User reviews

Multi-millionaire soap industrialist Frank Morgan (as Rudolph Tobler) holds a slogan contest for his company, with the winner and runner-up prizes awarded a two week vacation at his ritzy Palace hotel in the Swiss Alps. Unbeknownst to all, Mr. Morgan has entered his own contest under the name "Edward Schultz" and come in second place. First place winner is Robert Young (as Fritz Hagedorn), an unemployed American in Vienna who is several months behind in his rent payments. Morgan decides to go on the vacation and see how poor people live. Concerned about her eccentric boss receiving less than spectacular service, his possessive housekeeper Edna May Oliver (as Mrs. Kunkel) calls to let the hotel staff know Morgan is arriving incognito...

Due to a mix-up, the staff thinks Mr. Young is the soap tycoon. Both men attract attention from fortune-hunting divorcée Mary Astor (as Irene Mallebre). Long-time MGM editor-turned-producer Sam Zimbalist scores a real winner with this comedy. It started with the common "rich/poor" switcheroo, given a good treatment by successful story-teller Erich Kastner. Hollywood writers added some fine lines for the marvelous cast. The skiing segments reveal a less than spectacular budget, but these type of silly skiing scenes were common, at the time. Under the circumstances, not having Edna May Oliver mug and take a tumble on the Alps would have been filmmaking blasphemy. Everything is skillfully managed by director Edward Buzzell.

******** Paradise for Three (2/15/38) Edward Buzzell ~ Frank Morgan, Robert Young, Mary Astor, Edna May Oliver

Of all the innumerable B movies churned out by MGM to fill the lower half of a double bill it was inevitable that every once in a while one would jell into an mini classic. Paradise for Three is one of those happy accidents.

The story of hidden identities and crossed signals played for laughs certainly wasn't new even in 1938 but director Buzzell moves things along at breakneck speed and is fortunate to have the cast filled out with some of the best character actors working at that time.

The nominal leads are Robert Young and Florence Rice and while Young is his usual polished, amusing self and Rice is pretty and game they aren't really the engine that makes the movie run. That falls to the main trio of supporting players, Mary Astor, Edna May Oliver and especially the delightfully wacky Frank Morgan.

Astor is all sly cunning as a gold digger with an amazing wardrobe and Edna May grumbles and fusses as only she can enduring hilarious indignities along the way. But it is Morgan and his dithery befuddlement and kindly manner who steals the picture. The blending together of all their terrific work manages to take the ordinary material and add an extra punch to it that makes it laugh out loud funny in several spots and an undiscovered gem.

The Tobler Soap Company has sponsored a slogan contest that an unemployed young man (Robert Young) wins and the owner of the company (Frank Morgan) places second (!). They both win a two weeks vacation at a fancy resort in the Alps. For the trip Morgan's Rudolph Tobler decides to go incognito and uses the name he won the contest under – Edward Schultz. The movie revolves around mistaken identities – who is rich and who is poor. The snobby hotel head staff (the wonderful Herman Bing and Sig Ruman) and the gold digging Astor character think Young is wealthy and Schultz poor. In the hopes that he will leave the hotel, Bing and Ruman give Schultz not a guest room but the crummiest little room in the hotel. To spice things up, Astor finds out that it is Schultz who is wealthy, Schultz (i.e., Tobler's) daughter (Florence Rice) shows up and immediately falls for Young, and along with her comes Tobler's long time – and nagging – housekeeper played by Edna Mae Oliver. The cast – especially Edna Mae Oliver and Frank Morgan make this movie a delight. It was also fun to see Jack Norton playing yet another drunk – this time at a water fountain. Talk about being typecast! And what an impressive (and somewhat sad) list of uncredited actors – Gustav von Seyffertitz, and Anna Q Nilsson for heaven's sake. Except for the crummy skiing scenes, this movie is a joy to see.

