BRIDAL SUITE (1939)

Neil is a dissolute playboy who wakes up with a hangover on the morning of his wedding to Abbie, but when he rushes to the church, he finds out he's actually an entire day late. Abbie's fed up and Neil's wealthy father is ready to disown him, but his mother is convinced that she can get the famous psychiatrist Dr. Grauer to give him a diagnosis of temporary amnesia which will get him a second chance with both dad and fiancée. So mom and son toddle off to a hotel in the mountains of Switzerland where Grauer is vacationing. Neil immediately starts flirting with Luise, the hotel manager, who responds just enough to make Neil think he has a chance. But Grauer, who seems to be either an official or unofficial guardian to Luise, analyzes Neil as being lazy and unable to shoulder responsibilities and therefore unable to truly love someone. When Luise discovers that Neil has a fiancée, she starts giving him the cold shoulder, but when Grauer and Luise don't return from a mountain hike, Neil joins the search party. When he finds them stranded on a peak, he is able to hash things out with both of them. Just when their romance seems about to spark again, who should show up but Abbie, ready to marry Neil on the ship back to the States. Will Neil go back to a life of irresponsibility or will he buckle down and change for Luise? The best thing about this B-level romantic comedy is its physical look; because it's an MGM B-film, elaborate sets and costumes make it look like an A-picture. I especially like the mountain rescue scene—it's artificial looking but effective. The writing is adequate—there are some plotholes but it moves at a good pace. The supporting cast is great, with A-level support from Gene Lockhart (the father), Billie Burke (the mother), Reginald Owen (Abbie's father), Walter Connolly (Dr. Grauer), and in smaller roles Arthur Treacher and Felix Bressart. Annabella, a French actress who never quite made it out of the novelty niche in the States, is fine as Luise. The weak link is Robert Young as Neil. Until the mountain rescue scene at the end, he was bland and rather unappealing, and I couldn't really make myself care if he reformed and got the girl or not. Still, it's generally harmless, and that supporting cast is worth watching. Pictured are Annabella, Connolly and Young. [TCM]