''Time Out for Romance'' is a 1937 American romantic comedy film directed by Malcolm St. Clair, written by Lou Breslow and John Patrick, and starring Claire Trevor, Michael Whalen,

Joan Davis Josephine "Joan" Davis (June 29, 1912 – May 23, 1961) was an American comedic actress whose career spanned vaudeville, film, radio, and television. Remembered best for the 1950s television comedy '' I Married Joan'', Davis had a successful ea ...

Chick Chandler Fehmer Christy "Chick" Chandler (January 18, 1905 – September 30, 1988) was an American film character actor who appeared in more than 130 films from 1925 through the mid-1950s. Chandler was known for his starring role as Toubo Smith in ...

Douglas Fowley Douglas Fowley (born Daniel Vincent Fowley, May 30, 1911 – May 21, 1998) was an American movie and television actor in more than 240 films and dozens of television programs. He is probably best remembered for his role as the frustrated m ...

and Benny Bartlett. It was released on February 10, 1937, 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

Barbara Blanchard, the daughter of rags-to-riches divorced oilman Jim Blanchard, is going to marry Count Michael Montaine. When Jim receives a telegram from the count insisting upon a settlement of $500,000 ''before'' the marriage, he sends word of this to Barbara. However, the radiogram reaches her just after the wedding has taken place. Furious, she drives off. Her mother Vera is determined to avoid

public humiliation Public humiliation or public shaming is a form of punishment whose main feature is dishonoring or disgracing a person, usually an offender or a prisoner, especially in a public place. It was regularly used as a form of judicially sanctioned puni ...

and to see her matchmaking scheme completed. Vera has her daughter declared mentally unbalanced and swears out a warrant for her arrest. When Barbara learns of this from the radio, she has her hairdresser Mabel dye her hair blonde. She also switches clothes with her. Barbara sets out for Los Angeles to meet her father's yacht. (However, Vera sends a wireless message to Jim, telling him the couple have reconciled. He believes her and heads to Acapulco instead.) When police chase her for speeding, she abandons her car. After numerous attempts at

hitchhiking Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, autostop or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking individuals, usually strangers, for a ride in their car or other vehicle. The ride is usually, but not always, free. Signaling ...

fail, she pretends to faint. Bob and his friends the Dooleys both stop. Midge Dooley tells Bob to give her a lift, but he has had a bad experience with a blonde, plus he risks losing his job (driving a new car to California for Willoughby Sproggs as part of a four-car caravan). When she conveniently faints again, Bob gives in, but only until they reach the next town. She claims she is on the run because when she cashed her check from a walkathon she won, it turned out there was no money. At the next town, he loans her $10 and sends her on her way. She tries to send a telegram to her father collect, but cannot because she would have to show some ID. She sneaks back into Bob's car undetected. On the way to Omaha, when Bob tries to get rid of her, Sproggs finds out about the unauthorized passenger. Barbara claims to be Bob's wife, and Midge backs her up, so Bob is forced to take her along. When they stop for the night, Bob will not let her share his room. Roy, another one of Sproggs' drivers, tries to pick her up, but Bob knocks him down. She goes to sleep in the car. There she finds a necklace hidden away, which leads her to assume Bob is a thief. Meanwhile, Midge reads a newspaper article about a "blonde gun-moll" wanted in connection with a diamond robbery and thinks Barbara is her. Midge tells Bob. Eventually, it is all sorted out. Roy turns out to be the jewel thief, Barbara's father will get her marriage annulled, and the couple embrace.

Cast

* Claire Trevor as Barbara Blanchard * Michael Whalen as Bob Reynolds *

as Midge Dooley, a dancer *

as Ted Dooley, her husband and manager *

as Roy Webster * Benny Bartlett as Orville Healy, Ambrose's young son *Billy Griffith as Ambrose Healy, a driver and photography enthusiast * William Demarest as Willoughby Sproggs *Lelah Tyler as Cora Sproggs, Willoughby's wife * Andrew Tombes as James "Jim" Blanchard *

Georgia Caine Georgiana Caine (October 30, 1876 – April 4, 1964) was an American actress who performed both on Broadway and in more than 80 films in her 51-year career. Early career Born in San Francisco, California in 1876, the daughter of two Sha ...

as Vera Blanchard * Vernon Steele as Count Michael Montaine * Inez Courtney as Mabel *

George Chandler George Chandler (June 30, 1898 – June 10, 1985) was an American actor who starred in over 140 feature films, usually in smaller supporting roles, and he is perhaps best known for playing the character of Uncle Petrie Martin on the television ...

as Simpson * Fred Kelsey as Policeman

References

External links

* * {{Malcolm St. Clair 1937 films 1937 romantic comedy films American black-and-white films American romantic comedy films 1930s English-language films Films based on short fiction Films directed by Malcolm St. Clair Films set in 1937 20th Century Fox films Films scored by Samuel Kaylin 1930s American films English-language romantic comedy films