A delightful little comedy,
A rich widower tycoon, under iron control of the dictator at home, the governess for the whole family - the father and the daughter. The man (Morgan) has his escapades - nothing romantic, or I will say romantic with respect to the other gender. But the governess, officially only housekeeper, Mrs Kunkel (Edna Mae Oliver) won't let him blink without her permission (nothing romantic here either, she behaves more like a strict and watchful mother).
Naturally the baby inside him wants to break free, and gets the chance when his slogan gets selected as one of the prize-winning slogans, submitted under assumed name (of his own company, but clearly not influenced). The reward is a fortnight in Alps and he grabs at the opportunity with both hands. He takes his butler with him, to avoid Mrs Kunkel's suspicion. But she is smarter than he thought. Again as usual motherly feelings, she ensures that thought incognito, but he is well taken care of at the hotel, by calling the manager and telling that the a millionaire incognito is arriving as a prize winner and the necessary care should be accorded (including a pair of siamese kittens - Morgan's favourite pet). In hotel, since the name wasn't told, not even the assumed name, the first of the two winners to arrive, Fritz Hagedorn (Young) an unemployed man, is mistaken for the millionaire and given all attentions, by hotel as well as a gold-digger, Mrs Irene Mallebre (Astor) - till she identifies the right one from the behaviour of the second winner who was really the millionaire. She arranges to get herself in a compromising position - which would get her the man or a few millions (under breach of promise). Meanwhile, warned by the accompanying Butler, Mrs Kunkel has arrived and with her, with opposite intention, the daughter, to see that her father is allowed to have his fun and Mrs Kunkel doesn't spoil it. The daughter promptly falls in love with the actual pauper. Who for a change, doesn't hide his financials from her, and agrees to fall in love (or express it) only when she too masquerades as a poor, working girl (paid poor relative and companion of rich aunt Mrs Kunkel). Now both the father and daughter are in mess due to their masquerade - one under breach of promise, and other due to lying, pretending to be poor, to get her man. Sorting that out is never much of trouble in stories, but here there had been some innovative ways.
Good screwball comedy, not something too new as a story, (but may be at that time it was a novel one ? ) but that doesn't reduce the enjoyment quotient.
The movie doesn't have any politics, so I am surprised why some of the reviewers have to bring that in here. We may discuss those aspects when the movie itself is political. The background - Austrian - had been kept since the original story was that way, and it tried to remain faithful to it. The story was of 1924 - much before the Nazis had really assumed the power. The writer of the story, by the way, was pacifist - which neither of the warring sides were, and to the credit of Nazis, he had been interrogated, kept under observation, but neither put behind bar, not stopped from moving out of the country - and he always came back to it. Anyway I too shouldn't go into politics, there are movies where that could be taken up during review - both of UFA as well as Hollywood - since both were equally biased and wrong.
