Several things happen in this trifle. First, while it's a vehicle for MGM star Robert Young, who's paired alongside Ruth Hussey in the lead female role, this is also an attempt by studio execs to promote ingenue Lana Turner. Miss T (or should I call her Miss TnT) is dynamite in her scenes as Hussey's kid sister. She gets all the best lines, important close-ups and even a dramatic scene is thrown in for good measure so that she can demonstrate her "range."
Yes, it's clear that Lana Turner was being groomed by the bosses for big things at Metro. A few years later, she'd play a lead role with Robert Young in SLIGHTLY DANGEROUS. But here the main story arc focuses on Young's plans to wed Hussey.
Their engagement is thwarted, because Hussey's family is eccentric and nothing ever works out the way it's supposed to with them. Shades of YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU. Though she loves Young, Hussey isn't sure he will still want to get married after spending a few eventful weekends on her parents' living room sofa.
Some of the plot is illogical. For instance, we're told that Hussey has been working in Young's office for several years...and yet, he knows zilch about her family or background in all this time? A bit hard to believe.
Also, why does he think that his wife-to-be will still want to marry him when some of his ignorance and stupidity regarding the lower classes is exposed? Love is supposed to conquer all, but in this case, it has a miracle to perform.
The best part of the picture includes the supporting cast. Guy Kibbee is at his usual best as the patriarch who is often down on his luck. Meanwhile, Rita Johnson is also on hand as Young's well-meaning sister. She's extremely concerned that brother dear wants to give their fortune away, when Hussey's relatives influence him to start helping the poor.
In addition to these contract players, we have Lew Ayres in the role of Hussey's politically motivated cousin. It would be putting it mildly to call him a communist. He wastes no time sharing his radical views on social class injustice.
You might say Ayres' character is the polar opposite of Lana Turner's-- since she is totally on board with Young marrying Hussey, as it will grant her access to upper class society. After all, she hopes to snag a rich hubby of her own.
RICH MAN POOR GIRL is directed by German expatriate Reinhold Schunzel, himself an actor who knows how to elicit performances from the cast. The production is a remake of Metro's talkie THE IDLE RICH, which had featured lovely Leila Hyams in the part that Hussey plays. THE IDLE RICH seldom airs on TCM, though it was broadcast when Hyams received a Summer Under the Stars tribute a few years ago. Both films are worth checking out.
Yes, it's clear that Lana Turner was being groomed by the bosses for big things at Metro. A few years later, she'd play a lead role with Robert Young in SLIGHTLY DANGEROUS. But here the main story arc focuses on Young's plans to wed Hussey.
Their engagement is thwarted, because Hussey's family is eccentric and nothing ever works out the way it's supposed to with them. Shades of YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU. Though she loves Young, Hussey isn't sure he will still want to get married after spending a few eventful weekends on her parents' living room sofa.
Some of the plot is illogical. For instance, we're told that Hussey has been working in Young's office for several years...and yet, he knows zilch about her family or background in all this time? A bit hard to believe.
Also, why does he think that his wife-to-be will still want to marry him when some of his ignorance and stupidity regarding the lower classes is exposed? Love is supposed to conquer all, but in this case, it has a miracle to perform.
The best part of the picture includes the supporting cast. Guy Kibbee is at his usual best as the patriarch who is often down on his luck. Meanwhile, Rita Johnson is also on hand as Young's well-meaning sister. She's extremely concerned that brother dear wants to give their fortune away, when Hussey's relatives influence him to start helping the poor.
In addition to these contract players, we have Lew Ayres in the role of Hussey's politically motivated cousin. It would be putting it mildly to call him a communist. He wastes no time sharing his radical views on social class injustice.
You might say Ayres' character is the polar opposite of Lana Turner's-- since she is totally on board with Young marrying Hussey, as it will grant her access to upper class society. After all, she hopes to snag a rich hubby of her own.
RICH MAN POOR GIRL is directed by German expatriate Reinhold Schunzel, himself an actor who knows how to elicit performances from the cast. The production is a remake of Metro's talkie THE IDLE RICH, which had featured lovely Leila Hyams in the part that Hussey plays. THE IDLE RICH seldom airs on TCM, though it was broadcast when Hyams received a Summer Under the Stars tribute a few years ago. Both films are worth checking out.