Movie Review: Too Many Women (1942)
Synopsis: Richard Sutton is a compulsive liar and while he loves his fiancée, Linda, he also has Gwenny and Barbara believing he is romantically interested in them too. To avoid taking a job he doesn't want, Richard lies about collecting a $3 million inheritance from a deceased uncle. Unfortunately for him, the story gets around and unable to come clean because he believes his sickly grandmother will die if she learns he lied to her, Richard's life begins to spiral out of control, and he is soon engaged to Linda, Gwenny and Barbara while watching his limited amount of money get spent trying to keep up the pretense.
Who's in it? The movie stars Neil Hamilton, June Lang, Joyce Compton, Barbara Reed and Fred Sherman.
Review: I've had Too Many Women in my library for a couple weeks, mostly because I've liked other June Lang movies and figured I'd give it a try. I finally got around to watching it this morning and it turned out to be an OK choice.
As far as the plot goes, it was interesting and entertaining. I especially liked how Richard's (Hamilton) lie spiraled so quickly both because of things he did and things that were outside his control. I also found myself wondering just how many people actually believed his lie and how many were just playing along as a way of teaching him a lesson, especially his grandmother (Kate MacKenna), who didn't seem as sick as her doctor (Maurice Cass) claimed she was.
I will also admit my first impression was "oh poor man, he has three beautiful women who want to be with him" but did gradually change as I realized just how much of a problem pretending to be a millionaire was proving to be, especially since Richard had a bad habit of blacking out, either by drinking too much or accidentally taking a sleeping pill, and waking up to find himself in a deeper hole.
I also thought his three love interests each brought something unique. His romance with Linda (Reed) seemed genuine. Barbara (Compton) in comparison, only seemed to be interested in him for money while Gwenny (Lang) was a bit of a wildcard I couldn't quite figure out - I didn't know if she was after money, actually wanted to marry Richard or was just playing a game and trying to teach him a lesson.
My biggest problem with the movie, ironically, is Richard himself. I just didn't think he was all that likeable as a character, especially with the way he was juggling three women even before he pretended to be rich. Frankly, I don't think any of the bad things that did happen to him were even remotely enough punishment. I thought it was an OK movie, but it would have been a much better movie had the main character felt more like a victim.
Final Opinion: I was entertained and did become even more of a June Lang fan after seeing her performance. I just wish the film would have made the protagonist a bit less sleezy.
My Grade: B
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Here are some reviews of other 1940s comedies:
Movie Review: Lucky Ghost (1942)
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