Pre-wedding jitters? Try hiding a 20-year-old secret who's just knocked on your door.
"It's a Boy" stars Horton as Dudley Leake, who is betrothed to Mary Bogle (the very pretty Wendy Barrie). Shortly before the wedding, Dudley blurts a confession to his friend and best man, Jim Skippett: 20 years ago, Dudley had a brief affair with a certain Miss Piper, but he's never heard from her since then. Next day, who should suddenly appear? A youth about 19 or 20 years old, claiming to be named Joe Piper. Is he Horton's son, or is Skippett playing a practical joke?
Acting
Edward Everett Horton's signature fluttering panic in top form.
Writing
Wodehousian dialogue structure before Wodehouse got screen credit.
Direction
Tim Whelan keeps multiple doors swinging without losing rhythm.
Director
Tim Whelan
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Leslie Henson was a major West End star who rarely filmed; this captures his stage energy.
This pre-Code comedy treats illegitimacy as farcical rather than tragic—a tonal shift Hays Code would soon erase.
GB
