Pretty pleasant. Interesting beginning that doesn't get followed through. The Preston Sturges screenplay doesn't have the bite of film he later directed. Basically it's a Lubitsch without the verbal and visual wit (the camera has not sense of humor), or a Sturges without the social satire. Too comfortable; too sweet.
That being said, a few notes:
-Magaret Sullavan, wife of the director, W. Wyler, plays the heroine. She has the silent-era look, large, lively eyes and an impish half smile that seems to make words appear superfluous sometimes. Sullavan has the plausible, semi-cheap charm of a street waif, mousy, eager to please, and more than a little insecure. A little chipmunk.
-Classical Hollywood comedies from teh 30s and 40s have more juicy tidbits on the story bone, those little digressions that deliver a smacking relish. An example here is Marshall's child-like marvelling obsession with a new pencil-opener. OK, Wyler overdid it a little here, but isn't refreshing?
-Isn't this movie among the first comedies that feature a "bull in a restaurant kitchen" mayhem?
-Marshall: ""There should be more orphans". This has to be the most unqiue love overture on big screen, doesn't it?
