Miss Grant Takes Richmond, starring Lucille Ball and my man William Holden, is a romantic comedy from 1949. I readily admit that comedies are not my genre of choice. I far and away prefer a good, heavy drama. However, as I have already made known, I am totally crazy about Bill Holden. He is my all-time favorite actor, and for that reason, I want to see (and own when possible) as many of his movies as I can...even the comedies. Miss Grant Takes Richmond was one that had been on my radar for quite some time, but given that it's not out on DVD, I was at the mercy of Turner Classic Movies to put it on their schedule...which they finally did this past week. So, I recorded it, and it's now part of my William Holden library of films.
Lucille Ball is Ellen Grant, a rather inadequate secretarial school student. Bill Holden is Dick Richmond, owner of Richmond Realty, and he is in the market for a secretary. However, the reality is that the realty business is just a front for Dick's REAL business...which is betting. Since Ellen is fairly inept, Dick thinks she will be the perfect secretary. He's sure she has no brains and that she'll never have a clue as to what is really going on.
But Ellen's not exactly what Dick thinks she is. She really wants to do a good job. She really wants to be a helpful secretary. And she really wants to do things that will "benefit" her new boss. Such as after a phony letter about wanting to acquire some property is dictated to her, Ellen approaches the seller and convinces him to come down on his price. After telling Dick that the property would be perfect for an affordable housing project, Ellen throws all her efforts into developing the project.
With Ellen getting more and more interested in the realty business, Dick and his partners feel that they really need to get rid of her. So, hoping she'll quit, they overload her with work. When that backfires, Dick tries coming on to her, sure that she will be furious at his freshness...but still, Ellen's commitment to her job remains. It seems that Ellen will not leave Richmond Realty no matter what. And she is determined to make the housing project a success, even getting some of her friends to put down money for a home there.
The remainder of the movie is a series of comedic moments as Ellen works hard to develop the housing project and Dick and his partners work just as hard as they try to keep their bookie operation from being discovered. The movie is lighthearted and fun, and those that love Lucille Ball or, in my case, William Holden, will definitely want to see it. Although it's not out on DVD, it IS on VHS, so you could probably track down a copy.
Happy viewing!!
