He couldn't say no (1938) Frank McHugh, Jane Wyman, Cora Witherspoon.avi

An office clerk is harassed by his girlfriend's mother.
Director: Lewis Seiler (as Lew Seiler)

Writers: Robertson White (screenplay), Joseph Schrank (screenplay) | 3 more credits »

Stars: Frank McHugh, Jane Wyman, Cora Witherspoon | See full cast & crew »

Summary :

A lowly office clerk angers his fiancee and his future mother-in-law by spending money intended for marriage furniture on a statue of a pretty girl, which he refuses to part with at any cost. Comedy.



TCM'S full synopsis :

When linoleum advertising clerk Lambert Hunkins gets a raise, Mrs. Coney, the mother of Violet, his girl friend of five years, takes the opportunity to bulldoze him into proposing marriage. Although he has a crush on Iris Mabby, the daughter of rich and powerful Senator Mabby, Lambert is too ineffectual to protest. With Violet and her mother, Lambert attends a furniture auction. He is unable to bid on any of the items, however, until a scantily clad statue that resembles Iris is brought under the hammer. To Mrs. Coney's disgust, Lambert bids one hundred dollars and happily carts the statue away. Convinced that Lambert only wants the statue, which was actually modeled on Iris, to blackmail him, Mabby tries to buy it back from Lambert, but he refuses to sell for any amount. Iris also visits Lambert and begs him not to sell her statue. When Lambert happily agrees, she kisses him. As a result of the newspaper publicity, Lambert loses his job. The notoriety also attracts a group of gangsters, who decide to steal the statue and sell it to the senator for a large sum. While they are in Lambert's apartment, the senator arrives, accompanied by Iris, and the gangsters force him at gunpoint to take $15,000 for the statue. Iris is disappointed in Lambert, while the senator accuses him of being an opportunist. After they leave, Lambert escapes from his gangster guard and steals a truck to deliver the statue to a museum. When the police catch the criminals, Lambert receives $5000 from the museum. He also gets his job back with a raise and proposes to Iris, who accepts.