Soubrette

To say the word, "it," all by itself in French, is "Il." But, "Say It in French" is one screwball comedy. This isn't among the best of that small subset of comedy films, but it is funny and very wacky in places. If one isn't too insistent on screenwriters just getting the right question or answer in a scene or two to clear up the confusion, it's much easier to enjoy the screwiness of this film. One of the last scenes with all the Carrington clan (save Julie) and Auriol Marsden discombobulated is an example. It's also a very good look at two members of the cast - the leads.

This is the only pairing of Ray Milland (Richard Carrington, Jr.) and Olympe Bradna (Julie). They have excellent chemistry and provide much of the comedy. But the supporting cast contribute as well. Especially Walter Kingsford as Hopkins, Janet Beecher as Mrs. Carrington, Irene Hervey as Auriol Marsden and Erik Rhodes as Irving. Toward the very end, one of the craziest road scenarios in all filmdom occurs. Hurrying to get to the docks before Julie leaves on the Queen Mary, Rick and Auriol's taxi comes to a halt in a traffic jam. They see a boy (Billy Benedict) weaving between cars in a motorized soap box car and for 50 bucks he takes them on a hair-raising ride with, no brakes, dodging and missing cars at intersections, and smashing to a halt against a cab right at the docks.

Rick's dad owns a ship-building company and Rick is just returning from an international golf tournament in France where he finished second. His new, young French wife is with him. Before he can introduce Julie to his parents, Rick learns that his dad is about broke and can only be saved by getting an upcoming contract. In the meantime, it would help his finances if Rick were to marry his childhood girlfriend, Auriol. Julie is mistaken by their butler, Hopkins, as the new maid. From there on plenty of humor develops. There are a couple more wrenches in this madcap film, but some very good humor surrounds Rick getting caught by Hopkins in the maid's quarters. The other maid says she heard snoring coming from that room at night, and later Rick says if anyone is ever heard snoring, it would have to be his dad, Richard Sr. That really gets a raised eyebrow from Hopkins.

With some more work on the screenplay, to get around a couple of holes and better handle the mass confusion among the family toward the end, this could be a superb comedy. It's still very good and besides screwball, it fits in another sub-group of butler and maid comedies. Now, as to Milland and Bradna in the lead roles.

This was just Bradna's 8th film and first comedy lead. The very talented starlet was raised in a performing family. Her father had been a circus rider and then ringmaster with Ringling Brothers Circus. She was born in a vaudeville theater in Paris, France where her parents were performing at the time. At an early age she learned acrobatics, dancing, and singing. She was discovered by Paramount when she was singing and dancing at a French casino in New York. She had four more lead roles after this film, but in 1941, having made a total of 13 films, she gave up acting entirely. She married Douglas Wood Wilholt Sr., of Santa Barbara, California. They had three children and were active in civic affairs and charities. Bradna's only marriage is one of the longest of anyone in Hollywood - 70 years, ending in February 2012 with the death of her husband. She died a few months later, on Nov. 5, at age 92.

Ray Milland, on the other hand, had been around a decade, and had but a few leading roles before this, his 30th film. This was just his second comedy lead and helped prove his penchant for comedy. His star would rise for good within a couple of years - in both comedy and drama. Milland was born Reginald Alfred Jones in 1907 in Wales. He had a well-to-do upbringing and became an expert equestrian and very adept at shooting, fencing and boxing. That he became an actor at all was a fluke. But once he did and after some good years in a variety of roles, he became a leading actor for three decades. Milland won the Oscar for best actor in the 1946 drama, "The Lost Weekend." He stayed with acting all the rest of his life and made 175 movies and TV shows. He died in 1986 at age 79. He too had just one marriage that lasted a long time - 53 years. He and wife Muriel Weber raised two children.

Another very funny scene is when Rick's mom and sister, who can't speak French, ask Rick to say something to their new French maid, Julie. He and Julie get into an argument in French as the two befuddled women look on. And, yet another, is Rick's going to the laundromat with Julie. As he hangs up a couple pieces of women's underwear, two old ladies who are ironing laugh. Then when Rick leaves and gives his funny Indian imitation sign to Julie, the old gals laugh and laugh, while one's unattended iron burns through the clothing that catches fire.

Here are some favorite lines.

Richard Carrington, "I am not in love with you." Auriol Marsden, "Oh, well, I guessed that. But I love you enough to overlook it."

Richard, "Is his name Irving?" Auriol, "Yes, that's why I call him Irving."

Auriol , "You see how it is. But father's after him with a razor, and I don't mean a safety razor."

Waiter (Max Barwyn, uncredited), "Pardon me... " Auriol , "Oh, did I interrupt you?" Waiter, "No, I interrupted you." Auriol, "Oh, I'm so sorry."

International sportsman Ray Milland returns home to New York, eager to introduce his family to Olympe Bradne, whom he has just married secretly. However, his father's shipbuilding business is nearly bankrupt, as is the family. If Milland's engagement to socialite Irene Hervey can be seen to be ongoing, the creditors can be held off long enough for good old dad to get a contract from William Collier Sr. In the meantime, Miss Bradne winds up as a ladies' maid to Milland's mother, because that's the story, and they're sticking to it.

Andrew Stone directed this French farce for Paramount, on his way to becoming a successful auteur. It doesn't work very well. Only a scene in which Milliand and miss Hervey are trying to talk Collier into a contract is funny, and it's very funny. Otherwise, it's all rather mechanical in its operation; good French farce should run like clockwork, but this one seems to be largely concerned with getting its plot to work. Some very fine farceurs are wasted, including Erik Rhodes -- no accent!

It culminates in a high-speed chase in a motorized soapbox cart, but the whole film zooms along so speedily, it clocks in at just 70 minutes - seesawing merrily between chaos and common sense. When pro golfer Ray Milland, fresh off a European tour, brings home a French bride (Olympe Bradna), his plans to introduce her to his family are forestalled by their impending financial ruin; while they implore him to marry his rich ex-girlfriend, Bradna finds herself mistaken for the new maid. The bare bones of the plot (adapted from Jacques Deval's play 'Soubrette') sound tedious, but director Andrew L. Stone's execution is not. His anarchic spirit occasionally calls to mind Paramount Pre-Code classics like 'Million Dollar Legs' and 'Monkey Business'; good lines and clever bits fly by so fast that you're still catching them the second and third times through. The extensive location shooting means that every scene feels populated, whether Milland is in Central Park fending off his faux fiancée's advances, or at the Rainbow Room watching her down a platter of shot drinks in response to news of his marriage. No one is allowed to scheme or shame themselves without hordes of onlookers; the screen is filled with bit players whose faces and reactions register. The film is unusually explicit (Milland sleeps with his new bride in her quarters, in a single bed), and the lovers are uncommonly practical, coming clean about their secret marriage whenever they feel it would be absurd to continue the charade. But their candor only contributes to the confusion. Milland - in only his second top-billed role - earns his star status; his energy seems boundless, his commitment unquestioning. (He's a particular marvel making a lengthy exit from a restaurant with an unconscious lady slung over his shoulder.)