Snowed Under

A frustrated Broadway playwright finds himself SNOWED UNDER in a Connecticut country house with both of his ex-wives, the flirtatious girl next door, a deputy sheriff and a lawyer.

This delightful little comedy is an excellent example of the fluff films that Warner Bros. was so adept at producing during Hollywood's Golden Age. Boasting fine production values, a literate script & some genuinely funny performances, it is a shame that the film is so obscure today.

George Brent & Genevieve Tobin have charm to spare as the protagonists whose divorce seems in danger of floundering; sophisticated & witty, they are a very entertaining duo. Glenda Farrell is hilarious as the boozy floozy after Brent for unpaid alimony - this brassy blonde could always be counted on for some mischievous merriment.

Pixilated Frank McHugh is the milkman turned most unlikely deputy. John Eldredge plays the gentle young lawyer; Patricia Ellis is not gentle at all as the pushy prom princess from next door. Apoplectic producer Porter Hall & sassy housekeeper Helen Lowell add to the amusement.

Movie mavens should recognize Mary Treen as a secretary & Olin Howlin as the sheriff, both uncredited.

Porter Hall wants George Brent to write the third act for his play due to open next week. Brent is at his cabin. Hall sends Genevieve Tobin, Brent's first wife, to crack the whip. Second wife Glenda Farrell shows up with deputy Frank McHugh and her lawyer demanding alimony. Patricia Ellis is already in residence, trying to make herself the third wife.

My first reaction was this was an expertly open-up play, but it was written for the screen. It's certainly cast well; Brent, Warner's choice for a leading man who wouldn't distract the audience from the leading lady, is fine as the hectored yet stolid playwright, and the ladies are nicely differentiated, particularly the speed at which they deliver their lines. Miss Tobin is ladylike, Miss Ellis is twittery, and Miss Farrell continues her reign as Warners' resident motormouth. McHugh sometimes sounds like he's attempting a Down East accent. It's perfectly composed, you know how it's going to turn out, and it's a pleasant series of bumps getting there.

A nice cast, consisting of George Brent, Gladys George, Frank McHugh, Genevieve Tobin, and John Eldredge star in "Snowed Under," a 1936 Warner Brothers film.

Alan Tanner (Brent) has new play opening in a week, but the play has no acceptable third act.

In order to get it done, Tanner goes to a cottage, which at the moment is snowed under to work in peace. Not happening. His blonde neighbor (Patricia Ellis) is crazy about him and shows up.

The play's producer, Arthur Layton (Porter Hall), dispatches Alan's first wife Alice (Tobin) to keep him on task. Unfortunately Alan's second wife, Daisy (Farrell), shows up and demands her alimony.

Soon the women are screaming at one another and fighting over who can help Alan more. And the neighbor wants to know where she stands. Meanwhile Alan can't get any work done.

This is a madcap comedy, and for some reason I found it incredibly loud and a little too crazy, a fun premise, but forced. Despite going over the top, it has a sophistication to it.

Frank McHugh is a scream as a deputy sent to arrest Alan, who just may find some peace if he can only get to jail. With a little more attention, this film would have been much better.

Snowed Under casts George Brent as a playwright who is working to get a third act right for producer Porter Hall. To get away from it all he's taken a mountain cabin up in snow country to get some privacy and the creative juices flowing.

Privacy is about the last things he gets in this somewhat claustrophobic comedy where all three women in his life come for a visit. Ex-wife Genevieve Tobin arrives first, current estranged wife Glenda Farrell is second who brings along lawyer John Eldredge and Deputy Sheriff Frank McHugh to get either her back alimony or Brent in the pokey. Finally there's current girlfriend Patricia Ellis who kind of sneaks in when no one is looking.

Snowed Under is short and fast paced comedy in which Glenda Farrell stands out in this cast. Brent learns that old adage of it's cheaper to keep her.

We kind of know right away who Brent winds up with, still Snowed Under is a lot of fun with an impeccably cast ensemble.

Modest Warners comedy, a little over an hour and filmed essentially on one set, has playwright George Brent holed up in his Connecticut retreat struggling to come up with a third act, where he's visited by the first wife he still loves (Genevieve Tobin, who's charming and elegant), the second wife who wants her alimony (Glenda Farrell, who's a little too shrill and boisterous), and the kid who wants to be No. 3 (Patricia Ellis). Frank McHugh also shows up to arrest him, and a housekeeper who ought to be Clara Blandick but isn't helps out. It's so one-set that it seems to be derived from a stage farce, but isn't, and implausibilities pile up--if it's such a snowstorm, why are the roads so clear? How does Brent get over to the housekeeper's house? Why is everybody suddenly fainting? Gags, such as McHugh getting covered in snow, get overworked, and Ray Enright, never the most dynamic Warners director, doesn't make much of the slender material. But it's nicely shot, with particularly lovely snowbound exteriors, and the cast looks like it's having fun.