A Successful Calamity

When a rich financier fears that his wife & children take him for granted, he arranges A SUCCESSFUL CALAMITY to make them believe he's lost all his money.

George Arliss, the 1930's preeminent character actor, is perfectly cast in this bit of dramatic fluff. With the lift of a sardonic eyebrow, or the twitch of an elegant finger, he is able to convey volumes of personality & emotion. Listen to how he pronounces the single word `poor' - turning it into two syllables layered with nuance - to get an idea of the quality of stagecraft at work here. It is to Hollywood's discredit that Arliss' contributions to American cinema have been in eclipse for decades.

The rest of the cast- Mary Astor as Arliss' society wife; William Janney & Evalyn Knapp as his preoccupied children; Hardie Albright as a social twit; Grant Mitchell as Arliss' faithful butler; Hale Hamilton as his business manager; Helena Phillips as a frantic cook; and Randolph Scott as a polo captain - do very well with their roles. But it is George Arliss that captures and holds the attention of the grateful viewer.