For Love or Money

Some of England's favorite actors, including Edmund Gwenn, Robert Donat, and Wendy Barrie, head the cast in this Depression-era comedy written by Arthur Wimperis, who was one of his nation's finest screenwriters for the best part of two decades. The rapid-fire dialogue could be a fatal test for performers but, thankfully, Donat and Barrie display wondrous chemistry with the scenario as well as with each other, and are nicely backed by a talented group, markedly Clifford Heatherley and Lawrence Grossmith. The plot is pleasantly complicated, involving a quixotic business venture, found money, the travails of the formerly wealthy during a financial downturn and, of course, love. Ordering of the film's quickly shifting events is capably managed by director Zoltan Korda.

Whoops! Here's another movie that had three different titles in its day. I'm reviewing it here as "If I Were Rich," which is the title on the DVD I bought. The IMDb listing has it as "For Love of Money," which is probably the title it went under when it was first released in England. But, it also went under the title "Cash," according to the billing here. Why they can't stick with one title, I'll never know.

Well, by whatever name, this is a delicious comedy that has some top British actors of the day – although most of them would not be well known in the States for a time. The big exception, of course, is Edmund Gwenn who was known then and would become very well known in later years for his roles in a number of American-made movies. He won an Oscar for his 1948 role in "Miracle on 34th Street." In this film, Gwenn is riotously funny as a flimflam man, Edmund Gilbert. All of the cast excel in their roles in this film. Robert Donat plays Paul Martin. He also won an Oscar for his later role in "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" (1940).

Donat is another one of those great actors whose life was cut short. He died at age 53 of a chronic asthma attack. Movie buffs will know him from some outstanding films in which he had starring roles. Among them were: "The Count of Monte Cristo" in 1934, "The 39 Steps" in 1935, "The Citadel" in 1938, "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" in 1939, "The Adventures of Tartu" in 1943, "The Magic Box" in 1951, "Lease of Life" in 1954, and "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness" in 1958.

Others have noted the fine roles by the supporting cast in this film. Some of the lines are hilarious. The electric supervisor says to Martin: "Now then, Mr. Upper Class. I'm going to leave you here for a bit while I go out to make a few more calls. I'll meet you around the corner in 10 minutes." Then, looking at Lilian Gilbert, played by Wendy Barrie, he says, "Yes, and not so much of your sex appeal. Oh, she may be Greeta Garbo or Marjoreen Deetrich (sic), but you cut off her lights, you see what I mean?"

Later, Gilbert says to Martin, "You're not going to take that money with you on the street?" Martin replies, "Oh, I can take care of it." Gilbert: "But you might lose it. I say, why not put it in the safe? You can take away the key." Martin: "Suppose I lose the key?" Gilbert: "Well, I've got another." Martin: "No! As a working man to a business man, I prefer to take the money."

This is a very good British comedy. Unfortunately, the film quality is very poor. But don't let that stop you from getting or watching this wonderful film.

A charming tongue-in-cheek fast-paced romp about money, it's manipulation, "value", etc. that is as fresh and funny today as it ever was. This 70 year-old comedy has aged very well, however the video copy I viewed indicated that the film itself could do with some restoration work. None-the-less, I would definitely recommend it as well worth seeing, if you are able to find it on video.

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.

I've given this a high rating not so much due to the film itself, which is a very entertaining and charming comedy, but because every one of the performances in the film is first rate and at least somewhat attention-stealing. You expect this from the stars, Robert Donat, Wendy Barrie and Edmund Gwenn, but not quite from the supporting players, four of whom - Lawrence Grossmith, Clifford Heatherley, Morris Harvey and Hugh E. Wright - make it impossible not to regret the general lack of knowledge most of us have about the plethora of great English character actors that peopled the stage and screen of Great Britain over the last century. These were all important actors in their day (Heatherley had his own acting company for many years and was of considerable importance in the English theater), and one could enjoy the film over and over just for their contributions. However, as good as they are, and as well as Donat and Barrie play together, this is Edmund Gwenn's film, and at least four or five times he had me laughing out loud at his delightful performance as a destitute businessman trying, with the help of Barrie and Donat, to pull the wool over the eyes of some other businessmen in order to get them to invest in his latest scheme. Gwenn, of course, was one of the most lovable actors in creation, and achieved a real measure of fame in the U.S.A. thanks to his performances in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, THE MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET, MR. 880 and THEM, but even though most of those films were comedies, he was not usually funny, nor was he supposed to be, in them; he specialized in warm and lovable elderly types and played them to perfection (although he played an assassin in FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT, where he was anything but warm and lovable!). Before all of this, however, he had been one of G.B. Shaw's favorite actors and had appeared in both the original casts and in revivals of many of the great man's plays. In IF I WERE RICH, however, he has a comedic role that requires an astonishing amount of energy, pointed delivery, slyness and befuddlement, and he acts it to hilarious perfection. If I were to choose only one role to remember Edmund Gwenn by, it would be this one.