Beg, Borrow or Steal

Pre -world war II film (for the U.S., anyway). Frank Morgan made a bunch of fun, light, caper films in the 1930s and 1940s; this one was just a couple years before The Wizard! When a young couple gets married, they end up taking up her dad's offer to hold the wedding at his fancy chateau in europe. the only trouble is, dad doesn't HAVE a chateau. and is quite the fraud. with the guests on the way, he needs to find a chateau pronto! it turns out Dad is only lying when his mouth is open. the more he talks, the deeper the trouble. the kids' marriage itself is secondary to Dad's antics. a typical Frank Morgan adventure. perfect training for playing the Wizard of Oz! come along for the wild ride. he gets everyone into trouble... can he get them back out? Directed by Bill Thiele. had started in germany but had to leave with hitler coming to power. in the US, he was a proponent of Dorothy Lamour, who was a huge hit, and she made a bunch of films with Bob and Bing! good silly fun, if you go along for the ride.

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.

Just a few years later, the basic plot elements from BEG, BORROW OR STEAL were re-worked into THE WILD MAN OF BORNEO--and both starred Frank Morgan. However, of the two, BEG, BORROW OR STEAL is a far superior film due mostly to the great ensemble cast as well as its charm. BORNEO, by contrast, was a stale recycled idea and the film limped along solely on the power of Frank Morgan's acting--and it was not nearly enough to make the picture worth seeing.

So why is this a film good enough to earn a score of 7? Well, I already mentioned the cast. Morgan's character in both films is a bit of a scoundrel but this time he's accompanied by a group of five friends who are also crooks but exude charm. Later in the film, E. E. Clive makes a wonderful appearance and practically steals the show due to his funny delivery and great lines. This means that the entire production does NOT rest on Morgan's shoulders but is more of a group effort. Plus, the supporting actors are funny, whereas in BORNEO, they are at times pretty annoying. In addition to the acting, the music, direction and setting all work together to give the film a much needed infusion of charm and romance.

In many ways, this film also reminds me of some of W. C. Fields' films--ones where he is a bit of a rogue but by the end, everything works together to bring him a happy ending. A cute and enjoyable film from start to finish.

The main reason to see this film is the familiar supporting cast.We have Reginald Denny,Vladimir Sokoloff,E.E.Clive,Erik Rhodes and Herman Bing to name but a few.When they are on screen this film lights up.When they are off you just have to sit through a film which is rather to familiar in the clichés that it employs.These actors typify the Golden Age of Hollywood.It is just a great shame that their like no longer seem to exist,or if they do they do not appear in films.Frank Morgan gives his usual stylish performance.The juve leads are typical of the era and eminently forgettable.Worth a look if the supporting cast interest you.

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.