The Private Secretary [1935] [DVD]

A timid and dim-witted clergyman is duped into helping a playboy avoid his creditors, inherit his uncle's fortune and get the girl.

"A very minor quota quickie from Julius Hagen, but a pleasure to watch, with some very good performances and laugh-out-loud moments. The plot, such as it is, requires practically everyone in the film to be mistaken for someone else, and although most of the situations are somewhat telegraphed and barely plausible - and the ending of the film is hardly in doubt - it is great fun to watch them all unfold. The most bizarre aspect of the film is the appearance of Edward Everett Horton as the eponymous secretary - this only a few weeks after making Top Hat with Fred and Ginger. What possessed him? He turns in a typical performance, but large chunks of the film consist purely of location footage of the great man doing some comedy confusion and pratfalls, in London (fascinating for the social historians among us) and the country. One can only imagine how the film was made - did the solo footage come later, to pad the film out? Or beforehand? Star performance is that of Oscar Asche as the portly rich uncle back from India. But also worthy of note is an early performance by Alastair Sim as a fake spiritualist, his trademark lugubriousness already in place."