Review of If I Had a Million

A surprisingly fresh 1932 multi-part comedy-drama; many of the issues it deals with (poverty, faceless mass production, the sadness of old age, even reckless driving!) remain contemporary to this day, nearly 80 years later. My two favorite segments are those with Charles Laughton (in one of his first roles) and Wynne Gibson (whom we actually see in all her lingeried, tattooed glory!): they are short and to the point, sheer perfection. The closing episode, set at a resting home for elderly women, is touching and unusual; the one with the bank forger who can't cash his check is nicely ironic; the one with W. C. Fields and Alison Skipworth features some great car stunts. The weakest - and most overextended - story is the one with the three soldiers who let the check slip through their fingers, but hey, 7 out of 8 hits is still a great score. And mine is *** out of 4.