Pandro S. Berman, one of the most successful producers of the 1930s, called the shots. Perhaps his most important move was to install Norman Krasna as the screenwriter. Krasna eventually landed an Oscar nomination for the film in the category of Best Writing, Original Story. It would be the first of four Academy Award nods, with Krasna eventually winning for Princess O'Rourke (1943).
The plot is completely escapist. Dorothy Hunter (Hopkins) inherited great wealth nearly upon birth. Now a young adult, she pines for love, but is also suspicious that her paramours may have a greater interest in her bank account.
The reclusive Hunter compels her lovely secretary, Sylvia (Wray) to trade places with her. When Tony Travers (McCrea) comes courting, Dorothy tempts him with Sylvia, whom he believes is the actual heiress. A happy ending is inevitable, although of course for a while it seems impossible to get there due to Dorothy's obstinate machinations.
If the plot seems vaguely familiar, it may be due to its two subsequent remakes, Bride by Mistake (1944) and The French Line (1955), a musical adaptation that starred Jane Russell.
But more likely, the story feels like a retread because so many Depression-era films are similar. For example, The Palm Beach Story (1942) also has Joel McCrea, although the plot differs in that it is the leading lady (in that case, Claudette Colbert) who must choose between love and wealth.
In his insightful film The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), Woody Allen contrasts the hardships of the Great Depression against the fantasy lifestyles of the rich and glamorous as depicted in Hollywood films of that era. While Tony may be 'down to his last $1,800', this was a substantial sum of money in those days.
Dorothy is so wealthy that it is supposedly a hindrance to her, as it is an obstacle (at least in her own mind) to finding True Love. Of course, any lawyer could tell her that in her case, True Love can be found in the form of a pre-nuptial agreement.
From a cultural perspective, perhaps the most interesting aspect of the film is that it appears to encourage drinking. Dorothy's doctor advises her to have a stiff drink to beat the common cold, and alcohol also breaks the social ice on more than one occasion.
A completely enjoyable and competent film, its conventionality eventually works against it. After a brisk early pace, the story slogs in the middle, and the abrupt resolution is overly tidy. While by no means a great movie, The Richest Girl in the World still deserves much more than its present obscurity.
(66/100)