Snowed Under

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.

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.

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.

At only 63 minutes long, "Snowed Under" is plenty long for its subject--a comedy about a playwright who holes up in a Connecticut cabin to finish a play, but is continuously interrupted by interlopers. I thought this film felt like a converted stage play, but it is not. Regardless, I think "cute" best describes this story about rekindled love amidst mayhem.

Alan Tanner (George Brent) is the playwright who seeks a third act. His first wife, Alice (Genevieve Tobin), is recruited by his producer to get the creative juices flowing in Alan. The second wife shows up seeking alimony, accompanied by a sheriff's deputy and an attorney. To further complicate things, a young woman with a crush on Alan injects herself into the proceedings.

While everyone is snowbound for a night, Alan and Alice try to write the third act that triggered this tale.

I can't say this is a great story or a hilariously funny piece, but I really enjoyed it. There are too many flaws to consider "Snowed Under" a classic comedy, but it tickles the funny bone. After a while, it feels like doors are slammed just for the sake of slamming them. But there are some good lines (e.g. "Now I hate to interrupt baby's first steps.") And the characters are likable. This comedy does not take itself too seriously and the lightheartedness is infectious. It would be fun to see what Clark Gable could have done with the Alan Tanner part.

Playwright George Brent is having trouble with his new play. He's got two good acts written but the third act refuses to come. He retires to a quiet house in the country to really concentrate…but his peace and quiet are quickly and completely overrun by wives, lawyers, sheriff's deputies and a big snowstorm.

A lively cast makes this one fun—everyone on the screen is hilarious in one way or another. Genevieve Tobin is charming and clever as Brent's first ex-wife, recruited by Brent's producers as the one person capable of helping break his writer's block. Tobin and Brent are the closest to sane of any characters in this movie.

Glenda Farrell is at her rowdiest as Brent's second ex-wife, showing up with milkman/deputy sheriff Frank McHugh in tow, hoping to collect some alimony. Glenda's initial entrance is just a riot: McHugh has preceded her into the house by a couple of minutes when she bursts in shouting, "Fine way to treat a lady! You gonna let me sit out there in the car all night?" McHugh doesn't miss a beat: "Have you been nipping at my applejack?" Farrell: "All right, so sue me!"

Patricia Ellis is also following Brent around, apparently imagining that she can capture his affections by showing up unexpectedly in his bedroom. Among all of these distractions, it's no wonder Brent isn't getting any work done.

It's not exactly sophisticated but sure has some laughs—lots of fun for fans of silly 30s comedies.