Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

mark.waltz In today's world, imperious butler Basil Rathbone would be slammed immediately with a ton of sexual harassment suits and all sorts of other charges as he demands a take from the salary packets of each of the servants he hires, and can fire at will. When first seen, Rathbone is berating each of the staff for little things he considers unacceptable, whether it be maid Patsy Kelly's hair, or the condition of cook Jane Darwell's condition. Kelly is busy minding the birds when Loretta Young appears at a side door looking for a job. Rathbone, obviously ogling her from the moment he turns around in his office and sees her, offers her a position with a $15 a month cut, then later makes his intentions clear when he saves her from the advances of a lecherous chauffeur. Young is promoted to the ladies' maid for the gracious mistress of the house (Marjorie Gateson) whose son (Robert Taylor) arrives home from college and is immediately enchanted by Young whom he believes is a party guest. After Rathbone gets Young out of a scrape with the law, Young (along with Kelly) accompanies Gateson and Taylor to the country where a romance blossoms between ladies maid and the wealthy son, leading to potential scandal where Rathbone uses Young's legal past against her.A light hearted first half turns a bit cold in the last few reels where Young must declare her innocence of any wrong doing, and I found myself losing interest at that point. Up until then, the film had been a mixture of upstairs/downstairs style drawing room comedy (an American version of "Downton Abbey") with some interesting drama, but then after a scene where the master of the house (Paul Harvey) accuses Young of luring his son into marriage, it becomes an overly chatty courtroom mess where all the humor of the first half turned into gushy soap opera. As horrid as his character is, Basil Rathbone is excellent, an example of somebody abusing his power in every way he can. Gateson, who could play society matrons both snobbish and dizzy, makes her character here extremely likable, an understanding woman of conscience who wants to stand up to imperious husband Harvey and support Young but feels trapped under his thumb. Taylor, like Young, seems too old to be believable as a college age student, but I found them an attractive pairing together. As usual, Patsy Kelly gives a raucous and scene stealing performance, with Joe E. Lewis very funny as her date in one scene, bringing along a shy toothy sailor (actor unknown) who can only say hello, but can give a great punch when an intruder makes a pass at Young in front of him. The sequence involving obvious May Beatty seems like something out of another movie, utilized only as leverage for Rathbone to have something on Young. This has a lot going for it, but some twists in the screenplay prevents it from being as satisfying as it could have been.

nomoons11 This was one of the few Robert Taylor films where he actually does a decent job with the role he's give. This is Loretta Young's film though...with a splash of Patsy Kelly and a huge dog thrown in.Loretta come comes to the big city to find work and decides to try being a maid at a rich family's home. With the help of Patsy Kelly she gets in he door to talk to the creepy head of the servants...the butler played by Basil Rathbone. He's a scheming sort and goes for her in a big way but she always manages to skirt the issue around him. She finally meets the family's son and that's it. They fall in love and that's it. Well...almost.This is a decent enough picture. Normally I don't do to well with Robert Taylor but in this he gets by. This along with maybe, Johnny Eager are probably the only films I can swallow with him in it. In this he goes without a mustache and honestly, I think he looks way better. Loretta Young is a fine actress and she always brings you into her innocence in her films. Patsy Kelly is just the same as always. A wisecracker with the best lines in the film. She's a spark plug throughout this. Basil Rathbone really plays the smarmy head butler very well. So well you'll hate him. The dog, a huge great dane, is just a star all the way. Watch all his gestures. Most of the scenes he's in seem so natural and not set up with a trainer. This big sucker had personality.Throughout, this film was good but towards the end it just gets to be a bit...yeah rightish. There are scenes where if the character would speak up a lot of what happens would work themselves out but they up the snobbery and bossiness to keep it going. The end takes place in a court room to annul the marriage and the groom doesn't even show up until the end of the trial. I mean the guy signs the annulment papers for it to go through and he's not in court the whole time? Come on. The court scenes are actually a laugh. Not really well done but acceptable. His whole family lies to get to point in court and they leave without an aftermath of all this. I mean they blatantly lie and no punishment. I thought lying in court was a crime. Not in this film. They just let it slide without an outcome. Of course this is suppose to be a love story. Working class maid marries the rich son. Perfect for its day and age in the middle of the depression.Pretty good little film. Grab it and see a really young Loretta Young and Robert Taylor. Stay and watch it for Patsy Kelly and the huge Dog. You'll probably get a kick out of it like I did.

David (Handlinghandel) Loretta Young is hired as a servant. The son of the family for whom she works is Robert Taylor. Of course, they fall in love. But the scenes in which the two kiss do not support this idea: They hug and nuzzle each other's necks. Possibly there is one brief kiss on the mouth. But these two give no sense of being more than cousins -- and cousins who don't like each other much, at that.The movie, however, is entertaining. It has a superb supporting cast. Basil Rathbone is deliciously evil as the tyrannical butler who has design on Young. Patsy Kelly is fun (albeit rather bland, toned-down fun) as another servant who befriends her.The title is a puzzle. I may have missed something. But whose number is private?

overseer-3 Although Private Number is nowhere near as gritty as Midnight Mary, it is beautifully photographed (Fox Movie Channel's print is lovely), and Loretta Young is almost as gorgeous here as she was in that awesome precode classic, certainly more beautiful than she was in the 1940's favorites The Bishop's Wife and The Farmer's Daughter.Loretta looks especially beautiful with Robert Taylor in Private Number; they make a gorgeous couple. Did they ever have a romance off screen? They looked perfectly suited to one another physically.Favorite scenes take place up at a lake in Maine, although I can't understand why Loretta's character leaves her friend the maid's character (played with pizazz by Patsy Kelly) alone naked on the shore (friend had lost bathing suit in the water). Loretta, instead of helping her, takes off with Robert Taylor's character on his boat, abandoning her friend. I'd never do that to my friend!. In fact that was the most annoying thing to me about the film: Patsy Kelly was always supporting Loretta and Loretta never did anything to repay her.Basil Rathbone was downright scary as the butler. He was colder and more frightening here than he was with Greta Garbo in Anna Karenina, and that's saying a lot! I like the way Loretta shudders in the beginning after she first meets the butler. It made me laugh. Listen to your instincts, girl, leave! But no, she's coaxed into staying by Patsy Kelly's character, Gracie.Monroe Owsley has a small but impressive role as James Coakley, a weak scoundrel on the make. He was to die only a year later after a car crash. Jane Darwell and Billy Bevan put in appearances as servants. Marjorie Gateson did well in the role of Robert Taylor's mother. Also worthy of note is the beautiful large dog, Prince, played by "Hamlet". I would love to have an affectionate dog like that! I wonder who his trainer was? He was adorable. When he puts his paw up on Loretta at one point to comfort her, I sighed "Awwwwww!" 8 out of 10 stars.