Miss Grant Takes Richmond

Ellen Grant (Lucille Ball) is the worst typist in class. Everyone is surprised when Dick Richmond (William Holden) hires her for his new secretary. He's actually a bookie running a horse race gambling operation out back and a fake property rental business front. He needs a dumb blonde as the face of his fake business but she starts making the fake operation real.

Lucy is showing off some of her physical humor which would come in handy later on her TV show. She does need to be much dumber. The comedy would work better if she's a complete moron. Ellen should be absolutely a young innocent. One can absolutely see the TV Lucy especially when she turns fake thug. The plot is a bit convoluted but a screwball comedy can do that. This is a great progression into one of the great TV shows of all times.

Who in his right mind would give a secretarial job to Ellen Grant, a woman who doesn't seem to have mastered either typing or shorthand? Leave it to Dick Richmond, a man that wants to use Ellen as a distraction to be his receptionist at his real estate agency that serves as a front for his illegal betting activities that is his real business. Poor Mr. Richmond, he gets more than what he bargained for.

Ellen, who starts as an eager secretary, suddenly decides to help the firm in sponsoring the construction of badly needed housing in the area. This is happening at the 'baby boom' era in America, where the returning sailors and their families couldn't find affordable housing. Ellen, who has a heart of gold, wants to involve Richmond into being the builder. Little does she know she is getting in his way.

Lloyd Bacon directed this mildly funny comedy that showed Lucille Ball's talent as a comedienne, something she would exploit in later years as one of America's best loved funny woman in that new medium of television. William Holden shows he was an excellent comedy actor with the way he portrayed the con man Richmond. Two of the best character actors of the thirties and forties, James Gleason and Frank McHugh are seen as the men working the racket in the Richmond's real estate firm.

Although Lucille Ball was nearing forty at the time she appeared in this film, one tends to forget her contribution to the movies that came before this comedy and before finding fame in that new technology, television.

A small comedy with a nicely paced story about a bookie played by William Holden who tries to hide his operation behind the front of a real estate office that he opens in a medium sized town. He hires a secretary played by Lucille Ball who can't even type. To his consternation, she attracts interested first-time home buyers, WW2 vets and their wives and children. It almost has, at times, the feeling of George Bailey in Capra's IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, building homes for the emerging middle class. Taking us out to the construction site, Lucy is nearly crushed under tons of earth in a rather incredible scene, while Holden and his associates (who are given many funny lines) are reluctantly led by the positive goodness of the buyers into being pioneers in real estate development and early suburban sprawl.

I watched because I am a William Holden fan. Others will watch b/c they are Lucille Ball fans.

They work well together in this harmless comedy. The concept was probably scratched on a diner napkin. Bookie with a fake real estate company hires dimwit secretary. Wacky hijinks ensue.

Throw in veteran support. Include a couple of double entendres along the way. Let Lucy do some physical comedy. And let Bill Holden be his super cool self. And away you go.

A film who, today, could have a basic virtue - to see William Holden, Lucille Ball and James Gleason in a comedy with too many expectations. a student at secretarial school, her unexpected luck, a bookie joint under Realtor appearences, a moral end - confuse, off course, noble message , the importance of the poor people. all - pretext for a nice comedy . not more. and that is the good thing. because it represents the right choice for the public looking for easy old fashion comedies. I am one of small examples - the admiration for the real significant roles of William Holden, I saw this film not ignoring its easy charm. and Lucille Ball is perfect as miss Grant. so, a film for see. especially for the fans of actors.