George Arliss stars in this film as the owner of Reeves Shoes--one of the giants in the shoe industry. However, upon hearing that his closest rival, he's in a bit of a funk--without this competition, his job is a lot less satisfying! Additionally he's in a funk because his nephew, who is the #2 man at Reeves is a fat-head. The nephew is reasonably competent--but he's also a very conceited jerk who thinks the company's success is all due to him. By chance during his vacation Arliss meets the son and daughter of his deceased competitor and he's not at all pleased. Instead of caring about the business, all they care about is partying. So, on a lark, he assumes control of their company and uses it to battle, anonymously, against his nephew! This way he can teach the two party-goers about the value of hard work and he can teach his nephew some humility.
This is a very clever little comedy about the business world that works well due to a nice script and a lovely performance by Arliss--who just makes the picture glow. While Bette Davis is also in the film, it's an early role for her and she is competent but not much more. Apparently in real life she and Arliss grew very fond of each other and he taught her a lot about the acting craft--which makes sense since he was able to make his performance in this film look so effortless and charming.
By the way, if you like this sweet business comedy, try watching the even better 1941 film "The Devil and Miss Jones". It's also great fun and is one of the best comedies of the 1940s. The two films would make a nice double-feature.
This is a very clever little comedy about the business world that works well due to a nice script and a lovely performance by Arliss--who just makes the picture glow. While Bette Davis is also in the film, it's an early role for her and she is competent but not much more. Apparently in real life she and Arliss grew very fond of each other and he taught her a lot about the acting craft--which makes sense since he was able to make his performance in this film look so effortless and charming.
By the way, if you like this sweet business comedy, try watching the even better 1941 film "The Devil and Miss Jones". It's also great fun and is one of the best comedies of the 1940s. The two films would make a nice double-feature.