Beg, Borrow or Steal

Frank Morgan is a charming rogue living in France. To "get by," he and his pals - the nicest rogues' gallery ever assembled - gamble (and cheat), scam a bit (at anything they can) and sell forged art (that they make).

It has a Tarantino feel without the menace as Morgan and his crew discuss their "business" and life problems as if being low-level crooks was just like any other line of work. Even amongst themselves, they lightly try to scam each other as, despite being true friends, it's just what they do. Their odd camaraderie is one of the most enjoyable parts of the movie.

When Morgan learns his daughter in America, Florence Rice (who looks a lot like 1990s star Bridget Fonda),is getting married, he boastfully offers up his non-existent chateau for her wedding assuming she'd never take him up on it. She does and it's all romcom hijinx, contretemps and cover-ups from there. Morgan scams the use of a chateau for a week and the wedding party is on.

The fun in this one is Morgan as a bubbling grifter with a kind heart who steals a bit to get by sans avarice and malice. Heck, you know he'd give, without hesitation, the proceeds from a forged-art sale, or his last dollar, to a buddy in need.

When he sees his daughter is engaged to a passionless man she respects but doesn't love, he quietly promotes her budding romance with the chateau's true owner who is a genuinely nice guy. You can guess the outcome from there.

Beg, Borrow or Steal is cute and silly with enough good scenes and lines to keep you entertained for its seventy-minute runtime, just like a good old-style TV show.

Con-artist Ingraham Steward (Frank Morgan) invites his estranged daughter to Europe to be married in his non-existent chateau on the French Rivera. Much to his chagrin, she accepts. As 'false identity' comedies go, this one is pretty good. Morgan is excellent as the father trying to make good on his offer and an early 'reveal' makes the whole farce a little less implausible. The funniest characters in the film are Ingraham's clique of 'international' conmen (posing as various Counts, Lords, etc) and the scene where they solemnly enter the chateau accompanied by 'culturally appropriate' music is hilarious. Other highlights are the scenes in which a real Lord (E.E. Clive) arrives at the chateau, only to be mistaken for another grifter and given instructions on how to behave in a Lordly fashion. As betrothed daughter Joyce, Florence Rice is fine and as soon as we meet her stiff, bland fiancée Horace (Tom Rutherford) we know that true love must await in France. The last-minute resolution to her romantic dilemma is deftly handled and the film ends exactly as expected - happily. Good fun from another era.

Who doesn't love the classic story of Apple Annie, the poor woman who tries to be a high-class lady so she doesn't embarrass her daughter? That story keeps getting remade, but if you're in the mood for a twist, check out Beg, Borrow or Steal. In this one, the Apple Annie is Apple Andy: a man who has to pretend he's wealthy to impress his daughter and her fiancé. Frank Morgan stars as the bumbling, irresponsible pauper, who makes his meager living gambling and writes home to his daughter that he's rich and lives in a castle. His daughter, Florence Rice, gets the idea of getting married at her father's palace, so he has to scrounge around and figure out how to continue to fool her.

This is a really cute movie, so if you're a Frank Morgan fan, you've got to check it out. He's his usual adorable, bumbling self who means well but constantly messes things up. If you like cute comedies about people trying to keep a secret, you'll probably like this one. I thought it was very funny, since it's not as silly as a screwball comedy but is still light and fluffy.

Frank Morgan (Ingraham) is a con artist who invites his estranged daughter Florence Rice (Joyce) to have her wedding ceremony at his chateau. One problem - he doesn't have a chateau. He needs to find one quickly!

It's a funny film as Morgan gathers a cast of crooks to pose as his upper class friends in order to pull the wool over the eyes of his daughter, groom and the parents. His associates can't resist the temptation to fleece and scam - and Morgan has his work cut out trying to prevent their shady antics. It's a comedy so we get a satisfying resolution that is pretty obvious from the beginning but it's the feel-good comedic situations that provide the driving force of the film, led expertly by Morgan.

To the film's credit, there is no come-uppance for the cast. Hooray - the bad guys get a happy result! Not sure why the Hays Code nonsense didn't see them all punished but perhaps comedies weren't scrutinized so rigorously.

TiVo and TCM have a window that pops up, giving this one star. Why? That's for BAD films. This is quaint and clever. Want to waste your time with a good old-fashioned 30's comedy of errors and other shenanigans? This is that film. Yep, a B-movie that holds its own. The character actors are all good, there are genuine laughs, and a (predictable) plot that holds it all together. Most of us have not seen Frank Morgan in anything other than 'Wizard of Oz'. He plays a similar- enough role here so that you'll feel at home. I have to say I am paying more attention to TCM the older I get, lol. The junk that they spew out at the multiplex just to fill it up is depressing. Let's all support the good old days of 1930's films. Enjoy!