Sad to say that I had to deal with poor sound and botched edited version of For Love Or Money. Otherwise I might have rated this British Depression Era comedy a bit higher.
Before his first international exposure Robert Donat was in three quota quickies which was the British term for B picture. The last of them was this one where he plays a formerly prosperous person now reduced to a job with the London utilities getting people to cough up their electric bills or be turned off. Donat turns other people's electricity off to keep his on.
One fine day on the London underground a fleeing crook drops on him a newspaper filled bank notes in American currency totaling $100,000.00 while he's on the way to turn off Edmund Gwenn's life. Gwenn is an old robber baron type temporarily between fortunes and meeting some investors tonight. It won't due to have the lights off when you're trying to put up a front entertaining guests.
Gwenn and his beautiful daughter Wendy Barrie persuade Donat not to cut off the electric and then when his suddenly acquired fortune is discovered there's a bigger need. I can't say more, but you might keep the later Gregory Peck film made in the United Kingdom Man With A Million in mind. Nothing attracts money more than money and seeing it in cash up close and personal loosens many a purse string.
Still that's hardly the end and there's a kicker in this film that really gives it a last minute oomph.
This film could use some restoration and I'll bet those lost several minutes of this slightly over an hour version I saw.
