There's a thematic throughline developing through Powell's quote quickies of shiftless men gaining purpose through a woman and becoming valuable members of society through the strength of their ideas. Here, it's really truncated, though. The 60-minute runtime doesn't allow for a lot of room in the storytelling, and Powell dedicates too much time to a supporting cast that don't do much more than take up room. They'd be fine window-dressing, perhaps one could call it world-building, in a 90 minute film with more time to breathe, but the 60-minute runtime requires a more ruthlessly efficient and single-minded approach to the storytelling.
The titular lazybones is Sir Reginald Ford (Ian Hunter), a lay-about lord, leader of the family made up of his siblings, with no ambitions, an inability to get out of bed in the morning due to ennui, and the potential to ask the young American Kitty (Claire Luce) to marry him. It's the seemingly common story of a nearly bankrupt older name and the newer money coming together for, potentially, a marriage of convenience and trade (the title for the cash). Kitty has a former beau from America, Mike (Bernard Nedell), who has come to England on the business of corporate espionage, set to steal government documents from Hildebrand (Michael Shepley), Reginald's brother-in-law. He uses it as an opportunity to try and repair the break with Kitty, and we have our love-triangle.
The problem is all the time spent on the family, including Reginald's two other siblings, Hugh (Denys Blakelock) and Marjory (Mary Gaskell), and a few policemen looking for Mike. They're a source of comic business, which entertains for sure, but it sacrifices our ability to understand that there's actually a possibility that Kitty might go back to Mike. It's either a lack of time to develop things or that she's never going to go to him anyway which undermines the whole effort at dramatic stakes in the film.
The other side of things that never quite feels as robust as it needs to be is the subplot about Kitty's money. She's apparently lost it all (though we never get a reason, just a line about bad investments which is good enough), leaving her with only the pub she bought near the Ford house as her only possession. She tells Reginald about it directly. He believes her. His siblings tell him that it's only a ruse to test his loyalty to her. They get married. She finds out that his family told him it was a ruse, and she instantly tries to break it off with him because he stammers a bit. It's sitcom-level writing that doesn't make the most sense. Perhaps if Powell had sold the idea that he really did believe that it was a ruse, but there's no time for that when light comic business with side characters is necessary.
The actual plot of the film that dominates the final half is the stealing of the government documents by Mike, his hiding it with Kitty, and then Kitty disappearing because she's mad at Reginald. This coincides with Reginald's self-actualization and need for work, so he makes the house a cash cow in an interesting and fun little way.
And that's kind of the thrust of the film: a plot that never really connects with characters that never quite gel, but there are amusing comic bits throughout. There's a tug of war between Mike and the chief inspector on his tail, Kemp (Bobbie Comber), including the dropping of flower vases near the policeman. Even Kitty's nanny/friend, Bridget (Sara Allgood) gets a few moments along those lines. There's the pair of drinkers who show up to the pub right at opening time to down a pair of beer and leave. There's the whole ending where Reginald puts a twist on the whole working and class thing that's honestly quite fun.
It's just that little actually connects narratively. It's obvious that Powell was working very quickly, but this script by Gerard Fairlie based on a play by Ernest Denny needed more of what it already had to bridge the narrative points more effectively. The story is lacking, but the moments are nice.
