A wealthy industrialist tests the loyalty of his spoiled children and selfish wife by pretending to be broke.A wealthy industrialist tests the loyalty of his spoiled children and selfish wife by pretending to be broke.A wealthy industrialist tests the loyalty of his spoiled children and selfish wife by pretending to be broke.
George Arliss
- Henry Wilton
- (as Mr. George Arliss)
Harold Minjir
- Watson - Eddie's Valet
- (as Harold Minjur)
Leon Ames
- Barney Davis - Witon's Junior Associate
- (as Leon Waycoff)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe play by Clare Kummer originally opened on Broadway at the Booth Theatre on 5 February 1917, and ran for 144 performances before closing for the summer (there was no air conditioning in those days). It then reopened on 10 October 1917 at the Plymouth Theatre. The opening night cast included Katharine Alexander, William Gillette, Estelle Winwood and Roland Young.
- GoofsThe polo scenes in the early part of the film include large mountains in the background which is curious since the setting is supposed to be Long Island, NY.
- Quotes
Emmy 'Sweetie' Wilton: Weren't you naughty not to let us know you were coming a day earlier.
Featured review
A marvelous little comedy that deserves to be remembered
Sadly, while George Arliss was known by his colleagues as a great stage actor, the number of films he appeared in were relatively few despite his talents. In each of them I have seen, he gave a seemingly effortless and graceful performance that made me love his characters--in other words, he gave them great life and charm. Here, Arliss plays a major industrialist who spent a year abroad following WWI working for the American government. However, when he returns, he finds that his wife and grown kids are too busy to truly welcome him home and he longs for a happy family life. Then, rather by accident, he comes upon the idea of convincing the family that despite his millions, he is in fact broke. Here is where the film really comes to life. How each of these people as well as Arliss' butler react to the calamity is quite amazing--especially since the script is so magnificently written, it kept me guessing to the very end. It's not often that a film does this, as most films are rather derivative.
In addition to Arliss, Mary Astor, Grant Mitchell and the rest of the family, towards the end is a brief appearance of a very young Randolph Scott--and boy does he look young.
Lovely acting, great script writing and direction make this a wonderful comedy treat that deserves to be remembered. Watch the film then tell your friends--this one is a keeper!
In addition to Arliss, Mary Astor, Grant Mitchell and the rest of the family, towards the end is a brief appearance of a very young Randolph Scott--and boy does he look young.
Lovely acting, great script writing and direction make this a wonderful comedy treat that deserves to be remembered. Watch the film then tell your friends--this one is a keeper!
helpful•202
- planktonrules
- Sep 4, 2007
Details
- Runtime1 hour 12 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was A Successful Calamity (1932) officially released in Canada in English?
Answer