It was a special treat for me to discover this forgotten British comedy from the 1930s (which was unreleased in America), as it presents a still-funny but quite different approach to humor (highly theatrical) than we've become used to. Above all, it's an opportunity to see Edward Everett Horton thrust to center stage rather than his reliably effective supporting roles.
Stealing the show is larger than life Oscar Ashe, a "big" performer in more ways than one. He's cast as the rich uncle of nominal leading man Barry MacKay, and when he crashes onto the screen, a man of constant bluster and nearly double-talk fast delivery of nonsensical dialogue it's amazing. I instantly thought of Jack E. Leonard, the great insult comedian so popular in the 1950s and 1960s who I saw countless times on TV talk shows of the era, but who is all but forgotten (or even reviled) now after Don Rickles, Jackie Cannon and others took over his particular brand of humor.
Horton's physical comedy and unique bumbling persona are the movie's point and while of course including dated elements he holds up well as such a talented performer. Alastair Sim, with a wild hairdo, is priceless in a small but totally imitable bit as a spiritualist in the final reel.
