Some actors and actresses have generational appeal. Some folks think of Katharine Hepburn as Jo in Little Women, and some think of her as the gray-haired mom in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? Joan Bennett, for me, will always be the little blonde Amy from Little Women (the same version, ironically); but for others, she'll always be the middle-aged mother in Father of the Bride. If you want to see her in her younger years, but with her brown hair, check out the funny comedy Girl Trouble.
Joan plays a high society dame who's recently found out she's broke. She needs to rent out her lavish apartment, and due to a misunderstanding, she ends up staying there as the maid! Don Ameche, in town on a big business deal, rents the place and is very disappointed by her level of service. She sleeps in despite his wake-up call request, she ruins breakfast, and misplaces all his clothes. He picks up a piece of burnt toast with his fingertips, and she explains, "I thought you could scrape it the way you like it." The humor in this movie is classic of the silver screen, making jokes about high society, the Depression, and the horror of wearing the wrong tuxedo to a party. But I love old movies, so I was cracking up.
This movie features Billie Burke's funniest performance as a ditzy Spring Byington type. "That gown! Wherever did you get it?" she exclaims at a dinner party to Helene Reynolds. Then she opens her coat and reveals an identical gown. "Don't tell me. I already know!" In the same conversation, Don Ameche is wearing a wrong sized tuxedo and his arm doesn't reach out all the way when he extends his hand in a handshake. Billie shrieks, "Oh, he's lost his hand! Did I tell you, Margaret lost her teeth last week?" It's hilarious. For some silly escapism fun with Joan Bennett fretting about juggling her dual-identity as a rich woman and a housekeeper, check it out.
