Charley's Aunt

Once one accepts the archaically broad comedy conventions at play, this is a very funny film adaptation of the celebrated cross-dressing farce (Joshua Logan's contemporaneous stage version had starred Jose' Ferrer!). Legendary comedian Jack Benny stars as a British lord and longtime Oxford student(!) who is forced by his best friends (James Ellison and a debuting Richard Haydn) to pose as the latter's wealthy Brazilian aunt in order to act as chaperon when meeting their girlfriends. Initially, the uncle (Edmund Gwenn) of one of the girls (a thankless role for Anne Baxter) is contrary to their union but soon changes his tune when he realizes whom Haydn is related to; however, he has to contend with the amorous rivalry of Ellison's own penniless father (Laird Cregar – who, at 25, was younger than his on screen son but, nevertheless, convincingly plays a 51-year old roué)! The fine cast is rounded up by Kay Francis (quite lovely as Charley's real aunt), Reginald Owen (amusing as the hapless Dean) and Claud Allister (hilariously appearing at the start as one of two unperturbed gentlemen spectators at an accident-prone cricket match). Not everything works, alas: Gwenn's character arch from stern guardian to undignified fortune hunter is as hard to take as the bland romance between Baxter and Haydn but, ultimately, Jack Benny's frenzied comic antics triumph over such hurdles.

An interesting extra on the CHARLEY'S AUNT DVD is this fun promotional short which is very rare for films of its era. It finds star Jack Benny taking time off for lunch at the Fox studio mess hall, when he runs first into Tyrone Power and then Randolph Scott. Naturally, they all start talking about their current action-packed projects – with Power enthusiastic about his latest romantic flagwaver A YANK IN THE R.A.F. (1941) and Scott ditto about the Technicolored Western BELLE STARR (1941). However, Benny makes things up in an effort to avoid discussing his current gender-bending role…though he's not helped by the fact that, from time to time, a bellboy turns up with various parts of his feminine outfit seeking the star's approval! When he eventually confesses, it's Power and Scott's turn to sulk as they bemoan their typecasting as rugged action stars and admit to craving juicy parts such as Benny always gets; indeed, for the latter (and the audience's) benefit, they provide background detail about the "Charley's Aunt" play – including the fact that it's one of the most popular (and hilarious) pieces ever written.

Jack Benny is "Charley's Aunt," in this 1941 film version of the famous play, one of several film re-creations that exist.

Benny plays Fancourt Babberly, a somewhat older student at a British university in the late 1800s who, through a series of complications, winds up playing Donna Lucia of Brazil, the aunt of another student, Charley, because Charley and his friend Jack need a chaperone in order to have the dates they've planned.

The late-arriving aunt is actually portrayed by the lovely Kay Francis, and wait until you catch the look on her face when she sees what's been impersonating her. As ridiculous looking as Fancourt looks in his drag attire, he manages to win the hearts of both the ward of one of the young women and the father of Jack Chesney, who pursue him relentlessly. Fancourt, meanwhile, finds the real Donna Lucia quite a strudel.

There's nothing like a man in drag for laughs, and when the man is Jack Benny, watch out! Benny, famous for his long takes, is delightful here, and what makes him even funnier is that every once in a while, he says one word or another with a British pronunciation in the middle of a sentence where he's using his typical American accent. It had to be on purpose.

The DVD of the film has a short publicity reel shown in theaters called "Three of a Kind," which has Benny in the 20th Century Fox commissary trying to explain his role to Tyrone Power and Randolph Scott as a bellhop asks his approval on a girdle, a dress and shoes. It's very good.

Jack Benny was a wonderful actor and comedian with a great, dry, sometimes exasperated delivery. He made audiences laugh for years. Thanks to the existence of his radio shows and movies, he's still doing it.

I saw this movie about 25 years ago and have never seen it since. I've asked around about it for years, and nobody knows anything about it. Video stores don't carry it, and, of course, the young people who work in these stores have never heard ot it. It stars Jack Benny in what, I believe, is his greatest and funniest movie role. It has stood out in my mind for all these years as a truly hilarious movie, and, when I ran across it in IMDb, I wanted to be sure to add my favorable opinion to the list of comments.

This is the type of classic movie that should be released on DVD as soon as possible! Fans of turn-of-the-century style English Farce will want to add it to their collection. Jack Benny is superb as is the rest of the cast of this black and white classic that must be seen to be appreciated. 20th Century Fox, PLEASE add this movie to your collection of classic films.

During his life Jack Benny often joked about the poor quality of many of his films, but "Charley's Aunt" doesn't deserve such criticism. This "drag" comedy never drags!

Benny's humor, perhaps a bit subdued for today's audiences, nevertheless shines in "Charley's Aunt." It doesn't hurt that he's in drag for a good part of the movie...A man in a dress can always be counted on for a few laughs!

But the basic story is amusing in itself, with Benny (broadly!) impersonating a maiden aunt and chaperoning for his buddies and their girlfriends. Naturally, there are a couple of older gentlemen who take a fancy to the "aunt" adding more complications to the story.

"Charle's Aunt" is rarely shown on television, but worth a look if you happen to stumble upon it.