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Fresh and Exciting

Expected more

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Perhaps my favorite character actor has long been Frank Morgan. When he is in A pictures as a supporting actor (such as "The Wizard Of Oz" and several films with Clark Gable) he shines. But some of the B films MGM assigned to him, where he is the star, well...the scripts were not so good. This is one of the exceptions. A movie that is both genuinely funny and sentimental.Morgan plays a role he was accustomed to -- a bit of a ne'er-do-well, but one that most people genuinely like. The creditors are always after him, his prim spinster sister looks down on him, and he exasperates his son, who is attempting to become a figure in the church. Then, Morgan meets a second-rate stage actress (Cicely Courtneidge), and quite by accident they become a hit. She falls in love with him, but the problem Morgan is causing his son ends up splitting up the show business team and the couple. In the end, they all live happily ever after (although for a few moments I though Morgan or Courtneidge was going to die, and the film be turned into a tragedy).Morgan is his usual lovable, blustery self. Courtneidge, known more to British audiences, is wonderful! Able to play both the funny and the touching momemnts. The rest of the characters are efficient in their roles, though they are not memorable.Watch this film to savor the great Frank Morgan, and receive the bonus of discovering Cicely Courtneidge.

Frank Morgan didn't get to play many lead roles during his long tenure at MGM, so this gentle, sub-Wodehousian English trifle ought to be a cause for celebration. Alas. He plays a "charming," penniless old rogue who sponges off his relatives, spends what little he has on drink, makes tactless talk with stiff authority figures, and romances a fetching musical hall lady (Cicely Courtneidge, who was the real thing, and is delightful). The trouble, aside from Tim Whelan's utterly anonymous direction, is that "the Major," as written, is nearly as tiresome and confounding as all the "bad," "small-minded" townspeople claim him to be. So you can't really blame an overacting Una O'Connor as his huffy sister for scolding him, or handsome Robert Waring as his conventional son for turning him out. You can't even understand why Heather Angel, as his prospective daughter-in-law, would keep defending him. You can't imagine why his bumbling rendition of "Pack Up Your Troubles" in a music hall would save Courtneidge's hitherto-reviled act. And when a humbled Morgan finally wins her hand, you're mostly sorry for her rather than overjoyed for them both. The sentiment here feels calculated, the pacing's off, and virtually nothing is credible. Frank Morgan is perfection, but even he can't turn this dithering blowhard into a likable guy.

Bubbling Frank Morgan and a wonderful cast of British talent make this screwball comedy & comedy of errors shine with charming giggles and amusing bemusement.The father of the Vicar, Morgan, portrays a self-stuffed shirt that finds his luck from a night out in the music halls.Dame Cicely Courtneidge, Herbert Mundin, Heather Angel (You Can't Take It With You) and Una O'Connor play the perfect foil for Morgan's delightful buffoonery.This is the type of comedy that couldn't be made today even if they tried. The underlying comedy of manners reflect a bygone era that may never come again - filled with its social mores and contradictions.Here was a time when decent men did not consort with "brazen women" from the entertainment field. I wonder how much things have changed today? Nevertheless, this is a time when family honor and unsullied reputations were prized - and - mountains were moved to maintain them above all else - even love.The final musical extravaganza performed by Courtneidge and a battalion of soldiers and drummers is stirring, even though short by Busby Berkeley standards.I recommend this highly.

This little comedy was made at the MGM English studio. It featured a British cast, with the exception of the American character actor, Frank Morgan. Remember him? He played the wizard, in the "Wizard Of Oz." What makes this film fun to watch is Morgan's comic skill, and energy. Also, a plus, is the quality of his fellow British actors. This quality, is what raises a rather sub-par script, into a very watchable film.