Before Kinky Boots, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Tootsie, even before Some Like It Hot, there was the original cross-dressing comedy, 1941’s Charley’s Aunt (directed by Archie Mayo).
Based upon the famed stage play by Brandon Thomas, this was actually the third filmed version of the farce – and they say Hollywood is remake happy today! No better place to set such a premise than at the stuffiest of Universities, Oxford, the madcap premise is only further exaggerated by its time – 1890’s Victorian England.
Showing how very old some concepts are, Babbs Babberly (Jack Benny – his first major role) has enjoyed his ‘higher learning’ experience so very much, he has been at the prolific school for a mind-boggling ten years (for a three year degree) – a concept later used in movies like Tommy Boy and Van Wilder.
The professors are tired of his antics, yet he is the popular centre of his clique. Spinning quite the yarn (the great George Seaton, Oscar winner for Miracle on 34th Street, adapts the play), the crux is twofold: after a physical comedy-laden opening sketch, the school’s Dean, Redcliff (Reginald Owen), is going to expel Babberly for his most recent gaff (his only defence, his friends saw otherwise); Babberly’s two best mates, Jack Chesney (James Ellison) and Charley Wykeham (Richard Haydn), have their own issues. . . in love with two young ladies, Charley’s unknown Brazilian aunt, the wealthy widow Donna Lucia d’Alvadorez (Kay Francis) is unable to make it to town – and she was to be the chaperone for the two young couples. Further complicating things, the two young women are constantly pursued by their guardian, Stephen Spettigue (Edmund Gwenn – who also won an Oscar for Miracle on 34th Street) – as he continues to collect part of their doweries until they have married.
As you have probably guessed, in steps Babberly (after a little bit of arm twisting) as the unknown aunt, allowing the two friends to attempt their proposals before the wily Spettigue interferes. Soon, people who once disliked or did not take notice of Babberly, are chasing him, thinking he is the famously wealthy heiress. Redcliff is utterly taken by the ‘woman’, while Spettigue becomes Pepé Le Pew (chasing ‘her’ around with a monetary infatuation), throw in Jack’s father, the suddenly financially strapped Sir Francis Chesney (Laird Cregar), and Babberly is the most suitable bachelorette at Oxford. Just to stir the pot a little more, soon the real Donna Lucia is on campus – oh, the insanity!
With both of these premises (the student who doesn’t want to leave school and the cross dressing man) having become relatively popular plot points throughout the years, this early take on both concepts will not be as laugh-out-loud comical as more modern examples, but it sure is a whole lot of fun. Pulling a balancing act between physical comedy, slapstick, and some witty repartee, the short eighty minute fare just breezes by, a playful jaunt through the crazy lives of some snooty Oxford fellows.
Finishing eighth at the box office in 1941, Charley’s Aunt was a smash hit for Twentieth Century Fox – instead of developing a traditional trailer, the studio utilized a very different method to promote the film . . . rather than showing clips from the movie, Benny plays himself, embarrassed by his female role while fellow actors Randolph Scott and Tyrone Power brag about their action packed (and then get the girl) roles – of course, in the end, the pair are both jealous that Benny has gotten the juiciest role of the century. Also worth noting, the great Alfred Newman wrote another stellar score for this feature. So, take this review as consent (it might even be deemed a proposal) that this classic motion picture is worth tracking down – for you’ve never met an aunt quite like this.