Gosse de riche

This light-hearted, lightweight comedy is also a romance, since the story revolves around the (far-fetched) falling in love of two main characters.

But the film's significance orbits Sydney Greenstreet's portrayal of J.P. Alden, an automobile magnate who has moved to sunny Pasadena and now follows the orders of his doctor, his wife and his daughter--who are concerned for his health. He is cantankerous and bored. He longs for the old days, when he could eat whatever he preferred and he could work on cars.

After a series of coincidences and Alden's assumption of a false identity, he finds a way to assuage his cravings. Soon he is smiling again and ditching the pharmaceuticals. There's a solid message here for those who lose sight of their heart's desires.

It's nice to see Greenstreet in a comedy. And there are some notable appearances by recognizable character actors, notably Ian Wolfe as L. B. Crandall, Alden's personal attorney.

The mating dance between boy and girl is fairly routine (no surprises), but the real joy of this film is watching Sydney's character blossom and learn to self-actualize again.

It seems reviewers look for the major stars and the big laughs -- and if they don't find them, relegate a film to 'B' status. This film has no leading man/leading woman who was a glamour aficionado, but it doesn't need one. The strength of this film lies in the plot, the solid acting by the principals, and the powerful entertainment value the film provides to the audience.

I saw this film for the first time last night and was dumbstruck by how good it was. Rather than downloading current movies to my DVR and being surprised by how bad they were and then deleting them, when watching "That Way With Women" I was thoroughly entertained. This is another classic movie that is not well known today -- perhaps because it was not an MGM property, or perhaps it wasn't distributed well at the time to get publicity. Who knows? But I do know this is a gem and it would be well worth your time to watch and enjoy this classic from 1947.

This post-war remake of the George Arliss comedy, THE MILLIONAIRE, tries to do a little too much with a little too by-the-numbers story and, as a result, doesn't give the audience much in the way of laughs. To the basic plot of Greenstreet being a retired magnate who buys a garage in partnership with Dane Clark in order to have something to do, is added daughter Martha Vickers' boyfriend, a hood running a protection racket. This gives Miss Vickers more to do than wait for her scenes with Greenstreet and Clark. However, while they increase the screen time, and makes the plot a bit more interesting -- well, who needs much of a plot in a well-performed comedy?

And that's where this movie fails to shine. Greenstreet is fine in his role -- although I do prefer Arliss' lazy slyness in the role -- but neither Clark nor Vickers seem to have anything in the way of comedy chops. Only Alan Hale manages any laughs in his brief scenes. A waste of time.

James P. Alden (Sydney Greenstreet) is a frustrated auto tycoon. He has been forced to retire by his family and his doctor. They moved to an estate in California from his Detroit factory. His daughter Marcia (Martha Vickers) is throwing a society party. Greg Wilson (Dane Clark) is a working man attending the party and won't stop complaining about the social ills of the rich which annoys Marcia to no end. She is pursued by the dashing Carter Andrews (Craig Stevens). Mr. Alden decides to buy a gas station in secret just to get back to work. It turns out to be only half of a gas station as he becomes a partner with Greg Wilson. Greg reveals his hatred of the Aldens and Mr. Alden quickly lies about his identity.

It's a fun comedy which surprised me a little. I like the sitcom misunderstandings and I love Greenstreet in the role. The two younger leads could be better but they are functional enough. They could improve if they have more time together. Even the short manufactured time at the ball game is enough for them to build chemistry. It's a fun comedy and I actual laughed during the fight. I love the bit where she calls out the guys' names. This seems to be another version based on the same Saturday Evening Post story. I wouldn't mind another one for the modern times.

The usual romance story, with a couple different subplots going on. You have the man vs. female misunderstandings and high-society dame vs. the common man battles, with racketeers and the police sniffing around. Stars Dane Clark and Martha Vickers, who had both been making films for a couple years. Also has big names Sydney Greenstreet with his usual, famous guffaw and Alan Hale, who was in almost every single movie made in the 1930s and 1940s. The story is a bit convoluted, which is probably why they don't show it very often. It's pleasant enough to watch, but they do everything except take a rocket to the moon. The best role in this must have been the costume designer Leah Rhodes, who has Martha Vickers dolled up in exquisite dresses and hats throughout. Rhodes won the 1950 Oscar for costumes in Don Juan, a couple years after this one. Directed by Fred DeCordova, who also produced and directed Johnny Carson all those years.