The Guv'nor

The Guv'nor (released in the U.S. as Mr. Hobo) is a 1935 British comedy film starring George Arliss as a tramp who rides a series of misunderstandings and becomes the president of a bank.

This is certainly one of George Arliss's more engaging performances, this one. He plays a well educated tramp who is mistaken for a member of the renowned Rothschild family, and is soon on the board of a bank. It turns out that despite his complete lack of training (or, maybe because of it) he has a bit of a penchant for the business - and he also has quite a degree of integrity too. Of course, in the end he gets a comeuppance of sorts, but for the most part this is an enjoyable little comedy feature that pokes fun at the class system, at snobbery and offers quite a lot to giggle at as he illustrates the shallowness of so much of the attitudes of the ruling classes. Maybe a bit long, the joke does begin to strain a little, but a solid supporting cast give Arliss a clear run, and I really quite enjoyed this.