This movie just doesn't have the slyness of the movie it seems to most resemble - "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House". It plays out in a very stiff, mostly unimaginative fashion, introducing characters you think are going to figure in the storyline, then casually discarding them like afterthoughts. Jack Benny, of course, was a very gifted comedian and this should have been a good vehicle for him, but he limited his feature film appearances (when he wasn't doing cameos as himself) and here you can see why. He gets most of the funny lines, but he just isn't able to make his character come alive. You almost expect to see a cue pop up every 30 seconds saying "Insert sarcastic Benny line here."
Ann Sheridan is very appealing and pleasant in her role as Benny's wife, but she's TOO nice. There's supposed to be some spark of electricity between her and her new handsome neighbor (played by some nondescript nobody), but it isn't believable for a second. There needs to be an edge and a playfulness to her to suggest she MIGHT be capable of leaving Benny if he doesn't stop being so jealous. On the plus side, Percy Kilbride (better known as Pa Kettle) is a scream as the slow-talking, hayseed caretaker; and things pick up a little when wonderful character actor Charles Coburn shows up as rich, story-telling Uncle Stanley. It's almost worth enduring the picture just to get to the part where Coburn keeps telling stories that begin with "When I was just a little shaver ..."
Otherwise, hard to believe this ever worked as a stage play.
Ann Sheridan is very appealing and pleasant in her role as Benny's wife, but she's TOO nice. There's supposed to be some spark of electricity between her and her new handsome neighbor (played by some nondescript nobody), but it isn't believable for a second. There needs to be an edge and a playfulness to her to suggest she MIGHT be capable of leaving Benny if he doesn't stop being so jealous. On the plus side, Percy Kilbride (better known as Pa Kettle) is a scream as the slow-talking, hayseed caretaker; and things pick up a little when wonderful character actor Charles Coburn shows up as rich, story-telling Uncle Stanley. It's almost worth enduring the picture just to get to the part where Coburn keeps telling stories that begin with "When I was just a little shaver ..."
Otherwise, hard to believe this ever worked as a stage play.