Affairs of Geraldine (1946) User Reviews (3)

Light weight and charming, "B" romantic, comedy, drama, musical star vehicle for multi-talented Jane Withers!

[Larry41OnEbay-2 · 6/10 · 8 April 2011]

I saw it on April 6, 2011 in 35mm on the big screen, thanks to the Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation in Culpeper, VA.

When it was added to the schedule, I researched the title on the web to see no one had commented on it on the IMDb and only the AFI had a brief plot description.

Hoping to learn more about the film, I contacted its star Jane Withers, who is wonderful at telling stories from her amazing career. (Jane 85th birthday is on 4/12/2011.) Jane remembered her co-star James "Jimmy" Lydon (of Henry Aldrich fame) and said they have been friends for over 62 years! And she talked about what a treat it was to work with the great character actor Donald Meek who would tragically die of leukemia on the very day the film opened, November 18, 1946.

SPOILERS:

This "B" romantic, comedy, drama, musical is about Geraldine "Gerry" Cooper (a 20 year old Jane Withers) living in the small town of Cooperville with her two older brothers. As the film opens we learn their mother has just passed away and left a large inheritance (most of the small businesses in Coopersville are owned by the Cooper family) to her three children. But she leaves special instructions to the sons (Grant Withers & William Haade) to help Gerry find a husband and give up her fascination with fire trucks. The brothers over-enthusiastically encourage several local boys to attend an 18th birthday party for Gerry which leads to an embarrassing situation. Sadly she does not know that local baker Willy Briggs (James "Jimmy" Lydon) has been in love with her for years.

Gerry leaves town and meets Casper Milhouse (Donald Meek) on a train. Millhouse recommends a lonely hearts club run by Amos Hartwell (Raymond Walburn) where he found his true love. Hartwell hires Gerry to be his new secretary (his past secretaries kept getting married). She organizes dances and expands his radio spots by becoming "Madame L'Amour" giving advice to the lovelorn.

Gerry thinks she finds love with a handsome, smooth talking "so called" self-made man who wants to find love with an also-wealthy woman who would not be after his money. There are several other characters, plot twists, catchy songs and even three sexy acrobats performing in the light weight charmer.

It would be ideal for film festivals wanting to share a forgotten treasure. Film gets a 6 and Jane a 10!

Is there happiness for poor little rich girl?

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 23 June 2019]

In one of the cruelest gags ever to occur at a party, Jane Withers overhears her late mother's private request that she find a husband among the men in her hometown and avoid the gold diggers. Humiliated by the situation, she runs to New York and becomes a spokesperson for Raymond Walburn matrimonial Club, basically a highbrow singles club with games, songs and dances and a little bit of bigamy. But in the process, Little Miss fix it sets up a lot of people to be happy including the adorable Donald Meek whom she met on the train and several people in her own hometown, settling the score without getting revenge. But her boyfriend Jimmy Lydon, a small town drug store clerk is upset when Withers ends up engaged to suave Charles Quigley whom the audience can tell is a snake in the grass.

An enjoyable if farfetched comedy with songs and dances, this shows the ultra talented Withers at her cheery best, although with the situation that occurs, she is distraught much of the time. She utilizes a silly French accent when in disguise as the matrimonial club spokesperson, fooling some of the people in her hometown and basically teaching them a lesson for what they had done to her at her birthday party after being named the heiress to her mother's estate. Some fun character performances, especially by Walburn and Meek, makes this an entertaining second-tier comedy, at a nice use of sound effects every time somebody kisses someone they either love or despise.

Is Love Of Money The Root Of All Matrimony?

[boblipton · 5/10 · 7 December 2023]

When Jane Withers inherits a hundred thousand dollars, she fears everyone in town wants to marry her for her money, even longtime sweetheart Jimmy Lydon. She flees to te big city, where she goes to work for Raymond Walburn's matrimonial club. Handsome Charles Quigley joins, espousing the same phobia as hers. His solution is for her to select for him a mate who also has money. Miss Withers chooses herself. Is she choosing wisely?

It's a mild comedy running on the fumes of its juvenile leads star wattage, with Walburn and Donald Meek along to add to the fun. In fact, Meek died the day it was released. Director George Blair demonstrates his all-around B-movie competence.