‘Caesar’s’ Wit Is Dry as Champagne

Before America lost its innocence--that is, before the scandal of “The $64,000 Question”--game shows inspired the American idea that anything was possible, that a nobody could become a somebody, a loser end up a winner.

That spirit of our own clever possibilities, with a nudge and a wink, is captured in the 1950 comedy “Champagne for Caesar.”

The ever-suave Ronald Colman, handsomely grayed at the temples, plays Beauregard Bottomley, the smartest man in the world, a genius who develops a grudge against a soap company that sponsors a weekly quiz show. He decides to go on the show and win lots of money to get back at the soap manufacturer, Burnbridge Waters, wonderfully played by Vincent Price.

Waters, sneaky in his own right, sends va-va-voomer Flame O’Neill (Celeste Holm) to seduce Bottomley (‘50s style, of course) and distract him so he’ll lose. Price makes an excellent villain you’ll love to hate.

Colman has a wry wit and delivery that keep the smartest man in the world from being the stodgiest, and he proves not to be that stodgy when he starts to fall for Flame. Holm plays her hypocrisy to the hilt, with plenty of comic takes to go with straight lines.

Lovely Barbara Britton plays Gwen Bottomley, Beauregard’s quiet sister, who becomes smitten with game-show host Happy Hogan, played by Art Linkletter.

As the naive Bottomleys test romantic waters, each in his of her own way, we are treated to a view of what life was like in those more innocent times.

This is a feel-good movie, a gift to yourself. It even comes with a conclusion tied up in a neat little package.

“Champagne for Caesar” (1950), directed by Richard Whorf. 99 minutes. No rating.