Ginger Rogers usually has sparkle and ladylike gumshun to spare. Still, in Billy Wilder's "The Major and the Minor", her dry, pithy wit and grounded charm are given a real workout. A woman in her twenties must disguise herself as a preteen in order to pay the child's fare for a train trip. After her secret is discovered by the train's officials, she takes refuge with passenger Ray Milland, who is (fatefully) near-sighted. Parts of the picture work a strident sort of magic, most certainly due to Wilder's adroit pacing, however the star performances do help. Milland is very loose here and, although she eventually begins to wear down one's nerves, Rogers is a straightforward presence on the screen (she connects with the audience in a direct, likable way, as if she were an old friend). Remade in 1955 as "You're Never Too Young". **1/2 from ****
Review of The Major and the Minor
