Ronald Reagan's profession in this film is so outdated, modern audiences might not even understand it. Back in the day, artists actually drew physical illustrations for advertisements. Imagine! In this movie, Ronnie has drawn a very famous woman, and everyone wants to know who his model is. He keeps his cards to his chest until it's revealed that he doesn't have a model; he's just drawn his dream girl. When he sees the spitting image of his illustration on the titular beach, naturally, he's willing to move Heaven and Earth to meet her.
It turns out, Virginia Mayo (the girl) is an English teacher for immigrants, and instead of introducing himself like a normal person, he creates a fake identity and enrolls in her class. "I can't quite seem to place your accent," Virginia says when he attends her class. Neither can anyone else! He ends up talking himself into pretending to be Czechoslovakian, but when she questions him again, saying he looks Irish and has a sliding accent that doesn't sound Eastern European, Reagan gets himself into even more trouble when a fellow Czech tries to engage him in conversation. What I don't understand is why he doesn't pretend to be Canadian, or why he doesn't introduce himself to her in the classroom setting, pretending to get information for a relative or pal. He's Ronald Reagan! He's extremely handsome, and even though she's not interested in a pickup, she'd certainly be interested in him no matter his accent.
Admittedly, this is a B-picture. But it's a pretty funny one, despite the ridiculous meet-cute. Ronnie tries to credit his knowledge about American history by having seen Gone With the Wind six times. "Do you know what Ruth needs?" Virginia's little brother asks his mother, after they've just discussed her lack of interest in getting a boyfriend. "Yes," the mother answers, "but I'm not about to discuss it with you." And Henry Travers, in his final film role, plays a judge in the end sequence, who is both hilarious, charming, and romantic, ending his career very sweetly.
