Pardon My Past

I can take Fred MacMurray or leave him, and I 'd usually prefer the latter, but you have to admit he is not pushy and definitely ignorable. In this amusing mistaken-identity farce, he is far less assertive than William Demarest (but, then, everybody is), and the lovely Rita Johnson and Marguerite Chapman have more warmth and sex appeal. Harry Davenport, that angel in human shape, is far more peppery than usual, but still utterly endearing as the perpetually outraged grandpa.

Another excellent performer is Akim Tamiroff, showing that he can parody silken menace as well as he can play it straight, which is very good indeed. His gangster is a bibliophile, which is an original touch--between threats of violence he caresses lovingly, not a kitten but a rare edition of Shakespeare.

With a better script than is usual for this sort of caper, it's a very pleasant little film, one's only qualm being that, these days, Fred would be the villain of the piece---his occupation? Fur farmer.