The Devil and Miss Jones VHS

Here is the review written by Hal Erickson, as it appears in the New York Times: The Devil and Miss Jones is a social comedy with left-wing undertones. John P. Merrick (Charles Coburn), the world's richest man, gets word that someone is trying to unionize a department store that he owns. To thwart this blatant act of democracy, Merrick changes his name and takes a menial job at the store, the better to catch the union activists without detection. Once he himself is subjected to the humiliating treatment afforded his employees, Merrick starts to wise up -- and soften up. As things develop, it is Merrick himself who spearheads the union movement after discovering how duplicitous his hand-picked executives can be. The film also introduces Jean Arthur and Robert Cummings as fellow employees who fall in love before fadeout time. Keeping with the film's insistence upon equal treatment for everyone, Merrick himself is permitted a romance in the person of Elizabeth Ellis (Spring Byington). The Devil and Miss Jones was written by Norman Krasna and directed by Sam Wood. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi Here is the Amazon "Product Description" The great Sam Wood (Pride of the Yankees) directs this socially conscientious classic comedy. John P. Merrick (Charles Coburn), the world's richest man, gets word that someone is trying to unionize a department store he owns. To thwart this blatant act of democracy, Merrick changes his name and takes a menial job at the store to catch the union activists without detention. Once he himself is subjected to the humiliating treatment by the department supervisor, Hooper (Edmund Gwenn), Merrick starts to wise up -- and soften up. Jean Arthur (The More the Merrier) plays Mary Jones, a shoe saleswoman who becomes Coburn's coworker and liaison to the world of the common man. Miss Jones is love with the head of the union activists played by Robert Cummings (Saboteur) and Merrick himself falls in love with co-worker, Elizabeth Ellis (Spring Byington). The double-date sequence at Coney Island immortalizes the infamous beach in its masses of flesh and general bedlam, the great William Cameron Menzies (Gone with the Wind) created the extravagant detail-rich sets, which are the perfect complements to the witty script by Norman Krasna (White Christmas). Nominated for two Academy Awardsr - Best Screenplay (Krasna) and Best Supporting Actor (Coburn). Sheer plagiarism. SHAME ON YOU!

I love this movie! Along with "The More the Merrier" and "Easy Living" this film shines as Jean Arthur does her stuff. She's the all American girl and this movie has plenty of humor and zings to make it fun for all. With Charles Coburn, Spring Byington, Robert Cummings, Edmond Gwenn, William Demarest and S.Z. Sakall you can't go wrong. It's full of old fashioned fun and romance and just a tad of drama to make it even more interesting. You'll enjoy Edmond Gwenn biting Robert Cummings and also S.Z. Sakall pulling a little girls braid while Coburn forces shoes on her feet. If you're not into romantic comedies from the old days, then this isn't for you. But if you are, then add this to your collection cause it's a winner.

Few comedies from the screwball era have such an interesting balance of seriousness (union busters, poverty, police intimidation) as a counterpoint to the comedy. Jean Arthur, Bob Cummings and Spring Byington are likable and believable as people. You want them to be happy and successful. Charles Coburn gives an excellent performance as the reclusive owner of a department store chain who tries to go undercover and discover the root of the company's labor unrest. What he learns changes his outlook, and Coburn's character earns our sympathy even as we laugh at how often he ends up caught in the middle. The brisk pace reflects Sam Wood's experience with Marx Brothers movies, and Norman Krasna's script is a nice mix of his earlier "Bachelor Mother" and his later "It Started with Eve," but with a higher opinion of the life and leisure activities of the "average Joe." This is a great comedic look at American culture between the end of the Great Depression and the start of World War II.

