Lazybones

Adapted from a play by Ernest Denny, this was one of director Michael Powell's "quota quickies" that lived up to the name, being filmed in a scant thirteen nights. (The stars were appearing in West End plays and couldn't film during the day, a not-uncommon practice at the time.) The lazybones of the title is Sir Reginald Ford, a baronet who has made indolence into an art form and sees no reason to change his ways -- until discovering that his means of support has dried up. With no recourse but to make an appropriate marriage, Ford pursues Kitty McCarthy, an American heiress, with considerable success. Just as things seem to be going along smoothly, Ford discovers that Kitty has lost her fortune. In the midst of all this, Ford discovers he has fallen in love with Kitty, not her money; further complications ensue as Kitty's conniving cousin Mike comes on the scene and tries to involve her in a wicked scheme. Shaking off his accustomed lethargy, Ford springs into high gear and rids Kitty of her cousin, while at the same time coming up with a clever business proposition that enables him to care for his new wife in the style to which they both have long been accustomed. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi