Sam Wood (1) (1883–1949)

“You're just one person against the world unless you've got someone.” — Jean Arthur

Jean Arthur and Charles Coburn shine in this underrated RKO classic. Perhaps because it isn’t zany enough to fall into the true screwball category this warm and charming comedy often gets overlooked when the genre is spoken about. Sam Wood’s direction, sets by William Cameron Menzies, a nice score from the ever reliable Roy Webb, and Norman Krasna’s funny screenplay all add up to a good time for classic film lovers.

Charles Coburn is simply adorable as the maligned millionaire who goes undercover in a department store he didn’t even know he owned until employees burned a life-size dummy of him in effigy which makes the papers. Getting hired on as Tom Higgens so he can root out the people behind it doesn't have quite the outcome he'd intended. Immediately befriended by Mary (Jean Arthur) in the shoe department who loans him 50 cents for lunch because she thinks he’s broke, his objective becomes less clear with each passing day.

You'll find yourself chuckling as Merrick (Coburn) begins to take down names of management rather than employees in his “Doomsday Book” for the treatment he experiences. What he also begins to experience is living, finding a friend in the sweet Mary, and perhaps even romance with her pal Elizabeth (Spring Byington). Robert Cummings is delightful as Mary’s boyfriend, Joe O'Brien, who also happens to be the idealistic voice behind those workers who are revolting! S.S. Sakall is also endearing as Merrick’s valet.

There are some fun scenes on the boardwalk, and a mix-up which nearly lands them all in jail. Arthur never seemed more vulnerable than in a sweet scene on the beach, and the further Merrick sinks into his new persona, the more he begins to view his vast wealth as a handicap to living.

A great ending will make you glad you watched this one, and pushes it into five stars. Don't miss Coburn’s fight with a young brat he’s hired to make him look good. It’s a riot!… (more)