So This Is London

His partners want Will Rogers to go to England to negotiate for some English mills. Rogers doesn't like the English, but wife Irene Rich and son Frank Albertson talk him into making it a family holiday. While the parents are brought low by seasickness on the ship over, Albertson meets and falls in love with Maureen O'Sullivan (in her first Hollywood movie). When they get there, Miss O'Sullivan's father, Lumsden Hare, is just as prejudiced about Americans as Rogers is about the English, leading to a general breakdown.

It's odd seeing Rogers so grouchy, but it's a pleasure to see him performing with Miss Rich. They seem so well suited, both in temper, humor, and comfort that it's easy to believe them a married couple. Some of the comedy here is a bit off-putting, but in the end Rogers' self-deprecating charm shines through.

It's worth noting that Rogers' slow, awkward pacing suits the slow pacing of the editing, as the camera lingers on him as he thinks out his witty remarks. It's not the most polished of his talkies, and the poor copy I looked at did it few favors, but as usual, with Rogers to listen to, it's charming. With Bramwell Fletcher, Mary Forbes, and Dorothy Christy.