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| Brian Aherne and Kay Francis |
THE MAN WHO LOST HIMSELF (1941). Director: Edward Ludwig.
John Evans and Malcolm Scott (both played by Brian Aherne of
My Son, My Son) both look exactly alike, so alike that no one, including Scott's wife, Adrienne (Kay Francis of
The Keyhole), can tell them apart. Evans wakes up in Scott's bed -- sans Scott -- and the household staff, including lovable Paul (S. Z. Sakall of
Lullaby of Broadway) assume he is their employer. Evans discovers that "he" died in a fall in front of a subway train, when the dead man is actually Malcolm Scott. When John realizes that he is attracted to Adrienne, who is on the perpetual verge of divorcing Scott, he decides to assume the other man's identity. And this is a comedy?
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| Glamorous Kay |
The Man Who Lost Himself offers some intriguing situations but hasn't much idea what to do with them. Evans doesn't seem the slightest bit upset when he learns of Malcolm's death, but this is made somewhat palatable when we learn that Scott was a bit of a bounder. The cast, including a very enthusiastic Aherne, the glamorously caparisoned Francis, and especially the wonderful "Cuddles" Sakall do their best with the material, but there's a kind of grotesque seriousness underneath the silliness that strips the film of its alleged fun quotient. The picture
could have been a funny movie but aside from one or two chuckles it just isn't. It may have worked better as a drama.
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| "Cuddles" Sakall and Brian Aherne |
Other cast members include Henry Stephenson as the family lawyer; Dorothy Tree as a girlfriend of Scott's nicknamed Boobie Woobie; Nils Asther as an admirer of Adrienne's; Marc Lawrence as a would-be blackmailer; Sig Ruman and Barlowe Borland as psychiatrists; Henry Kolker as a business associate; and Eden Gray as Scott's sister Venetia. They all give it their best but it just isn't enough. Of all the films about doubles taking the place of someone else, this is one of the least interesting. There is no explanation for why the two men look like identical twins but apparently aren't.
Verdict: Lots of possibilities that add up to very little. **.
Am just now discovering the glorious Miss Kay Francis since TCM has been featuring a lot of her films lately. This one may not be great, but I bet she is wonderful in it nevertheless. I will give it a look.
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With the right script and director, Francis, who was often considered a clothes horse and not an actress, can really shine. I always thought she was under-rated. This flick is not a great showcase for her but she did so many films I've no doubt TCM will unveil some gems. Funny how she really was a "forgotten" movie star for so many decades and then was rediscovered thanks to the video/DVD revolution, TCM, and a couple of earnest biographer-fans. Never saw her on TV when I was a kid, and didn't see any pf her movies until I was much, much older.
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