Everybody's Hobby (1939)

HENRY O'NEILL has the leading role as a man whose wife encourages him to develop a hobby so he won't worry about being middle-aged. (O'Neill claims his age is 48 but he looks much older than that here). His son has a hobby of his own as a ham radio operator. When father and son take a trip to the country for a change of pace, they happen to be in the vicinity of a rapidly spreading fire. The father's new hobby as an amateur photographer comes in handy in detecting who set the fire.

It's a mixture of comedy and melodrama and not too successful on either front. IRENE RICH is the sensible wife and JACKIE MORAN is the teenager whose ability with his ham radio saves the day.

Not much more than a Warner programmer, it only deserves special mention for whomever designed the middle-class home the participants supposedly live in. The set design is a gem and worthy of an A-film.