Comedy released in the US as Miss Grant Takes Richmond (a Civil War pun which would have baffled most Brit moviegoers) and starring Lucille Ball as a dimwit secretary, with William Holden as her bookmaker who's having trouble with the syndicate. They land up promoting low cost housing for the homeless when Ball thinks she's working for an estate agent. The original story is credited to Everett Freeman (older brother Devery helped write the screenplay) but there is a startling resemblance to the tales of Damon Runyon - the gambler with the heart of gold, the gal who's smarter than she looks, the characters who hang out with the bookie. Holden had, up to now, been known as a dramatic actor, but here displays a talent for comedy. He holds his own against seasoned veterans like James Gleason and Frank McHugh and this performance could have been the reason he was chosen to co-star with Judy Holliday in `Born Yesterday', one of the best ever comedies, just one year later.

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