''Maid's Night Out'' is a 1938 American

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

film made by

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orphe ...

and starring

Joan Fontaine Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland (October 22, 1917 – December 15, 2013), known professionally as Joan Fontaine, was a British-American actress who is best known for her starring roles in Hollywood films during the "Golden Age". Fontaine appeared ...

and

Allan Lane Allan "Rocky" Lane (born Harry Leonard Albershardt; September 22, 1909 – October 27, 1973) was an American studio leading man and the star of many cowboy B-movies in the 1940s and 1950s. He appeared in more than 125 films and TV shows in ...

. It was

directed Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

Ben Holmes Ben Holmes (November 6, 1890 – December 2, 1943) was an American film director and screenwriter. He directed 56 films and wrote for 35. Selected filmography * ''So This Is Harris!'' (1933) * ''Too Many Wives'' (1937); directed * ''There ...

from a

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...

Bert Granet Bert Granet (July 10, 1910 – November 15, 2002) was an American writer and television producer whose credits included ''The Locket'' (1946) for RKO Radio Pictures. Granet worked with Desilu Productions and was instrumental in getting Rod Serlin ...

, adapted by from the radio play ''Certified'' (also produced by RKO) by Willoughby Speyers.

Plot

Playboy Bill Norman wants to go on a six-month expedition to study tropical fish, but his wealthy businessman father wants him to buckle down and go to work. When Mr. Norman catches Bill trying to "borrow" his yacht, they make a wager. If Bill works for 30 days at the family dairy business without making a single mistake, Mr. Norman will finance his expedition. Norman assumes he will be an executive, but his father makes him deliver milk instead. On his route, he meets Sheila Harrison, whom he thinks is a maid, but is in fact a socialite. She and her mother are in such deep financial trouble, they cannot pay their bills or their loyal maid Mary. Mrs. Harrison pins her hopes on Sheila marrying wealthy Wally Martin, but Sheila does not like him. At first, Sheila does not much care for Bill either, but he eventually wins her affections. However, when Sheila is pressured by her mother to break her date with Bill to attend a charity ball with Wally, she encounters Bill there with his beautiful cousin Adele. Wally insists Sheila is his fiancée, and she does not believe Bill's claim that Adele is merely his cousin, so the couple break up. After Bill is tossed out for punching Wally, Adele overhears Sheila deny she is engaged, and tells Bill. Tim Hogan, a fellow milk deliveryman and friend, drives Bill to Sheila's home to try to speak to her, but the police are called and Bill is arrested. Hogan manages to convince Sheila that Bill loves her; it also helps when he reveals who Bill actually is. Mary spots them leaving in Hogan's milk truck and assumes Sheila is being kidnapped. The police are alerted. Meanwhile, Sheila puts on a uniform and sets out to deliver the milk on the last day of the bet. Bill gets himself bailed out and catches up with Sheila. Chased by the police, they complete Bill's rounds and return to the dairy with seconds to spare to win the bet. Mr. Norman and Mrs. Harrison recognize each other, and once they figure out what is going on, approve of Bill and Sheila's relationship.

Cast

as Sheila Harrison *

as Bill Norman *

Billy Gilbert William Gilbert Barron (September 12, 1894 – September 23, 1971), known professionally as Billy Gilbert, was an American actor and comedian. He was known for his comic sneeze routines. He appeared in over 200 feature films, short subjects a ...

as Mr. Papalapoulas, a street vendor of fish whose cart is run into by Wally's car *

Cecil Kellaway Cecil Lauriston Kellaway (22 August 1890 – 28 February 1973) was a South African character actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor twice, for '' The Luck of the Irish'' (1948) and ''Guess Who's Coming to Dinne ...

as Geoffrey, the Normans' butler *

Hedda Hopper Hedda Hopper (born Elda Furry; May 2, 1885February 1, 1966) was an American gossip columnist and actress. At the height of her influence in the 1940s, her readership was 35 million. A strong supporter of the House Un-American Activities Committ ...

as Mrs. Harrison * William Brisbane as Wally Martin *

Vicki Lester Vicki Lester (born Dorothy Gertrude Day; April 7, 1915 – May 7, 2001) was an American actress. She is best known for appearing in ''Sky Giant'' (1938), ''The Mad Miss Manton'' (1938) and ''The Lone Rider and the Bandit'' (1942). Biograp ...

as Adele *

Hilda Vaughn Hilda Vaughn (December 27, 1898 – December 28, 1957) was an American actress of the stage, film, radio, and television. Early years Hilda Weiller Strouse, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Eli Strouse, Vaughn attended Vassar College and the Ame ...

as Mary * George Irving as Mr. Norman *

Frank M. Thomas Frank Marion Thomas (July 13, 1889 – November 25, 1989) was an American character actor of stage, screen and television. He and his wife, actress Mona Bruns, both lived to 100 years old. He died the day before her 90th birthday; she died 11 y ...

as "Mac" McCarthy * Solly Ward as Mischa, a communist dairy employee *

Eddie Gribbon Eddie Gribbon (January 3, 1890 – September 29, 1965) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 180 films from the 1910s to the 1950s. Gribbon began working in Mack Sennett films in 1916 and continued through the 1920s. He usuall ...

as Tim Hogan

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Maid's Night Out 1938 films 1938 romantic comedy films American romantic comedy films American black-and-white films Films directed by Ben Holmes RKO Pictures films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films