In order to become the richest girl in America, a heiress must marry in haste.In order to become the richest girl in America, a heiress must marry in haste.In order to become the richest girl in America, a heiress must marry in haste.
Photos
Jack Albertson
- Reporter
- (unconfirmed)
Eddie Acuff
- Gas Station Attendant
- (uncredited)
Joseph E. Bernard
- Man Watering Lawn
- (uncredited)
Stanley Blystone
- Police Radio Announcer
- (uncredited)
Hal Craig
- Cop with Summons
- (uncredited)
Ralph Dunn
- Kennel Guard
- (uncredited)
Dick Elliott
- Henry
- (uncredited)
Billy Franey
- Hobo Witness at End
- (uncredited)
Gus Glassmire
- Man
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis is the first feature film in which Lucille Ball received top billing. In less than 20 years she would own RKO, the studio that made this picture.
- GoofsAlthough a good portion of the film takes place driving between New York City and Reno, Nevada, a lot of the time they are obviously driving through the extensive orange groves of southern California.
- Quotes
Anthony Joseph 'Tony' Anthony: I guess ham just brings out the poetry in me. In some people poetry brings out the ham.
- SoundtracksThe Bonnie Banks O' Loch Lomond
(ca 1745) (uncredited)
Lyrics by Robert Burns
Hummed, whistled and sung by James Ellison with modified lyrics
Featured review
This odd little movie sets out to prove that any white American male, randomly selected off the street, can easily outsmart a team consisting of a foreigner, a woman and a black person.
Lucille Ball's recently-deceased father insists, in his will, that she must marry a "plain American" to inherit his fortune. So she offers money to various "plain American" men on the street in return for agreeing to marry her, and finally one accepts. After she marries the man, Ball sets off for Reno in the company of the foreign husband she really wants to marry and her black "yowza, ma'am" chauffeur, to get a divorce and collect her father's inheritance. But our smug and somewhat smarmy "plain American" blocks her at every turn, which includes forcibly putting her over his shoulder and kidnapping her, soaking her with a hose, and locking her in a trailer while driving recklessly through rough terrain, until she flees in panic and is nearly raped by two passers-by. Yeah, quite a laugh riot, all right.
But on the plus side, being saved from a near-rape seems to cause Lucille Ball to fall in love with the "plain American." So there you go.
The phrase "mighty white of you" makes its appearance just minutes into the film, and a string of "yowzas" emerge from the black guy a little bit later. While I promise you I'm in no way a member of the Politically Correct squad, the whole movie made me cringe, and really prevented any enjoyment I may have gotten from it. Were things that much different in 1938? Maybe so, but I'm glad we've moved to where we are now.
Lucille Ball's recently-deceased father insists, in his will, that she must marry a "plain American" to inherit his fortune. So she offers money to various "plain American" men on the street in return for agreeing to marry her, and finally one accepts. After she marries the man, Ball sets off for Reno in the company of the foreign husband she really wants to marry and her black "yowza, ma'am" chauffeur, to get a divorce and collect her father's inheritance. But our smug and somewhat smarmy "plain American" blocks her at every turn, which includes forcibly putting her over his shoulder and kidnapping her, soaking her with a hose, and locking her in a trailer while driving recklessly through rough terrain, until she flees in panic and is nearly raped by two passers-by. Yeah, quite a laugh riot, all right.
But on the plus side, being saved from a near-rape seems to cause Lucille Ball to fall in love with the "plain American." So there you go.
The phrase "mighty white of you" makes its appearance just minutes into the film, and a string of "yowzas" emerge from the black guy a little bit later. While I promise you I'm in no way a member of the Politically Correct squad, the whole movie made me cringe, and really prevented any enjoyment I may have gotten from it. Were things that much different in 1938? Maybe so, but I'm glad we've moved to where we are now.
Details
- Runtime1 hour 5 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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