This is a sweet, homey little tale of a mother's love for her son and her desire to see him become a success, rising above his poor upbringing. She wants him to become a gentleman, so one day she brings home a kindly, though mildly alcoholic, ex-gentleman called Captain Randolph Courtney. And what better gentleman to mentor him than the great Basil Rathbone, whose mannered performance is a nice change from the usual despicable film villains he was known for. Though a bit cliched, it's an enjoyable little 'ditty', if you will.
Would I recommend? Yes, to those who don't mind something a bit quaint and pleasantly old-fashioned.
CinemaSerf
Sep 26, 2019
6/10
Maybe not quite the birthday gift that "Richard" (Louis Hayward) would want, but at his small 21st anniversary celebration his mother "Clarissa" (Pauline Lord) gives him a bank book with a rather large sum of money deposited, then announces to him and to their close family intimate - and lover of a snifter - "Capt. Courtney" (Basil Rathbone) that she is not, in fact, his mother. A little scrutinising and some detective work soon establishes the true identity of that particular woman and "Richard" takes up lodgings with the now married "Julia" (Billie Burke) and her step-daughter "Pauline" (Wendy Barrie). There's a bit of a love triangle developing now between these two and his first love "Emily" (Nydia Westman) whilst "Pauline" must contend with the loving suit of "Leo" (a few brief appearances from David Niven). The burning question is why did "Clarissa" take such a step. Well, it seems she wanted her lad to get out of the vicious circle of their near poverty existence, and so by making him fend for himself he would be driven to do what he most wanted to do - write a play. Can he make a success of it all and make "Clarissa" proud? Though ultimately tinged with a bit of tragedy, the plot here is not the most taxing. The writing is a bit on the gloopy side at times and Hayward maybe just a little too sterile, but Lord is on solid form, as is Rathbone, and this benefits from a decent story of love and integrity that deserves a telling.