I read the original novel "Drei MŠnner I'm Schnee" many years ago when I was an undergrad at my university and thought at the time it would make a fun movie. To my great delight I watched "Paradise for Three" not knowing it was adapted from that book and was more than pleased when I recognized the story. Frank Morgan was always one of my favorite actors, Robt Young was at his youthful and handsome best and Ms Rice was, as could only be expected, exceptionally beautiful as Tobler's daughter. The manager and butler at the hotel were classic and hilarious -- a more appropriate cast would have been difficult to assemble.

I doubt if today's youth would appreciate such a movie, but those of us who like the old ones definitely would. What a shame to realize that the setting was Vienna in 1938, a city destined to be overrun by Hitler's hordes and its society shattered within 2 years.

MGM certainly used a low budget to make PARADISE FOR THREE, and it shows when it comes to the outdoor winter scenes supposedly taking place on ski slopes at an Alpine resort. The use of process photography for all those mountain tops covered with snow is obvious.

Nor did they use a top cast but the results are splendid nevertheless.

An up and coming Robert Young has the star role of a contest winner who is mistakenly thought to be a millionaire by Herman Bing and Sig Rumann when he arrives at his destination at a swank hotel. He immediately attracts the attention of Mary Astor, hard on her luck as far as money is concerned and looking for an easy catch.

But the fun begins when Frank Morgan decides to check on how the hotel treats the lower class and finds himself mistaken for a mere contest winner without money. The pretty blond Florence Rice plays his daughter who naturally falls in love with penniless Robert Young, who doesn't know she's a rich girl until the final reel.

It's predictable and silly, with great support from Edna May Oliver as Morgan's housekeeper of thirty years who joins the group at the hotel to look out for Morgan's health and keeps an eye on his "woman trouble" with Astor. She makes the most of an amusing role in true Edna May Oliver fashion.

This is one that's little known today. To put it in context, it probably played the lower half of bills in the "double feature" days which is why I call it a programmer. I wouldn't be surprised if it's one of those B-films that surprised audiences by being more entertaining than the main feature, which happened occasionally.

This is sort of the reverse of the sublime, and rarely shown "Easy Living." In that, working girl Jean Arthur is treated to life as a rich person. Here, tycoon Frank Morgan masquerades as an average Joe.

The cast could (with the exception of Robert Young, though he is OK here) scarcely be improved on. Mary Astor graces anything in which she appears. She was one of the true greats. Edna May Oliver, Frank Morgan, Herman Bing … They're all fine and here work well as an ensemble.

The title is a bit misleading. It sounds racy and, though there are some faux naughty scenes involving devious divorcée Astor, it is good clean fun. I wonder who actually are the three?

Nevertheless, it's a charmer: not a great movie but a highly appealing one.

Set in the absolute seat of anti-Semitism and after Austria was annexed by Germany comes this little light comedy, "Paradise for Three" starring Robert Young, Frank Morgan, Mary Astor, Edna May Oliver, Henry Hull, Reginald Owen, and Florence Rice.

Many, many classic films are set in European locations, even though for years, they were done on Hollywood sets for the most part. Was it because of the European market? To give the films an exotic feel? Even if the film were adapted from a foreign book, a studio could still set it in the U.S. But no, it was always Switzerland, Austria, Germany, France, etc.

Why would anyone set a film in Vienna in 1938? No idea, except that Hollywood (and I guess the U.S.) ignored what was going on in Europe for several years. Even when it was acknowledged, studios were careful in their films not to state that people were Jewish (in the Mortal Storm they were non-Aryans) or talk about the Nazis (in the Mortal Storm they showed swastikas but never used the word Nazi), at least at first.

Robert Young is Fritz Hagedorn, a constant contest winner (26 in all) who wins the Tobler Soap motto competition. In second place, unknown to anyone, is the big guy himself, Rudolph Tobler (Frank Morgan). The prize for both is a ski vacation in the Alps, which Tobler takes under an assumed name and brings his butler (Owen) along as an associate.

