Rich Man, Poor Girl

After first being awestruck over Lana Turner in The Postman Always Rings Twice, I was eager to see any film she appeared in. Rich Man, Poor Girl appeared without fuss on television and a part of my heart was stolen by a black and white image! Oh the wonder of film. I recall the film as being 'worthwhile' even if you weren't in Love with Lana but I was left wishing I had recorded it! I looked the film up afterwards in my movie guide and it said that the film is remarkable only as a record of Lana Turner's beauty, describing her as radiant. I agree wholeheartedly. Imagining the film with another actress in Lana's role, I can only see an average film.

Lana makes every single one of today's screen beauties fade into mediocrity by comparison. See this film if you want to see a bona fide legendary screen beauty in full bloom.

Usually, these types of movies are made to glamorize life in the lower class while condemning the ignorant rich, but in Rich Man, Poor Girl, the effect is just the opposite. Robert Young stars as a millionaire businessman who falls in love with his poor secretary, Ruth Hussey. He wants to get married right away, but she has the good sense to wait, insisting that when she marries, she wants to be sure she knows her spouse well enough to know they'll stay married. When he meets her low-class family, including parents Guy Kibbee and Sara Padden, silly sister Lana Turner, and outspoken radical brother Lew Ayres, he realizes there's quite a culture shock between their two lifestyles.

Bob is prepared to make their relationship work, so he moves into their very tiny, thin-walled, overheated apartment and tries to win every family member over one by one. The amount of effort he puts into Ruth's family is incredible, especially as he continually turns the other cheek when they insult him. In particular, Lew is very rude and not made out to have an admirable character, which serves as a great foil for Bob's character: a millionaire with a heart of gold.

This movie is very cute, funny, and will make anyone wish Robert Young would join their family. He's an ideal son- and brother-in-law, not to mention fiancé! Hopeless romantics will love this forgotten classic.

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. There's a scene where Robert Young takes everyone sailing, and the camera movements will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

I guess "Rich Man, Poor Girl" is supposed to be akin to "You Can't Take it With You" in that the Thayers are kind of whacko.

This is a pleasant film about a wealthy man, Bill Harrison (Robert Young), who falls in love with his secretary, Joan Thayer (Ruth Hussey). She is a member of the Great Working Class.

When she brings him home to meet the family, Joan realizes how far apart they are in terms of class and upbringing. She thinks they should wait to marry. To move the date sooner, Harrison moves in with the family. But when he tries to help them, his generosity isn't always well received.

Lana Turner plays Helen, Joan's sister. Here she's probably 17 or 18 and adorable. Helen is thrilled that there's going to be a rich man in the family and can't wait. Her cousin Henry (Lew Ayres) is constantly giving bombastic lectures about the curse of "the great working class" and boy, does he sound timely. His speeches could be written today. For instance, he complains that a poor man can walk into a hospital and be treated, a wealthy man can afford to be treated, but what about the middle class? He has to pay and it could easily wipe him out.

This is certainly a lively film, with Turner a standout. It's light but fun.

During the 1930s' and the Great Depression Hollywood seemed to need too exclaim some sort of social conscience. Many of these films were meant to show that the 'Rich' could fall in love with the poor and they were not much different then the rest of us. Particularly if the 'Poor Girl', was attractive, well dressed and spoken and her 'seams' were always straight.

RUTH HUSSEY filled the 'Poor Girl' role in 'Rich Man, Poor Girl' (1938). ROBERT YOUNG, the boss and 'Rich Man' who falls in love, wants to marry her and bring her up to his speed. Which by the way IS her speed. The conflict, is that the POOR GIRLs' family is a bunch of boobs, save for the Mother who had married beneath her for love. The worst of the lot is a Cousin played by LEW AYRES. He feels the need to dispense 'lunatic left' philosophy whenever the opportunity presents itself in the guise of representing the great (and unspoken) middle class. Not holding onto a job during the Great Depression is supposed to be one of his endearing traits. Did not play well then and does not in the early 21st Century.

While HUSSEY and YOUNGs' character are sympathetic and the Mother SARAH PADDEN rings true the rest are just stereotypes. A young LANA TURNER of course is always worth looking at, but LEW AYRES character is not. He had been placed in this type of role before, if not him, HENRY FONDA or JAMES STEWART. They infest themselves with a-lot of Politically Correct social conscience (nonsense), but NO real solutions for any problems. Fortunetly common sense and true love win out in the end and everybody lives 'happyly ever after'. Wish all problems of the World could be solved as easily as in this movie.

The wealthy entrepreneur wants to marry his secretary, but must first get along with her middle-class family.

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