There was a time Paramount really thought John Lund was going to be the next big thing - he starred in four Charles Brackett productions,of which this was number three.
It's a comedy where Lund is a stuntman (leading to an opening film sequence with cameos from Ray Milland and Mitchell Leisen - as in Hold Back the Dawn) who is hired by Barry Fitzgerald (not in a big role) to play the odd son of a rich family. "Odd" as in mentally disabled and Lund spends slabs of running time with glasses and a slack jawed expression playing a Jerry Lewis character - stuff that has to be seen to be believed. Lund was fine holding a hat and propping up a woman but called on to be "funny" he collapsed in a heap, as shown in My Friend Irma.
The basic story of this is fine - impersonate a rich person to get money, clash with greedy relatives (including Monty Woolley and Robert Stack, here in a support role)... fall in love with your "sister" so you are torn. (Branded did a serious Western version of the story with Alan Ladd).
But it's so unfunny. Lund hasn't got the star charisma to pull this off. Watching him impersonate people isn't funny. Wanda Hendrix is pretty enough but there's no heat between her and Lund. Fitzgerald and Wolley pop in and out but there's no sense of tension, accumulating gags. Lund plays a character who is a dill sometimes, normal others.
Richard Haydn directed and plays a role. Charles Brackett wrote it with Richard Breen and produced. It's dull, not fun. It made some money - was a minor hit and profitable according to Brackett's diaries (I guess it mostly takes place in a house with B quality talent.)
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