The greedy nephew Philip Hasting of eccentric Matilda Reid seeks to have her judged incompetent so he can administer her wealth; In an informal meeting with Philip, the doctor, Dr. Doremus, and the judge Alston they convene that she will be saved if her three long-lost adopted sons appear for a Christmas Eve reunion, as any of them is the one she could trust, but not Philip. Later on it is revealed that Philip did some very illegal things with her money, but she doesn't claim anything. Separate stories reveal with the help of Private Detective Gimlet that
Michael is a bankrupt playboy loved by loyal Ann Nelson ;
Mario is a seemingly shady character tangling with a Nazi war criminal in South America and a beautiful lady, Jean Bradford ;
Jonathan is a hard-drinking rodeo rider who falls for a flirtatious woman Claire at the station, who is revealed to be a policewoman in disguise chasing after an orphanage that doesn't seem to do right.
Finally the gathering at the Christmas Eve happened and the couple Jonathan-Claire bring the three girl orphans from the orphanage. Aunt Matilda feels like the day she got the three little boys for adoption.
The film was produced by Benedict Bogeaus who had previously made an episodic film On Our Merry Way. This involved using multiple stars in different storylines so they could be filmed at different times. In November 1946 Bogeaus announced that Raft, Scott and Brent would star. Each star would film for two weeks individually and then act together for one week. Filming started 18 November with the Brent-Joan Blondell sequence. Dolores Moran, who appeared in the cast, was Bogeaus' wife at the time. The film marked Ann Harding's first appearance since It Happened on Fifth Avenue. The film was financed through money from Walter E. Heller & Co, a finance company. During filming, George Raft suffered first-degree burns in his right leg when a maritime engine caught fire and set his clothes alight.
Reception
Critical
The Los Angeles Times said the premise of the film had "considerable appeal" but the "plot lacked cohesion" and the story was done in by its "slow pace".
Box office
The film did not do very well at the box office. According to Variety it earned an estimated $1 million. Walter Heller and Co initiated foreclosure proceedings to recover money for the film, claiming they were owed $223,000. This was rare in Hollywood at the time.
