Tonight's Movie: The Baroness and the Butler (1938)

THE BARONESS AND THE BUTLER is a modest 20th Century-Fox comedy about a butler (William Powell) whose life becomes very complicated after he is elected to the Hungarian Parliament -- as a member of the opposition to his employer, Prime Minister Albert Sandor (Henry Stephenson). Things also become confused at home, as the butler and the Prime Minister's daughter (Annabella) share a growing attraction, but she is already married to another member of Parliament (Joseph Schildkraut).

Powell -- who was loaned to 20th from MGM -- is always a delight, but I confess I didn't find Annabella very interesting, and her accent made following her a bit of a challenge. On the plus side, Henry Stephenson is one of my favorite character actors and he has lots of screen time in this one.

It's a fairly slow-paced film, but it does have its moments. It also boasts a gorgeous swimming pool set!

A young Lynn Bari has what appears to be just her second credited role, after bit parts in roughly six dozen films; she plays a saucy maid who attempts to attract the butler's attention. The supporting cast also includes Nigel Bruce, Helen Westley, and J. Edward Bromberg.

The movie was directed by Walter Lang. It runs just 79 minutes.

The film is not available on DVD or VHS. The print I recently recorded off Fox Movie Channel had a soundtrack which was somewhat muffled in spots, which presented a particular challenge when trying to understand Annabella's strong French accent.

Thanks to having watched the first half of WOMAN'S WORLD yesterday, and the next two movies (including THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE) being quite short, we managed to start our holiday weekend with a rare triple bill today! Combined with successfully completing house projects and a new recipe for barbecued pork chops which was a hit, all around this was a very pleasant day.

Have a great Independence Day, everyone!

2012 Update: THE BARONESS AND THE BUTLER is now available on DVD-R via the Fox Cinema Archives.