It's fascinating to see how this Capra directed screwball comedy has evolved since his earlier, It Happened One Night. The use of sound feels mature rather than awkward in this later film. It also feels tighter and is more ambitious with its cast.
But otherwise, the essential elements are all present and correct; love across the class divide, a sense that money can't buy love, oddball characters (in this case there's a whole family of them), and a goofy song interlude.
Notably, a number of the cast would also go onto appear in It's a Wonderful Life later too - giving this a feel of, if not quite a prequel, an audition for that Christmas classic. Barrymore's character is perhaps the most different. Here he plays a libertarian/anarchist Dad with a strong sense of Christian and American values. It's an odd combination - especially as he is evidently asset rich given the size of the family house (making the class divide not quite as great as it might have been).
Verdict: Proto-It's a Wonderful Life.
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