Mademoiselle a disparu

"Maid's Night Out" is a film that is quite enjoyable...but also understand that it's also sometimes quite stupid...mostly at the end. I am not necessarily saying to avoid the picture...just lower your expectations and enjoy...or not.

Bill (Allen 'Rocky' Lane) is the son of a rich dairy owner...and he's quite spoiled. The father thinks he's so spoiled he isn't good for much of anything. But Bill wants to prove something to his dad and makes him a bet that he can work the lowest job at the company, a milk delivery man, and not screw up in the least.

During the process of this bet, Bill meets Sheila (Joan Fontaine). And, since he's dressed as a milkman and she appears to be a servant, both thinks that they are dating a poor working class person. Imagine their surprise when they learn the truth.

So far, so good. However...the ending! The police arrest Bill for no reason in particular...other than he broke into Sheila's home by climbing in an upstairs window with his ladder! How this later came to have folks think Bill KIDNAPPED her is beyond me...and so much of what the pair do next makes perfect sense...if you have had a traumatic brain injury! It's a mess...plain and simple and I had to force myself not to turn it off when Sheila started tossing milk bottles at cops! Huh???

Joan Fontaine stars in this short, undemanding little film about a society girl confused for a maidservant. I saw this years ago, when AMC was showing movies with no commercials in the early 1990s. A long time ago! And, I used to see it over and over, as it is a very lightweight, cheery, clever in parts crowd pleaser. Her Lothario is Allan "Rocky" Lane before his western film claim to fame. He comes from a rich and respected family, but is spending his time "playing with guppies," as his father says. He is interested in going on a fishing expedition to the South Seas, but can't find a backer. When his dad caught him sneaking out and wanting to "borrow" his father's boat, his dad bets him that if he works 30 days in the family business, Arlen Dairy, as a door-to-door milkman and doesn't make a single mistake, he would finally acquiesce to financing this dream of his. Costarring Billy Gilbert, Cecil Kellaway, Jack Carson (in a bit part), and Hollywood columnist Hedda Hopper as Joan's mother, this is a good programmer to while away the hour with. And, with clever quips like, (when Hedda complains about paying these outrageous bills) Joan replies "We could try living within our income. "Living within our income! I never heard of such a thing," Hedda says. So sit back with Rocky Lane and Joan Fontaine for a ride on a milk truck that gets sillier by the minute.

I agree with the other reviews on the funny and screwball nature of the film. This genre must never be compared to the gutter-realism of today's movies. I can't help but watch old movies as a piece of living history, comparing the "then" to the "now" . I recognized the old Los Angeles neighborhood filled with 2-bedroom plaster houses that were either Tudor or Spanish - they are still there and the same homes are now worth over a million dollars; except that the streets are no longer so pristine clean. My husband, who immigrated in the late 1960s, said his first "culture shock" was how clean and orderly American cities were, and when I see this movie, I kind of begin to see what he is referring to. People today are not so attuned to one another, nor so meticulous in their grooming. It was somewhat painful to see Greek and Russian immigrants be the focus of Hollywood humor, which hasn't changed; Hollywood still aims to entertain by targeting certain types. Joan Fontaine is amazing. The smile never leaves her face, yet she subtly conveys a spectrum of emotions. She is a delight. The simple, clean optimism of this film is a pure delight. It also is a reminder of what we have lost.

Fish-loving college graduate Allan Lane (as Bill Norman) agrees to become a lowly milkman for 30 days, so his millionaire father will believe him worthy of a proposed six-month tropical expedition, aboard the family yacht. So, Mr. Lane begins enthusiastically delivering "Arlen Milk". On his route, he meets pretty débutante Joan Fontaine (as Sheila Harrison), whom he mistakes for her family's maid. Ms. Fontaine's family has fallen on hard times; and, they want her to marry wealthy stuffed-shirt William Brisbane (as Wally Martin). But, Fontaine would rather hook up with Lane the "milkman"; and, he has fallen in love with Fontaine the "maid".

Lane, the future voice of "Mr. Ed", and Fontaine make a charming pair of 1930s "screwball comedy" "milkmen". There are a few cute moments, and the film's supporting cast is strong. Cecil Kellaway (as Geoffrey) and Hilda Vaughn (as Mary) are, of course, excellent, as the actual pair's servants. Mr. Brisbane has a great part; and, he gets to sing. The story is mostly fair, with a few good moments. Fontaine's milk truck attack on the runaway couple's pursuers shouldn't be missed. The ending "double take" of kisses ends the film on a sweet note.

***** Maid's Night Out (1938) Ben Holmes ~ Allan Lane, Joan Fontaine, William Brisbane

This is a bit of comic fluff that is mostly notable as a a very early starring vehicle for Joan Fontaine. She is cute, but quite mannered, especially when the script calls for her to laugh. The plot concerns a milk magnate's son who is studying to be an ichthyologist and who agrees to drive a milk truck for daddy's company for one month on a bet. He meets up with socialite Joan whom he mistakes for a domestic and much silliness ensues. Future cowboy star Allan Lane is charming as the fish student cum milkman and Hedda Hopper is good for a few laughs as Joan's ditsy mother. Of course Joan and Allan hate each other on sight, but things progress as one would expect in a 'B' romantic comedy of this period.

Look for Jack Carson in an uncredited bit part as a roller coaster attendant, and Lee Patrick as a lady who is ready to kiss any milkman who appears at her kitchen door. (The small part of Allan's cousin is played by an actress named Vicki Lester, which of course is the stage name of the heroine of "A Star Is Born," which came out the previous year. Since her credits only begin in 1937, I'm guessing she took her name from the movie.)