If anyone is hoping for a review of "Kingdom of Heaven" which was on Sky last night, they will have a long wait, since I have nothing much to say about that film. I acknowledge that Ridley Scott is an able director of epics and more than a competent film-maker, but it would take a lot of convincing for me to believe that Orlando Bloom can carry a movie, because for my money, he can't. So instead I will draw your attention to this happy screwball comedy written by Preston Sturges, who had a brilliant run as a director in the early '40s and just as rapidly faded from the scene, leaving a legacy of some of the weirdest and most frantic comedies ever. In this tale we learn what happens when a tycoon (Edward Arnold) throws his wife's umpteenth sable coat from their balcony and it lands on top of hapless secretary Jean Arthur. Soon everyone believes that she is Arnold's mistress and try to gain his good graces by showering her with largesse. Meanwhile she has met his feckless son, Ray Milland, without realising who he really is. Naturally everything works out for the best in the end, but not before the characters must unravel the madcap complications, all totally innocent, but presented with many an innuendo. A fine sprinkling of character actors like prissy Franklin Pangborn add to the fun.
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