Lo zio in vacanza

Interesting story of a sly old fox (George Arliss), owner of the Reeves Shoe Company, who seems like he'd rather be fishing with his pal in Maine than running the business, so heads off for a fishing holiday, leaving his conceited nephew in charge of biz. While out fishing, he accidentally meets up with the son and daughter of Hartland, his recently deceased one-time friend and biggest rival in the shoe business. Giving them a fake name, the two youths have no idea he is rival Reeves, but they are really more interested in contacting bootleggers, throwing drunken parties, and running through their inheritance anyway. After heading back home with these two to get an "inside look" at the workings of their shoe factory and make an offer to buy the company, Reeves sees that the company is being run into the ground and decides he would rather help these Hartlands out instead - see, he was once in love with their mother, not to mention his swollen-headed nephew thinks he's too old to run a business anymore - he'll show the young whippersnapper! So he gets the Hartland's to make him their new trustee/guardian (and they do it 'cause they think he is just a simple "old fisherman" who will give them all the money they want to run wild with), then takes a firm hold of the running of the company and the young Hartlands!

Really good film with excellent script and performances all around. George Arliss is an old charmer, really endearing in this film - he makes you really want to root for him. Bette Davis looks real cute in this, and does a great job, as always, in her part. The story is lots of fun to watch, and left me with a smile at the end - credit for this film really belongs to George Arliss who dominates the film and makes it a good one.

This obscure "Bette Davis" film is obscure enough that I had never seen it. I had heard that this was another of the minor programmers Davis made towards the beginning of the Warner Brothers career. I had also seen a number of George Arliss films and while I enjoyed them, I always thought Alriss' style of theatrical acting was quite out of date in 1933.

What a pleasant surprise! This was shown on TCM today, and is a cleverly written story about a man helps a rival company out of his problems due to his prior love for the late rival's late wife, and the fact that he met and like her children! This is not a typical Warner Brothers programmer....in many ways it's one of the brightest, most enjoyable Warner Brothers films of the period.

Gee, it would be swell to see Warners put it out on DVD.

You know as soon as you hear Leo Forbstein's opening music from 42nd Street that this is going to give you that warm, slightly edgy but comfy high you only get from a Warner Brothers pre-code movie. This one's witty, it's upbeat but maybe a bit too 'nice.' Some reviewers seem to love this more than life itself - I thought it was ok.

It's got a nice vibe about it and although it's not at all sentimental it does have one of those 'let's celebrate the human spirit' types of moral message. The grown-up story and script however are cleverly written so its Capra-like message is delivered in a non-preachy way without ramming any of it down your throat. Like one of Capra's late 30s films, this also leaves you quite uplifted and inexplicably pleased with yourself for being one of those nice humans! If you're feeling a bit down, you'll feel better about life when you've watched this.

The one thing which lets this down is the acting - we're talking extras in FLASH GORDON skill levels here! During the early thirties, director John Adolfi was synonymous with George Arliss - he directed Mr Arliss quite well but he seemed to have ignored the rest of his cast. Being a silent film director, he didn't seem to notice how dreadful and totally unnatural the rest of the actors are. There doesn't seem any consistency in the characterisations - some are blustering with gestures like a villain from a Chaplin film whereas others just seem bored. One person does stand out - Theodore Newton gives one of the worst acting performances ever: you feel embarrassed for him. Obviously Bette Davis is predictably and annoyingly perfect actor but as for the rest of them, including George Arliss, it all seems a bit under-rehearsed. Coming from Warner Brothers, that's probably true - the whole thing was shot in just over a fortnight so maybe if they'd devoted a little more time to this it could have been less amateurish. I'm thinking it was the timescale because Adolfi did CENTRAL PARK with Joan Blondell a year earlier and the acting in that was perfectly fine.

Overall it's surprisingly more entertaining than you think it's going to be. It's a happy film - and an intelligently written film too. I'm not sure I'd call it a comedy though.

Starring a great actor, George Arliss, whose talents are on display throughout this film, The Working Man also features a young Bette Davis, Hardie Albright, and Theodore Newton, all of whom should have become major star vehicles for Warner. In a plot that is unusual, but easy to follow, the best of human nature is brought to the surface and that is always a winner with an audience. This film feels "right" from beginning to end, and all of the people involved in its production deserve credit for an early lighthearted masterpiece. This should be considered a classic in that vein. A must see for any film aficionado or just an entertaining evening watching a movie for the family. This is worthy of the highest ratings.

This was the second of two films that a young Bette Davis made with the great English actor George Arliss. In both films this one and The Man Who Played God, Arliss plays an older man who enjoys manipulating events and people for their own good as he sees it. In fact that other title is rather self explanatory.

The Working Man casts Arliss as a wealthy shoe manufacturer who is taking a long needed vacation and he leaves his nephew Hardie Albright in charge of the company. While on that vacation he meets the children of a recently deceased rival who are nice kids, but are wastrels and spendthrifts without a thought as to how the money they spend is made. In fact dad's company is tobogganing into bankruptcy due to bad management.

Bette Davis and Theodore Newton could have been his kids. The great manipulator gets him appointed the man who administers their trust and installs some discipline in both their lives. The end absolutely rights itself.

Bette Davis was never known for praising her colleagues save for a few. But George Arliss was one of the few who saw some of the talent and the fire in that woman to succeed and said so loudly and publicly to the brothers Warner. She writes in her memoirs how ever grateful she was to him for the rest of her life.

The fire in Davis burns rather brightly here because it contrasts with both Theodore Newton and Hardie Albright, a pair of young actors who give good performances, but really are rather bland next to Davis.

And Arliss is always a delight in comedy or drama. You've got to love that foxy old guy. And love The Working Man as well.