This enjoyable programmer is a very funny study of small town politics with a fight concerning the potential of a resort being built right in the middle of it. Sensible mayor Fred Stone has no desire to see a bunch of snooty out of towners invading their peaceful space, so he must take on the snooty locals who turn their back on him. They side with newly returned Berton Churchill, the money man behind the project who tries to insite the town in impeaching him. But with the help of pranksterish son Sherwood Bailey and his chemistry set and a bit of good fortune, Stone keeps one step ahead of Churchill and the others, in spite of his social climbing wife (Dorothy Vaughan) who stands with the town instead of her husband.
While Gordon Jones and Dorothy Moore have little to do as the ingenue couple, they are a minor distraction. A fine ensemble of character actors offer great support, with Hattie McDaniel (as the maid, of course), Dick Elliott, Fern Emmett (a Margaret Hamilton look-alike, very funny in her one scene involving an attempt at buying tacks), and Kathryn Sheldon, best known as the straight laced ballet teacher in an "Our Gang" short. Fuzzy Knight overdoes the stuttering (making Roscoe Ates seem subtle in comparison), the only real misstep in casting. His character name, however, is very funny. The slapstick hits its heights in a dinner party scene (a nod to Stone and McDaniel from "Alice Adams"), and the chase sequence at the end is another gem. Truly a nice surprise, this rises above its programmer status to be extremely memorable.
While Gordon Jones and Dorothy Moore have little to do as the ingenue couple, they are a minor distraction. A fine ensemble of character actors offer great support, with Hattie McDaniel (as the maid, of course), Dick Elliott, Fern Emmett (a Margaret Hamilton look-alike, very funny in her one scene involving an attempt at buying tacks), and Kathryn Sheldon, best known as the straight laced ballet teacher in an "Our Gang" short. Fuzzy Knight overdoes the stuttering (making Roscoe Ates seem subtle in comparison), the only real misstep in casting. His character name, however, is very funny. The slapstick hits its heights in a dinner party scene (a nod to Stone and McDaniel from "Alice Adams"), and the chase sequence at the end is another gem. Truly a nice surprise, this rises above its programmer status to be extremely memorable.