The hotel is ready to lay out the red carpet for Tobler because his housekeeper (Oliver) has called to say the contest winner is a wealthy gentleman is arriving and has to have the best of everything. She has to hang up before she can give his fake name, so when Fritz arrives, he gets a suite and all the perks. When Tobler arrives, they take him for a bum and throw him up in a freezing cold attic room.

Believing Fritz to be the rich one, Mary Astor sets her eyes on him and makes a play. While in the hotel room with Fritz and Tobler, Fritz opens some brandy. When Tobler tastes it and identifies it by name, as a very expensive brandy, she realizes she's got the wrong guy. So she changes lanes.

Fritz meanwhile is falling for Tobler's daughter (Rice). She tells him that she's poor, knowing he doesn't want to marry out of his class.

Very funny film with some wonderful character acting from the hotel people (Hull, Herman Bing, Sig Ruman), a great dishwashing scene, Tobler being introduced to the features of his hotel room (broken window in the middle of window, ice in the sink, rock hard mattress), and Edna May Oliver skiing. By the way, she was 55 at the time of this filming and died at 59.

The acting from the rest of the cast is delightful. I guess Hollywood least of anywhere cared what was going on in the rest of the world. Just put in a few yodelers, show some mountains, and that's it.

A delightful little comedy, A rich widower tycoon, under iron control of the dictator at home, the governess for the whole family - the father and the daughter. The man (Morgan) has his escapades - nothing romantic, or I will say romantic with respect to the other gender. But the governess, officially only housekeeper, Mrs Kunkel (Edna Mae Oliver) won't let him blink without her permission (nothing romantic here either, she behaves more like a strict and watchful mother). Naturally the baby inside him wants to break free, and gets the chance when his slogan gets selected as one of the prize-winning slogans, submitted under assumed name (of his own company, but clearly not influenced). The reward is a fortnight in Alps and he grabs at the opportunity with both hands. He takes his butler with him, to avoid Mrs Kunkel's suspicion. But she is smarter than he thought. Again as usual motherly feelings, she ensures that thought incognito, but he is well taken care of at the hotel, by calling the manager and telling that the a millionaire incognito is arriving as a prize winner and the necessary care should be accorded (including a pair of siamese kittens - Morgan's favourite pet). In hotel, since the name wasn't told, not even the assumed name, the first of the two winners to arrive, Fritz Hagedorn (Young) an unemployed man, is mistaken for the millionaire and given all attentions, by hotel as well as a gold-digger, Mrs Irene Mallebre (Astor) - till she identifies the right one from the behaviour of the second winner who was really the millionaire. She arranges to get herself in a compromising position - which would get her the man or a few millions (under breach of promise). Meanwhile, warned by the accompanying Butler, Mrs Kunkel has arrived and with her, with opposite intention, the daughter, to see that her father is allowed to have his fun and Mrs Kunkel doesn't spoil it. The daughter promptly falls in love with the actual pauper. Who for a change, doesn't hide his financials from her, and agrees to fall in love (or express it) only when she too masquerades as a poor, working girl (paid poor relative and companion of rich aunt Mrs Kunkel). Now both the father and daughter are in mess due to their masquerade - one under breach of promise, and other due to lying, pretending to be poor, to get her man. Sorting that out is never much of trouble in stories, but here there had been some innovative ways. Good screwball comedy, not something too new as a story, (but may be at that time it was a novel one ? ) but that doesn't reduce the enjoyment quotient.

The movie doesn't have any politics, so I am surprised why some of the reviewers have to bring that in here. We may discuss those aspects when the movie itself is political. The background - Austrian - had been kept since the original story was that way, and it tried to remain faithful to it. The story was of 1924 - much before the Nazis had really assumed the power. The writer of the story, by the way, was pacifist - which neither of the warring sides were, and to the credit of Nazis, he had been interrogated, kept under observation, but neither put behind bar, not stopped from moving out of the country - and he always came back to it. Anyway I too shouldn't go into politics, there are movies where that could be taken up during review - both of UFA as well as Hollywood - since both were equally biased and wrong.

