Rich Man, Poor Girl (1938)

What makes it different from others?

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Blistering performances.

I guess "Rich Man, Poor Girl" is supposed to be akin to "You Can't Take it With You" in that the Thayers are kind of whacko.This is a pleasant film about a wealthy man, Bill Harrison (Robert Young), who falls in love with his secretary, Joan Thayer (Ruth Hussey). She is a member of the Great Working Class.When she brings him home to meet the family, Joan realizes how far apart they are in terms of class and upbringing. She thinks they should wait to marry. To move the date sooner, Harrison moves in with the family. But when he tries to help them, his generosity isn't always well received.Lana Turner plays Helen, Joan's sister. Here she's probably 17 or 18 and adorable. Helen is thrilled that there's going to be a rich man in the family and can't wait. Her cousin Henry (Lew Ayres) is constantly giving bombastic lectures about the curse of "the great working class" and boy, does he sound timely. His speeches could be written today. For instance, he complains that a poor man can walk into a hospital and be treated, a wealthy man can afford to be treated, but what about the middle class? He has to pay and it could easily wipe him out.This is certainly a lively film, with Turner a standout. It's light but fun.

Ruth Hussey works for Robert Young and is preparing to go on vacation, so she instructs Virginia Grey what to do and how and when to do it in her absence. But then Bob enters the office and we see that Bob and Ruth are more than boss and secretary. Long story short, she doesn't go on her vacation after all, when Bob on the spot proposes to her. But, after missing her train, instead of jumping in with both feet, her pride gets in the way and she tells him they need to wait, because essentially they come from different backgrounds. So he decides, in order to understand her point of view, he must live with her family for a spell. Enter Ruth's zany family, especially Lew Ayres, who plays a cousin and who is constantly spouting off about "the great working class." Picture this. A rich man needs his appendix out. No problem. He can pay it. A poor man needs his appendix out. No problem. He's poor and not expected to pay. But the working class, woe is him. He's always behind the eight ball with bills and an operation he's expected to pay and go in debt because of it. This film is never dull and is very stimulating with constant bickering between him and sister Lana Turner, who dreams of a plush life, with nice things and keeps calling their place "a dump." Lana makes the most of her supporting role and gives a great performance, especially in her big crying scene. It could be said that she stands out as the highlight of the film, aside from Lew's tirades. (Lana had already been in the Andy Hardy series at this point and would make two more pictures with costar Lew Ayres. Lana's stardom was definitely on the ascendant. And, by the way, this is the first time she and costar Virginia Grey would be in the same picture together. Ms. Grey would be Lana's most frequent costar in her career.) Guy Kibbee is the father, who works in a hardware school and the mother loves the sea, as her ancestors were whalers. From stimulating conversation about "the great working class" and health reform (ideas still relevant today) and the chaotic life it appears the Thayers live, this short film delivers a punch and will leave you pleasantly fulfilled. "Rich Man, Poor Girl" is a stepping stone in the career of Lana Turner that has gotten lost in the shuffle, but its ideas are timeless and its characters are too vivid to forget.

There are two things interesting about this film. First off, a particularly strong cast for a B picture. The second thing that is interesting about this film is that it is a switch on an engagement of a rich man and a poor girl -- it's the poor folk who are the snobs here (well, not all of them, but that's really the point of the film).Robert Young was excellent here, and it reminds me that I often wondered why he wasn't more successful in films (of course, that lack of success led to one of the most successful careers in television, so who's complaining?). Here he plays the rich man who wants to marry the somewhat poor girl...his secretary.Ruth Hussey is the female lead -- the secretary. She's also excellent here.And then you have the supporting roles. Lana Turner in a very different role for her, and she's so young here it's almost difficult to recognize her. When she was older, I liked Lana Turner very much, but I was not particularly impressed here with her one especially big scene' it just seemed forced.Guy Kibbee (always a welcome face in film) plays the father here, and it works just right.Lew Ayres plays the ne'er do well brother who is always losing a job and who really dislikes the rich. He comes across as a whiner. His role is sometimes a bit like oin "Holiday", but in "Holiday" it worked...here it doesn't.Sarah Padden is wonderful as the very common-sense mother.The film would be much better if they chopped the first 5 or so minutes off. It starts off terribly and irrelevantly. It gets much better as Young is introduced to the family (except for the reaction of Lew Ayres) and goes to live with them in their middle class apartment for a few days. It all seems rather lighthearted, but the mood changes drastically toward the end of the film...and then...Definitely a B film, but an interesting one...just ignore the opening scenes.

After first being awestruck over Lana Turner in The Postman Always Rings Twice, I was eager to see any film she appeared in. Rich Man, Poor Girl appeared without fuss on television and a part of my heart was stolen by a black and white image! Oh the wonder of film. I recall the film as being 'worthwhile' even if you weren't in Love with Lana but I was left wishing I had recorded it! I looked the film up afterwards in my movie guide and it said that the film is remarkable only as a record of Lana Turner's beauty, describing her as radiant. I agree wholeheartedly. Imagining the film with another actress in Lana's role, I can only see an average film.Lana makes every single one of today's screen beauties fade into mediocrity by comparison. See this film if you want to see a bona fide legendary screen beauty in full bloom.