Between 1927 and 1938, comedy genius Hal Roach released all of his films through MGM. In rare cases, like this one, the studio even provided him with production budgets. With this picture, the result was a much more lavish production than was usual for him. It was so impressive, in fact, that MGM bought the picture from him outright and released it as an MGM production. The role of a devil-may-care playboy competing with more conservative brother Reginald Denny for the heart of their working class childhood sweetheart (Evelyn Venable) provided a nice showcase for studio star Robert Young, who rarely got to undertake such showy roles, while Frank Craven got some great opportunities for scene stealing from his role as Venable's hard-drinking father. The film also offers a rare chance to see Venable, best known as the romantic heroine of Death Takes a Holiday (1934), kick up her heels in a screwball role. Producer-director Sam Taylor had been with Roach for decades, writing some of Harold Lloyd's top films and even directing the classic Safety Last! (1923). Writer Frank Butler was another Roach standby and had written for such comedy greats as Mabel Normand, William Haines, Marie Dressler, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.

By Frank Miller