Robert Young can't get a job, but he can win all sorts of radio contests. He's just won a couple of weeks at a Swiss skiing hotel sponsored by Frank Morgan's soap company. At the same time, Morgan decides to see how a poor person would be treated, so he shows up in shabby clothes as the second-prize winner, accompanied by butler Reginald Owen as an industrialist. Adventuress Mary Astor recognizes Morgan for a wealthy man and starts to vamp him. Florence Rice, Morgan's daughter, and her companion Edna May Oliver head off to rescue Morgan.

It's another movie that with a lesser cast, I would rate very poorly, yet I enjoy this one very much. True, the plot is poorly actuated in the movie, the big comedy gag of a clueless Morgan et al. Skiing disastrously is poorly realized, and the toupees worn by Morgan and dishwasher Henry Hull are disastrous. Still, Morgan and Miss Oliver are always fun, Sig Ruman as the hotel manager and Herman Bing as his factotum are a joy, and there are a couple of telling lines well delivered; I imagine the Erich Kastner book this is based on had something more to say than the credited writers that MGM had working on the screenplay let through.

A somewhat fascinating film when considered purely as an artifact of the times in which it was produced. While the story reflects the background of the Great Depression and it is clearly evident in the plight of the character portrayed by Robert Young, it is the black storm clouds of the coming war that cast their shadow across this motion picture. Based on a German novel that is harmless enough to have escaped the flames of a Hitlerian bonfire, the setting is Vienna, 1938. The fluff that is the plot plays out in a city facing its utter doom as Hitler is fated to soon shatter forever the loveliness of the cultural mecca. The delusional will hysterically welcome the evil seducer into their midst and crush the illusion this motion picture projected on thousand of screens. It is the beat of storm troopers' boots that echo in the background, overwhelming the soundtrack as the cast frolics in the Alpine snow soon to run red with the blood of Nazi victims. It is as if monstrous hordes of black helmeted ski troops line the peaks of the slopes, waiting to sweep savagely down upon hapless Hollywood stars. The characters seem oblivious to what is to come but their future is inescapably intertwined with the geo-political environment in which they are trapped. This film stands as a curious moment in time, a snapshot of people dancing on the precipice of the abyss. The Europe in which they exist will soon be no more and they will be engulfed in the wave of unrelenting violence and horror that will break upon them within months. The creative minds behind the production can not ignore the headlines and that shadow of fear fleets across the shallow smiles of the actors. The theatre audiences that watched this film were well aware of what was happening and perhaps had just seen a newsreel of goosestepping SS parading before the swastika draped maniac who would soon touch all their lives with his frigid fingers. It is this background that is the foundation of this production and our hindsight cuts deeply into the way we view this film. The audience of the era sat uneasily in their seats, conscious of the horror awaiting them but in determined denial regarding the future. The audience of today can see that future and watches powerlessly, looking at the images that are now tainted by the dark knowledge of historical perspective. The broad grins that illuminate the opening credits seem forced now and strange in the harsh light of reality. But what indeed is reality once time and history have had their way with it? The images in this movie are the present and what we see is what was as well as what will be. It is in this context that the true value of the film can be discovered and considered.

Who can come up with the best advertising slogan for soap? Unemployed Robert Young (Fritz) can. So can the company's owner Frank Morgan (Tobler) under a false name. The two of them win a 2-week holiday in a ski resort in the Alps. Young goes along to rub shoulders with the wealthy in the hope of getting a job and Morgan goes incognito to live like an ordinary person instead of being constantly pampered because of his position. Once there, the staff and guests are tipped off that one of the winners is the wealthy undercover boss, only they are not sure which one. And they get it wrong. Cue misunderstandings, scheming plots and a happy ending.

