lucy would become famous for getting into far-fetched situations on television, you'd think this might work. Well, it doesn't. The thing is that while I Love Lucy was full of harebrained schemes and outlandish situations, they were usually rooted in some reality. The laughs were earned. Here, it's all wackiness for the sake of wackiness and it feels very contrived. Jack Oakie plays a walking cartoon character, very annoying and full of the dumbest ideas. He's supposed to be a send-up of real publicity agents, exaggerated for effect. But he's exaggerated too much, in my opinion. He never feels like a real person. Lucy, looking pretty as ever, tries her able best to make the most of the material she's given but her character is another that's tough to accept. She doesn't seem like a stupid person yet, for the sake of the plot, she goes along with the obviously moronic ideas of Oakie. Still, her fans will enjoy seeing her in this early starring role. The movie is helped some by a nice supporting cast, all of which do their best. This was followed by a sequel but thankfully not more than one. Recommended for die-hard Lucy fans but that's it.
    helpful•3
    1
    • utgard14
    • Jun 15, 2014

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 9, 1938 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Menial Star
    • Filming locations
      • Glendale Transportation Center - 400 W Cerritos Ave, Glendale, California, USA
    • Production company
      • RKO Radio Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 8 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Related news

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