It’s a who’s who of character actors in this 1942 B comedy! A small community of wealthy home freak out when it’s revealed that one of their maids will be releasing a tell-all book. Not knowing which maid or which family the book could be about, the wealthy start to mistreat the help who start to rebel. I love some humorous class warfare.
The voice of reason amongst the below-stairs group is young Martha (Marsha Hunt), a maid who declares that there is nothing in the Constitution again writing a book. She tries to keep an army of maids and cooks played by Marjorie Main, Jody Gilbert, and Marget Hamilton (YAAAASSSS Wicked Witch in the HOUSE!) from going on strike. Of course, Martha is the author of the soon to be published book. Martha works for the Sommerfields. The doctor/father (Melville Cooper) is a relaxed man more interested in his work than gossip. Mrs. Sommerfield (Spring Byington) is fairly calm and feels like the other women in the neighborhood are too jumpy about rumors. Their teenage daughter Miranda (Virginia Weidler) is an eccentric who already suspects Martha since she notices how smart and flowery her vocabulary is. Their grown son, Jeff (Richard Carlson) is an anthropologist has just returned from an over a year away studying the Inuit people. He brought back a stuck-up fiancee and fellow scientist named Sylvia (Frances Drake - not the pirate). By the way, almost every one in this is in another movie I love. About 1/3 of the cast appeared in some of my favorite pre-code and universal horror movies.
It’s revealed through a conversation with Martha’s super supportive publisher Mr. Archer (Allyn Joslyn) that Martha spent that past year going to night classes and writing to prove her intelligence to her secret husband, Jeff. However, Mr. Archer also wants her to forget Jeff and run off with him. There’s also a local mechanic and handy man named Danny who also has eyes for Martha. Meanwhile, Jeff assumed she would have had their marriage annulled while he was gone and is appalled to discover that she didn’t.
What I loved about this movie is that by becoming an educated writer, Martha finds her independence. Yes, she’s still in love with Jeff, but she’s able to handle the situation with confidence and poise. She explores options within her own life and tries to take control. That having been said SPOILER ALERT . . .
Mr. Archer reveals at a dinner party that Martha wrote the book that the whole neighborhood has been in fear of and that it’s been selected by the book-of-the-month-club (that’s a big deal in the 40s). The Sommerfields take the news in a variety of ways with the mother fainting, the father thrilled that it clears out his nosy neighbors, and the little sister thrilled that it ends his engagement with Sylvia. The book, it turns out, is not an expose. Instead, it’s a charming character study of how much Martha admires the Sommerfields. Jeff chases her down and they stay married in order to give the book a happy ending.
