VACATION FROM LOVE (1938)

Bill (Dennis O'Keefe) is a saxophone player at the Club Bolero who has fallen head over heels in love with Pat (Florence Rice), a wealthy socialite he sees in the audience. Even though he's never met her, and she's about to marry T. Ames Piermont III (with that name, you know he's as rich as she is), he still thinks he has a chance to sweep her off her feet. Bill finagles his way into her wedding and when the minister asks if there are any objections to the marriage, Bill objects loudly, saying the groom's eyes are too close together. This being a screwball comedy, Pat agrees and the two run off together. Her father, John Lawson (Reginald Owen) is not happy, but Bill and Pat decide to marry, with their vow being, "Love, honor, obey, and always have fun!" Two years later, Bill is an advertising executive with Lawson's company--he's making lots of money, but it seems like the "having fun" of their vow has been forgotten. The breaking point comes when Bill forgets to attend their anniversary party, instead getting a little drunk with his former bandleader and the girl singer from the band. Soon enough, Pat files for divorce, but, this being a screwball comedy, a madcap adventure in Paris soon shows that the couple can still have fun. 

It took me a while to start enjoying this B-comedy, as neither O'Keefe nor Rice (both pictured at right) is charming enough to carry off the improbabilities of the opening sequences. O'Keefe just seems a little simple and Rice is not quite attractive enough to warrant the kind of instant and intense crush that O'Keeffe has for her. But by the anniversary party, I went with the flow, and the final Paris scenes, partly played with no dialogue and at a slightly sped-up speed, are fun indeed. Still, I had to take their love for granted, as the two never really develop much chemistry and we don't see them interact as a couple very much. A decent supporting cast helps: Reginald Owen as Lawson, the epitome of befuddled irritation in the beginning until he comes around to appreciate Bill's whimsey; June Knight as the band singer; Edward Brophy as the band leader; J.M. Kerrigan as a Hansom cab driver; George Zucco in a small role as a psychiatrist--when he tells Owen early on that Bill is mentally fit, Owen shouts, "He’s sane? You must be mad!" Mild fun. [TCM]