A Delightful Comedy for the Entire Family!

Champagne for Caesar is a mostly delightful comedy. Ronald Colman plays the main character, a man who knows everything except how to make a buck. In his search for employment he applies at a soap company and is rudely rejected by the owner played by Vincent Price in a rare comic role. The main character then vows vengeance on this quirky soap executive who sponsors a quiz show, the host of which is played by Art Linkletter. He goes on every week and wins but keeps turning down the winnings and comes back the next week for double the amount until he threatens to own the company. Oscar winner Celeste Holm plays the attractive young woman sent to thwart his plans. The titular Caesar is a parrot voiced by Mel Blanc. That pretty well names all the actors in this with whom I was familiar.

The entire thing is almost nonstop hilarious. Vincent Price is exquisite as the soap company owner. His expressions, body language, and comedic timing are perfect. This film should be a must for anybody whether they are fans or not, it just might win them over.

As for suitability for children, well it is old enough to be quaint, but after all there are still jerky executives and quiz shows. There is some smoking and drinking, about the usual amount for a movie of this age. The most if not only problematic scene is of domestic violence. A man who is otherwise a sympathetic character goes to a woman’s place and spanks her using her own hairbrush. This is not shown on camera but overheard over the phone by a third party, an unusual approach in an era where such scenes were usually openly depicted, but it’s clear what happened. What’s more, the man and woman were not married so he didn’t have the husbandly “right” to strike her, and she falls more in love with him after this physical assault. The rest of the film is fine for kids but a parent might want to discuss this part with them.

A great film not to be missed!