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The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss
The Amazing Adventure / Riches and Romance / Romance and Riches
UK 1936
produced by
Alfred Zeisler for Garrett-Klement Pictures
directed by Alfred Zeisler
starring Cary Grant, Mary Brian, Peter Gawthorne, Henry Kendall, Leon M. Lion, John Turnbull, Arthur Hardy, Iris Ashley, Garry Marsh, Andreas Malandrinos, Alfred Wellesley, Marie Wright, Buena Bent, Quentin McPhearson, Hal Gordon, Alf Goddard
screenplay by John L.Balderston, based on the novel by E.Phillips Oppenheim, music by Werner Bochmann
review by
Mike Haberfelner
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Immensely rich Ernest Bliss (Cary Grant) is bored beyond belief, in
fact so much so that he visits a psychiatrist (Peter Gawthorne), who
rather unexpectredly offers him a wager: Bliss has to work for his living
for one whole year and not rely on his wealth, to get some perspective in
life.
Bliss accepts, but in his first job as oven salesman, he at first
bungles up and soon enough, the business seems to go down the drain ... so
Bliss uses some of his vast wealth to help the business back onto its feet
- but himself has to resign, since he must not rely on his wealth
in order to win the wager.
Then Bliss becomes a chauffeur, and has a few mildly amusing
adventures, like when he meets two gangsters who want to rip Bliss off and
want to use his likeness to Bliss to make the thing work - not realizing
that he really is Bliss. Besides that, Bliss has started courting
secretary Frances (Mary Brian), who really likes him too, but is always
short of money ... until one day her boss (Alfred Wellesley) tries to get
into her panties, and while Bliss saves her with a right hook just in
time, she loses her job over this - and of course, now she agrees to marry
her knight in shining armour, whom she thinks a penniless sucker just like
herself ... but then she learns her sister is gravely ill, and she needs
much money fast - and the only man who has much money and wants to marry
her she knows of is Masters (John Turnbull) ... and just like that,
she has broken Bliss' heart.
But if it's money his sweetheart needs, Bliss is even willing to lose
his wager (50,000 Pounds, no less) and win her heart back instead - and of
course it all ends in a big wedding, and Bliss has become a better man.
One of those cute comedies: Not really funny but strong on moral, and
quite cheesy actually. In all, pretty much a waste of time, with even Cary
Grant being rather boring. And even though Howard Hawks' Bringing Up
Baby, possibly the Cary Grant comedy, was made a mere two years later,
it seems lightyears away.
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