This is a funny comedy with the cast on good form apart from Young's attitude at the end. I can't possibly marry you because you're rich. Yeah right! What would normally be stupid and ruin a film, eg, obvious back projection, actually adds to the comedy of the film. Just watch those ski scenes, obviously filmed on location - ha ha. And what is the point of those yodellers and their cadenzas? None. It doesn't matter - this film is a gentle, easy-going watch that will make you laugh with Morgan leading the proceedings and a cunning Mary Astor (Irene) looking to bag a rich guy.

Rudolph Tobler (Frank Morgan) is a wealthy tycoon of a vast conglomerate. He entered his own Tobler Soap contest, but only got second place. Fritz Hagedorn (Robert Young) has won another contest and it comes with a trip to the Alps. Both Tobler and Hagedorn are going on the trip. Tobler wants to be an Undercover Boss while everybody assumes Hagedorn to be actual real millionaire including broke gold-digger Irene Mallebre (Mary Astor). Rudolph's daughter Hilde Tobler (Florence Rice) follows.

This is fine misunderstand comedy. Frank Morgan is terrific. It's Undercover Boss. That's the best parts. I do wonder how that dish washer is supposed to work. It's light. It's screwball. It's sitcom. It's fun.

"Paradise for Three" is a wonderful movie, full of laughs and winter sports. The delightful and handsome Robert Young is a contest winner who is mistaken for a millionaire by villainous Herman Bing, with Frank Morgan (at his befuddled best) as the real millionaire, mistaken for a hobo. It's also got Sig Rumann, and Mary Astor as a shameless gold-digging hussy. 10 out of 10.

You'd never believe Frank Morgan and Robert Young could be mistaken for one another, would you? Well, in Paradise for Three, Frank stars as the millionaire CEO of a soap company who sponsors a contest: submit a slogan for the soap brand and win an all-expenses paid trip to a German ski lodge! Frank enters his own contest under a false name and wins, so he travels to Germany incognito to see how he'll be treated if no one knows who he is. Then, when Robert Young shows up at the same time, the hotel staff think Robert is the contest winner.

This movie is so adorable and hilarious, thanks to an all-star cast and fast-paced dialogue. Frank is very cute as the millionaire-turned-everyman, and he's forced to make do in the drafty attic room while washing dishes to pay his bill. He falls in love with Mary Astor, but she's a gold digger only interested in Robert Young. Robert Young is a gold digger himself, only pretending to be rich so he can land a good job. With Florence Rice, Reginald Owen, Sig Ruman, and Edna May Oliver as Frank's very faithful secretary, this comic romp will have you smiling from start to finish. And as a bonus, Frank has a penchant for Siamese kittens, so you'll get to see a few accompany him on his vacation.

"Paradise for Three" is a screwball comedy and romance based on a book by German poet, novelist and children's author, Erich Kästner. Those who have seen "The Parent Trap" films will be familiar with his work. The story takes place in Vienna and the Alps. This film premiered in New York on February 15, 1938, and opened across much of Europe by the summer. The world was in a slow recovery from the Great Depression, and World War II was still a year and a half away.

Hollywood was making films across most genres. And quite a few comedies, romance and other films were still being set in Europe and other countries. Another comedy released the same time as this one was 20th Century Fox's "The Baroness and the Butler," that starred William Powell and Annabella, and was set in Hungary. There were several other films that year set in England, France, Italy, and Austria, and others set in Algeria, Egypt, Mexico, and elsewhere.

Trips to Europe were popular for those who could afford them. But for most people who couldn't afford such expensive travel in those days, movies set in the Alps and such exotic places were popular, whether or not one enjoyed winter sports. And, "Paradise" did very well. It finished in the top third of box office receipts for the year, with ticket sales more than eight times its budget.

