''Private Affairs'' is a 1940

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

starring

Nancy Kelly Nancy Kelly (March 25, 1921 – January 2, 1995) was an American actress in film, theater and television. A child actress and model, she was a repertory cast member of CBS Radio's ''The March of Time'' and appeared in several films in the late 1 ...

, with a supporting cast including

Hugh Herbert Hugh Herbert (August 10, 1885 – March 12, 1952) was an American motion picture comedian. He began his career in vaudeville and wrote more than 150 plays and sketches. Career Born in Binghamton, New York, Herbert attended Cornell Univers ...

Roland Young Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...

, and

Robert Cummings Charles Clarence Robert Orville Cummings (June 9, 1910 – December 2, 1990) was an American film and television actor who appeared in roles in comedy films such as '' The Devil and Miss Jones'' (1941) and ''Princess O'Rourke'' (1943), and in ...

. The film was directed by

Albert S. Rogell Albert S. Rogell (August 21, 1901 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - April 7, 1988 Los Angeles, California) was an American film director. Rogell directed more than a hundred movies between 1921 and 1958. He was the uncle of producer Sid Rogell. Filmogr ...

Plot

Amos Bullerton from Boston is the first in a long line of

patrician Patrician may refer to: * Patrician (ancient Rome), the original aristocratic families of ancient Rome, and a synonym for "aristocratic" in modern English usage * Patrician (post-Roman Europe), the governing elites of cities in parts of medieval ...

aristocrats to marry a commoner, which makes his father, Noble, furious and prompts him to remove Amos from his will. Amos takes up residence in New York and starts working as a stock broker. After fifteen years in New York without any contact with his family, Amos is visited by his young daughter Jane. She is coming to New York to get his approval of dumping her current aristocratic fiancé Herbert Stanley. Instead she is determined to marry Jimmy Nolan, a law clerk working for her grandfather Noble. Amos runs out of luck and has to partner up with a taxi driver when he is too much in debt and cannot pay his fare. He "hires" the driver, Angus McPherson to get rid of the debt. He is hired by a dubious stock broker named George Gilkin, who wants to use Amos' last name for a profit. Amos is tricked use his last name to draw new clients to his business. Amos is left in charge of the firm's new Boston branch, and has to return home after years of exile. Soon enough he finds that the Bullerton name isn't quite as helpful as he had imagined. Jimmy comes up with the idea to throw a big welcome-home party to give the illusion of Noble's support for hs long lost son. Jimmy plans to drive Noble to the party without the old man knowing where he is headed. When Noble shows up at the party the stock indeed rises, but Gilkin is anxious to drive the price of the stock down again, eager to make a profit if his own. When Amos and Angus find out about Gilkin's plans, they pursue him on hus way back to New York, to stop him from spreading ill-fated rumors about the Bullertons at the stock market. After passing numerous obstacles, Amos manages to prevent Gilkin's return to New York and locks him up in a small town somewhere in New England where he can't do any harm. Jane finally marries her beloved Jimmy and Amos reconciles with his father.

Cast

as Jane Bullerton *

as Angus McPherson *

as Amos Bullerton *

as Jimmy Nolan *

Montagu Love Montagu Love (15 March 1877 – 17 May 1943) was an English screen, stage and vaudeville actor. Early years Born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, Love was the son of Harry Love and Fanny Louisa Love, née Poad; his father was listed as accountant ...

as Noble Bullerton * Jonathan Hale as George Gilkins * Florence Shirley as Mrs. Gilkins * G. P. Huntley Jr. as Herbert Stanley * Dick Purcell as Dick Cartwright *

Leonard Carey Leonard Carey (25 February 1887 – 11 September 1977) was an English character actor who very often played butlers in Hollywood films of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. He was also active in television during the 1950s. He is perhaps best known f ...

as Casper *

Mary Forbes Mary Forbes (born Ethel Louise Young; 1 January 1883 – 22 July 1974) was a British-American film actress, based in the United States in her latter years, where she died. She appeared in more than 130 films between 1919 and 1958.

as Mrs. Stanley * Douglas Wood as Mr. Stanley *

Granville Bates Granville Bates (January 7, 1882 – July 8, 1940) was an American character actor and bit player, appearing in over ninety films. Biography Bates was born in Chicago in 1882 to Granville Bates, Sr., a developer and builder, and Adaline Bates ...

as Judge Hamilton

Production

It was known as ''One of the Boston Bullertons'', the title of the magazine story on which it was based. Universal announced the film in March 1940. Filming took place in April 1940. It was retitled ''Private Affairs'' in May.

References

External links

* {{Albert S. Rogell 1940 films 1940s English-language films Films directed by Albert S. Rogell 1940 comedy films Universal Pictures films American comedy films American black-and-white films 1940s American films