Alison Skipworth is a delight as the "Countess" who, at the film's
start is very happy to leave the establishment she has graced with
her presence for the last five years - Prison!! The gags fly thick and
fast - Countess needs cash so she visits an old paramour and
persuades him that the unbeknownst young man in the outer office
spruiking an invention is somehow their long lost son!! She finds her
way to an out of the way hotel run by her quirky improvident husband
Elmer Hicks (Richard Bennett who, along with everyone else in the
cast, is terrific!!) Her two daughters give her pause for thought - staid
Alice (lovely Evalyn Knapp in a thankless role) is in love with the banker's
son (John Breedon). High stepping Patsy (Gertrude Messinger) has more
interest, she's in love with George Raft posing as a wealthy playboy
Jack Houston but in reality hiding out in the sleepy borough from the
law. He and the Countess size each other up instantly and there is some
nice banter between the pair. Much as I love George Raft, the sting the
Countess sets up for him is delicious - impersonating a federal man to
a flabbergasted federal man (J. Farrell MacDonald)!!
I fell in love with Alison Skipworth when I saw her in "Night After Night", she more than matched Mae West. In this movie she could give Mae lessons in the gentle art of the con!!
I fell in love with Alison Skipworth when I saw her in "Night After Night", she more than matched Mae West. In this movie she could give Mae lessons in the gentle art of the con!!