John Fiedler

Two bumbling hustlers in the 1920s attempt to gain the fortune of an heiress. Nothing will stop them, not even murder. The early 1900s with its Mann Act (disallowing women to be transported across state lines for immoral reasons) brings a married man to devise a scheme for taking his upper-class girlfriend away with him. He simply has her marry his unmarried buddy. However, it doesn't take very long before both men start laying claim to her affection. Until, that is, she's about to be cut out of her parents' fortune. So, a new scheme is devised, which only adds to their problems, as well as to the sly whimsy of this movie. —BOB STEBBINS <stebinsbob@aol.com> It's sometime in the 1920s, when it is illegal, as per the Mann Act, for a man to transport a woman across state lines for immoral purposes, which is what married Nicky Stumpo wants to do with Freddie Bigard. Since he can't marry her himself for that purpose of crossing the state line, Nicky instead enlists his friend Oscar Sullivan, who is trying to evade the local police for embezzlement, to marry Freddie instead. The three, who plan to live together, will masquerade as an extended family under assumed surnames, Freddie and Oscar indeed married, with Nicky Freddie's brother, while behind closed doors Oscar will be the platonic third wheel in Nicky and Freddie's love nest. Although he is purportedly doing it for love, Nicky really wants access to Freddie's money, she being an heiress to a fortune about which Nicky tries to convince Oscar is untrue. The situation becomes more complicated with the combination of Oscar wanting to have his own way with Freddie, as he also does confirm Freddie's own personal wealth, and as Freddie informs her husband and "brother" that she plans on giving away her money. As such, Nicky and Oscar figure the only thing they can do to reach that goal of getting her money is to do away with her permanently - making it look either like suicide or an accident - which is easier said than done in how hapless they are as murderers. —Huggo

Fussy Felix Unger moves in with his divorced poker buddy, sloppy Oscar Madison. Felix's (Jack Lemmon) wife has left him and he is contemplating suicide. His friends sense his depression and one of them, Oscar (Walter Matthau), volunteers to take him in until he is fine again. The two of them are like chalk and cheese - Oscar is fun-loving, gregarious and slovenly, Felix is a shy, stay-at-home, obsessive-compulsive neat-freak. Being around Oscar brightens Felix up, but he quickly starts to irritate Oscar. —grantss Felix Ungar has just broken up with his wife. Despondent, he goes to kill himself but is saved by his friend Oscar Madison. With nowhere else to go, Felix is urged by Oscar to move in with him, at least for a while. The only problem is that Felix is neat, tidy, and neurotic, whereas Oscar is slovenly and casual. —Murray Chapman <muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au>

A rich businessman and a young woman are attracted to each other, but he only wants an affair while she wants to save herself for marriage. Cathy Timberlake is an old-fashioned country girl who meets the man of her dreams, Philip Shayne, after his Rolls Royce splashes her with mud on her way to a job interview. Philip is a romantic businessman who is taken by Cathy's honest heart. There's one problem: he's not interested in marriage, and she has never thought of anything else. —Kelly On a rainy day, currently-unemployed Cathy Timberlake is furious when a passing limousine, driving through a puddle, splashes her, muddying her coat and dress. She is even more furious when the limousine fails to stop, although she knows the limo's passenger saw her get splashed. She changes her tune when she meets that passenger: dashing, wealthy businessman Philip Shayne. Cathy is immediately attracted to him and he to her. However, ladies' man Philip is much more experienced than she, and she is unprepared for his lavish and elaborate proposal--that she accompany him immediately to Bermuda, Paris, and Monte Carlo--and its connotation that it hold no strings. Cathy turns to her streetwise roommate, Connie Emerson, for advice. As Philip and Cathy's whirlwind relationship progresses, Cathy's hesitance to "go all the way" with Philip always leads to frustration for him. Despite Philip and Cathy being unable to make a full connection, Philip's business associate Roger believes that Cathy is just what Philip needs in his life, as he has never needed to work at making a conquest. Although Cathy really does want to be with Philip and he wants to be with her, can they get over these initial obstacles? —Huggo While heading out to collect her unemployment paycheck and then to attend a job interview, naive Cathy Timberlake gets her coat mud-splashed by the Rolls Royce of millionaire businessman Philip Shayne. He sees her going to have lunch from his office and sends his financial advisor Roger to give her some money to compensate for her loss. The offer offends Cathy and she goes to Philip's office with the intention of throwing the money on his face. However, when she sees the handsome Philip, she immediately falls in love with him. They date and Cathy expects that Philip will propose--but he has no such intention. —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The Younger family consists of Mama and her college-age daughter Beneatha, her son Walter and his wife Ruth, and her 10 year old grandson Travis. The family has lived in the same cramped Chicago apartment for years. Walter is a chauffeur and Ruth works as a part-time maid. Mama has just retired as she is expecting a $10,000 life insurance check from her deceased husband's estate. Walter is very dissatisfied with his life and wants the $10,000 to open a liquor store with his friends. Ruth feels the money is Mama's to spend as she wishes and neither of them approve of Walter's dream. While waiting for the check to arrive, Walter has grown angry and bitter. He snaps at Travis and Beneatha, poking fun at his sister's dream of becoming a doctor. After school, Travis earns money by carrying groceries at the nearby supermarket. Mama worries because he doesn't have a proper bedroom and sleeps on the living room sofa. She is also worried about Ruth, who reveals that she is pregnant but hasn't told Walter yet. They can't afford more children. Beneatha's college friend from Africa, a Mr. Asagai, drops by. At Beneatha's request, he has borrowed a traditional African costume for her to wear. She reluctantly introduces him to Mama after warning her not to ask him "stupid" questions about Africa. Mr. Asagai is very good-natured and takes Mama's questions in stride. When the check arrives, Walter begs Mama yet again to let him borrow the money. He got one of his friends to write up a business plan, which Mama refuses to read. She uses part of the check to buy a house in Clybourne Park, which is an all-white neighborhood. The family will have much more room and Mama can plant a garden in the back yard. The rest of the money is set aside for Beneatha's education. Walter is furious and goes on a three-day drinking binge. His employer calls and says if he isn't back at work the next day he is fired. Mama goes to the bar and listens to Walter cry because he will never have his dream now. At last she relents and gives him the rest of the money. He and his friends give their combined cash to Willie, who is going to bribe certain officials to speed up their application for a liquor license. Only Willie leaves town instead, stealing the money of his friends. While all this was going on, an official from the Clybourne Park Home Association pays the Youngers a visit. In a nutshell, the white citizens don't want the Youngers moving into their neighborhood. The man offers Mama more than she paid to cancel the sale. But despite Walter's losing the money and likely his job, they decide to move after all.