One of the oddest pairings in screwball comedy was Lloyd Nolan and Nancy Carroll in a comedy so frantic and loud that the audience might indeed be fooled into thinking it's hysterically funny. Yes, like another Columbia screwball comedy, "It Happened One Night", it's about a socialite and a reporter on the run, but instead of being strangers, they're already involved. Carrolls nagging mother can't stand Nolan, and to get away from the screeching mama, Carroll arranges to show up while Nolan's on assignment. Somehow, they both end up on a cruise ship, and Carroll ends up becoming the equivalent of Myrna Loy to Nolan's unlikely William Powell. They end up in more confusing mayhem within the hour long running time than Powell and Loy did in six "Thin Man" movies.
Often loud and obnoxious, this has far too many fast talking characters, spitting out dialog a mile a minute, much of it convoluted and seemingly unrelated to what's been going on. To add to the comedy (if you can call it that) is silent legend Harry Langdon, with horror character actors E.E. Clive and Dwight Frye seemingly sinister, made even more suspicious by Carroll's whining. This is obviously the fault of a rushed screenplay and uninspired casting, perhaps one of the weakest screwball comedies of the golden age. If I was stuck aboard this cruise ship, I'd ask to be put in the brig to prevent me from grabbing a life jacket and jumping overboard.
Often loud and obnoxious, this has far too many fast talking characters, spitting out dialog a mile a minute, much of it convoluted and seemingly unrelated to what's been going on. To add to the comedy (if you can call it that) is silent legend Harry Langdon, with horror character actors E.E. Clive and Dwight Frye seemingly sinister, made even more suspicious by Carroll's whining. This is obviously the fault of a rushed screenplay and uninspired casting, perhaps one of the weakest screwball comedies of the golden age. If I was stuck aboard this cruise ship, I'd ask to be put in the brig to prevent me from grabbing a life jacket and jumping overboard.