Bottom line first: a pleasing way to spend movie night. A few laughs, warm feelings and a happy ending. The traditional romantic couple Robert Young as union agitator Joe and his woman Jean Author, the gentle shoe sales lady, Mary are very nice and regular people. The surprise is Spring Byington as Elizabeth the mature lady also from sales staff, and the pompous millionaire with a good heart Charles Coburn as Merrick. The affection they develop is natural, believable and more interesting than that of the young folk. It all works out and everyone gets a free boat ride. Like is the right word for The Devil and Miss Jones. It is a fairly typical depression era, just barely pre-war fantasy. Working Joes and Marys wanting just a little humanity from management and willing to work their hearts out in exchange. Merrick is at the top of the money food chain and determined to weed out the agitators at the store he thought he had long since sold off. Instead he gets a lesson in the rewards attendant to being a nice guy. All mellow, fairly straightforward and not requiring much thought. It would be easy to politicize this movie, investigating to see who in the direction and production staff was communist inspired and which of the pro union sentiments still survive. Too much work and besides this is movie night. There is one scene that stands out though not for the original reasons. At one point our undercover boss finds himself at the mercy of the local police. They have no reason to believe his story of being rich and powerful. As his new, unassuming working class friend show up the desk sergeant is ready to ‘throw the book’ at the lot of them. Instead he takes a conciliatory, subservient attitude because he is concerned that the press will become involved and that it will turn on constitutional grounds and besides he was about to go on vacation. In its day this was played for laughs. Today the scene has an eerie prescience. Never mind. This is an easy time family friendly film. It has heart without being cloying. It has fun at its own expense. The romance is played out with a reality I do not see often. Here it is tender feelings between thinking people who understand love, but also have hard choices. Love does have its gossamer wings and its passions, but in this movie it is gentle, playful and mature. The Devil and Miss Jones is nice, and sometimes that is a lot.

Wow! This has become one of our all-time movie favorites! My wife and I love classic Hollywood comedies and musicals. We've enjoyed countless classics from the 1930s and 1940s. Recently, we had very much enjoyed Jean Arthur in a slightly later comedy: The More the Merrier Plus, that WWII-era movie featured the marvelously grumpy old Charles Coburn—who won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for his role in that movie. Then, we discovered this movie made two years earlier in 1941. To appreciate our special appreciation of this film, I need to point out that my wife worked in retail at a major department store chain for many years and I've been a journalist during those same decades. So, here was delightful comedy set in a major department store—that also features lots of pressure from news reporters of that era. For us, it was a magic combination. Plus, Jean Arthur in her prime was so genuinely funny that she wins you over within minutes. Coburn is a perfect buffoon—with a heart of gold. And there's also a wonderful turn here by Spring Byington, who is no longer a household name of course. But classic-movie lovers recall her warmly. We were so delighted by the movie that we immediately started thinking of friends who have to see this movie! It was that infectious.

i love this movie!

It was ok but not to good of a movie Shipper was great

Call it "Undercover Boss" for the New Deal Generation. This is a fanciful smart comedy made for the masses who were recovering from the aftermath of the Great Depression. It is subtly subversive in a way because it concerns a group of department store workers rebelling against their faceless ownership represented by Charles Coburn as a tycoon who wasn't even aware that the store was part of his holdings. I found it interesting that the organizing workers never say the word union probably because the makers of the film probably thought they would be accused of Bolshevism. Jean Arthur is as reliable and winning as ever as the salesgirl with a heart of gold struggling to make ends meet. Of all the leading ladies of that era I always found Arthur to be the most accessible and down-to-earth. She's not so much the girl next door but the woman next door. Coburn also hits a bulls eye as the curmudgeonly tycoon who as the film evolves discovers the heart he unconsciously buried a long time ago. Robert Cummings and Spring Byington are terrific as the respective love interests as is Edmund Gwenn as the snooty floor manager. A lot of great comedies were produced during this era and "The Devil and Miss Jones" joins that esteemed company.

Gut

I was taken aback by how contemporary the topic of the film is. You could easily re-make this film now and change almost nothing and it still is relevant. Very funny and Jean Arthur's non-romantic chemistry with Charles Coburn is wonderful and so enjoyable! I watched it twice within a week of getting it I loved it that much! An absolute classic and one of Jean Arthur's best roles!

Brilliant! A lovely comedy film at its best, with Jean Arthur, Charles Coburn, Robert Cummings, and others.

Esta sobresaliente película viene en formato BD-R , con calidad baja por lo que el precio de 12 euros es desorbitado

This film has never been on DVD . Last seen on VHS over 18 years ago. Is a delightful scoedywith the treasured Jean Arthur and Charles Coburn. I have watched this film many times to great enjoyment . If u love rare old comedies order the 1941 comedy while uncan. You will enjoy it for years to come!