Orchids to You

Jean Muir runs a flower shop in a hotel. Charles Butterworth, the principal shareholder (unknown to her) keeps proposing to her. The hotel wants to evict her in favor of a better-paying tenant. John Boles is the lawyer hired to get her out. Unknown to him, his wife is cheating on him, with a friend who buys orchids for her at Miss Muir's flower shop.

That's the broad outline of this movie, and it is all handled very well by director William Seiter, with a cast that includes Arthur Lake, Spring Byington, Sidney Toler (as an Italian flower wholesaler) and Arthur Treacher.. It's all very well acted, but it's more a drama than a comedy. Oh, there are plenty of good bits. Toler is quite funny, Boles sings "Sylvia" and the story and handling keeps things moving right along throughout, so that I never lost interest. It's simply that the title and the Art-Deco opening led me to expect a comedy. Once I realized that, it turned into a good movie.

John Boles plays Thomas Bentley, a lawyer who seems like a genuinely nice guy. However, he doesn't realize that his wife is a pig...a pig rutting about with another man. Through the course of his job, Thomas meets a sweet lady, Camellia (Jean Muir). Now there is no romance involved...Thomas is a loyal husband...but the two hit it off. He also helps her to entertain some kids...in one of the strangest song and magic shows you could ever see...weird and creepy...yet the kids adore him. So where is all this heading and how will Thomas and Camellia come together in court? See the film.

This is a nice romance film. While it has some nice supporting actors which keep it all very light, the story takes a very serious turn as well. I'd say more, but I don't want to ruin the story. Just see this one...it's a very nice picture.