The cast for this film includes some of the best known actors of comedy of the time. Robert Young in the male lead and Frank Morgan in the second male spot made many other films. But the key players in the supporting cast were giants of the day in comedy. They include Edna May Oliver as Mrs. Kunkel, Reginald Owen as Johann Kesselhut, Herman Bing as Mr. Polter, and Sig Ruman as Mr. Bold. The rest of the cast contribute nicely, including Academy Award winner Mary Astor as Mrs. Irene Mallebre, Henry Hull as Sepp, and Walter Kingsford as Reichenbach. The least known of the cast beyond the early 1940s would be the female lead, Florence Rice. After a decade in films, with few leading roles, she quit Hollywood in 1943 at age 36.

The comedy starts when Morgan's Rudolph Tobler sponsors a slogan contest for his Tobler soap product. Robert Young's Fritz Hagedorn wins first place, but Tobler's own entry under an assumed name of Edward Schultz, wins second place. Their prizes are two-week vacations at the Paradise Hotel in the Alps. Tobler decides that he would like to go as the second place winner to see how the real people live, and have some fun himself. He doesn't want his crotchety old house matron, Mrs. Kunkel, to know his plans so he fakes a business trip to Paris from Vienna. He has to take his valet along to fool Kunkel, but he makes a hotel reservation for Johann Kesselhut as a Baltic Sea shipping owner.

Bolt, Polter and Sepp are all with the hotel, and Astor's Mrs. Irene Mallebre is one of the women gold-diggers staying there and looking for a wealthy husband. Tobler's daughter, Hilde, becomes the romantic part of the story with Fritz. Mayhem and hilarity rule at the Hotel Paradise and on the surrounding slopes as the vacationers all do some skiing, dancing and partying. The film has some nice clips of skiers on the slopes - filmed somewhere. And, some funny and authentic yodeling takes place. The ending back in Vienna caps this very enjoyable film with more humor.

This is a screwball comedy that should entertain people well into the future. Here are some favorite lines.

Mrs. Kunkel, "And this in case you have another dizzy spell." Rudolph Tobler, "I haven't had a dizzy spell in three years." Kunkel, "Just about time for another one."

Mrs. Kunkel, "I couldn't believe my ears when Johann confessed to me." Hilde Tobler, "Confessed? Well, you probably blackmailed him into it." Kunkel, "I did nothing of the sort. I merely mentioned an incident in his early life."

Fritz Hagedorn, "Well, isn't there something I can do?" Mrs. Irene Malebre, "You might ask me to dance." Fritz, "I hardly expected to be rewarded for my clumsiness."

Fritz Hagedorn, "In case we get killed, who are you?" Hilde Tobler, "In case we get killed, it doesn't matter."

Sepp, "I live in a house, not in a room with a number on the door."

Sepp, "It's only when people don't like each other that they gotta have lotsa rooms. Just like a boy or a girl. If they're in love, one chair is plenty."

Irene Mallebre, "You dance divinely, Edward." Rudolph Tobler, incognito as Edward Schultz, "Oh, heh, I hope I'm not tiring you, Irene." Irene, as they bounce around the floor, "With you it doesn't even seem like dancing."

Mrs. Kunkel, "Aren't you ashamed of yourself? A man of your age - yodeling with a divorcee."

Irene Mallebre, "My dear Mrs. Kunkel, what an original costume. What do you represent, a wounded soldier?" Rudolph Tobler, "It looks more like a wounded spy to me." Mrs. Kunkel, "It's not a costume. I was hurt." Tobler, "You're lucky. Spies are usually shot." (Everyone laughs.) Tobler, looking at Johann Kesselhut in his admiral costume, "Yes, and as for admirals, they're very often sunk. (Everyone laughs more.)

Sepp, "I'm so glad you are a rich man." Rudolph Tobler, "Why?" Sepp, "Because as a poor man, you could never make a living."

Rudolph Tobler, "You mustn't worry, Hilde. If he really loves you, it won't matter even if you are wealthy. And, after all, he must make some sacrifices."

Hilde Tobler, "No, I'm not afraid - just a little scared."

Mrs. Kunkel, "You, you weasel." Fritz Hagedorn, "You old battle ax."

Rudolph Tobler, "Oh, here, give me that brandy. I can't bear to see a woman faint."