My Friend From India (1927) On DVD

Wealthy young man about town, Tommy Valentine (Franklin Pangborn) comes to the aid of Barbara Smith (Elinor Fair). But before he can learn anything about Barbara, her social climbing Aunt Bedelia (Ethel Wales), whisks her away. On a mission to "find the girl," Tommy looks for her everywhere. He unknowingly befriends her brother Charlie, who invites him to spend the evening in Smith's palatial home. The next morn Aunt Bedelia finds Tommy with his head wrapped in a towel and assumes him to be the Hindu prince that Charlie promised to bring to her society party. Introduced to all as a Prince from Calcutta, Tommy is forced to see the charade through. But the local con-man Charlie had previously arranged to appear at the party as the Prince shows up as well. At least Tommy is able to reconnect with Barbara, that is until the police show up with orders to arrest all fake fakirs.

Through out the 1930s and 40s, Franklin Pangborn was one of Hollywood's preeminent character actors. His broad style matched his voice and he was perfect for sound films. In this film he was given a rare opportunity to be a straight leading man and he pulls it off with the flamboyancy and naivete reminiscent of silent comedy star Harry Langdon. This breezy production covers a lot comedic territory including multiple cross-dressing scenes, fake fortunetellers, a Chinatown den, and a version of vaudeville's mirror sequence made famous by the Marx Brothers in Duck Soup. Like Pangborn, much of the cast is consists of character actors who would become audience favorites in sound films.

This offbeat comedy-drama concerns Tommy Valentine, a young man whose path crosses with that of Barbara, the niece of local socialite Bedelia Smith. Unfortunately, he neglects to learn her name, and in desperation decides to consult a mystic Swami to determine who she is. Meanwhile, Bedelia's slothful nephew Charlie spends his evenings entertaining an imaginary Hindu Prince and grows exhausted by the task, especially after the prince starts keeping him up late at night. When Charlie's mother decides to have a local soiree, Charlie suddenly gets pressured to bring the prince to the affair.