''Careful, Soft Shoulders'' is a 1942 American

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

written and directed by

Oliver H. P. Garrett Oliver H. P. Garrett (May 6, 1894 – February 22, 1952) was an American film director, writer, newspaperman, and rifleman. Biography Oliver H. P. Garrett was born in Laurens County, South Carolina. By the fall of 1917 he was a rifleman who fo ...

. The film stars

Virginia Bruce Virginia Bruce (born Helen Virginia Briggs; September 29, 1910 – February 24, 1982) was an American actress and singer. Early life Bruce was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As an infant she moved with her parents, Earil and Margaret Briggs, ...

James Ellison James Ellison may refer to: * James O. Ellison (1929–2014), U.S. federal judge * James T. Ellison (1862–1920s), New York gangster *James Ellison (actor) (1910–1993), American film actor * James Ellison (footballer, born 1901) (1901–1958), E ...

Aubrey Mather Aubrey Mather (17 December 1885 – 16 January 1958) was an English character actor. Career Mather was born in Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire, and began his career on the stage in 1905. He debuted in London in ''Brewster's Millions'' in ...

Sheila Ryan Sheila Ryan (born Katherine Elizabeth McLaughlin, June 8, 1921 – November 4, 1975) was an American actress who appeared in more than 60 movies. Career Born in Topeka, Kansas, Ryan went to Hollywood in 1939 at the age of 18. Her acting career b ...

Ralph Byrd Ralph Byrd (April 22, 1909 – August 18, 1952) was an American actor. He was most famous for playing the comic strip character Dick Tracy on screen, in serials, films and television. Early life and career The son of George and Edna May ...

and Sigfrid Tor. It was released on September 18, 1942, by

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

Plot

The attack on

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

occurs and America's declaration of war stirs patriotism in Connie Mathers, who until now has been more interested in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

parties and clothes. A comment by shipping magnate's son Tommy Aldrich that people like Connie and him are "useless" to the war effort inspires Connie to prove him wrong. Offering her services as a spy to sister Agatha's boyfriend Elliott, an army intelligence agent, Connie ends up being approached by a mysterious man who identifies himself as "Mr. Fortune" and assigns tasks to test her, using passages from the book ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * Gone with the Wind (novel), ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * Gone with the Wind (film), ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind ...

'' as a code. When she meets Mr. Fortune's approval, he has her investigate whether Tommy is an enemy spy. A confused Connie confides in Elliott, but soon he disappears. After her sister also vanishes, Connie realizes she has been duped by Mr. Fortune, who proceeds to take her and Tommy captive as well. Luckily, she escapes in time to help the military head off an enemy submarine, saving the day.

Cast

as Connie Mathers *

as Thomas Aldrich *

as Mr. Fortune *

as Agatha Mather *

as Elliott Salmon *Sigfrid Tor as Milo *

Charles Tannen Charles David Tannen (October 22, 1915 – December 28, 1980) was an American actor and screenwriter. Career A general purpose actor who worked primarily at 20th Century Fox, Tannen had mostly bit and/or supporting parts in movies, appea ...

as Joe * William B. Davidson as Mr. Aldrich *Dale Winter as Mrs. Ipswich

References

External links

* 1942 films 20th Century Fox films American black-and-white films American spy comedy films Films scored by Emil Newman Films scored by Leigh Harline Films set in Washington, D.C. Films set on the United States home front during World War II World War II films made in wartime World War II spy films 1940s spy comedy films 1942 comedy films 1940s English-language films English-language spy comedy films {{1940s-comedy-film-stub