Doughnuts and Society

Nat Levine's Mascot Pictures may be best remembered today for swiftly-paced serials, or for occasional feature films in the adventure or melodrama categories, but the company's last credited release before forever becoming a part of Republic Pictures was this delightful, quirky comedy. Veterans Louise Fazenda and Maude Eburne are the bickering co-owners of a coffee shop specializing in fresh doughnuts, each lady being a widowed mother. Miss Eburne's daughter (the delightful Ann Rutherford) loves Miss Fazenda's son (Eddie Nugent), but when a sudden, outlandish bit of good luck brings great wealth to Miss Eburne, her lifelong dream of crashing into high society breaks up the partnership - and the young people's romance.

Many droll events quickly unfold, as the two ever-quarreling leads seek to outdo one another, and their children find their lives disrupted by their parents' stubborn shenanigans. A wide variety of character people, from Hedda Hopper to Franklin Pangborn to Rafael Corio to Smiley Burnette, enliven the proceedings. The script may break no new ground, as reviewers squawked at the time of its release, but "Doughnuts in Society" is great fun, well-played by a good cast and briskly directed by Lewis D. Collins, veteran of scores of westerns.