Pardon My Past

Fred MacMurray and William Demarest, just out of the army, are on their way to Wisconsin to start up a mink farm. Their plans change when Fred is waylaid on the sidewalk by some tough guys who insist he is somebody named Pemberton who owes them lots of money.

The plot starts from there and develops into a wild tale that includes an honest bookie, a crooked uncle, an estranged wife and child, and a long lost twin.

MacMurray and Demarest are both excellent. No one ever expressed sputtering bewilderment or mild-mannered outrage better than Fred MacMurray; and no one but Bill Demarest could be quite so great delivering a line like, "Oh, get back under the house, you termite!" (Barked at Douglass Dumbrille, the wicked uncle.)

The picture also includes fine performance from Harry Davenport as the patriarch ("I'm just the grandpa—the only Pemberton that ever did an honest day's work in three generations!"); Marguerite Chapman as a family secretary who tries to figure MacMurray out; and especially Akim Tamaroff as a bookie with an appreciation for old books and a keen sense of fair play.

Just delightful, especially for those who love great character actors.