January

Globe-trotting cinemagoers may have gazed up at the new Jack Buchanan entertainment Yes, Mr Brown and recalled that they had already seen it in Germany, France and Italy masquerading under various titles. It probably didn’t matter to British audiences, who must have pretty well known what they were in for if one of their favourite artistes was above the title. Made at Elstree for British and Dominions, Herbert Wilcox’s production (a stretch at 94 minutes) was directed by Buchanan, working on Douglas Furber’s screenplay adapted from Paul Franck and Ludwig Hirschfeld’s stage musical Geschäft mit Amerika. Paul Abrahám, composer of Renate Müller’s ‘Today I Feel So Happy’, wrote the score with Furber as British lyricist, including ‘Leave A Little To Me’, ‘If You Would Learn To Live’, and the title song.

In Vienna, Nicholas Baumann (Buchanan) temporarily loses his wife Clary (Margot Grahame) when they argue over a dog. Having planned to impress his American boss Mr Brown (Hartley Power), Nicholas gets his secretary Ann (Elsie Randolph, making her debut in her professional partnership with Buchanan) to take her place. To everyone’s satisfaction, Mr Brown marries Ann, while Nicholas and Clary are reunited. The reviews were reasonable, with Variety finding that ‘There seems to be no limit to the entertaining talents of Jack Buchanan. He not only stars in this picture, but directed it in a manner which establishes him as an expert’, citing ‘A generous production, directed in good taste, marred occasionally by defective lighting, but not enough to interfere with the fact that it is another successful British picture.’ Picturegoer was less effusive, discovering ‘a far cry from Goodnight, Vienna, with its polished technique and sophistry, to this naïve and conventional marital upset play’.