A pleasant comedy with serious undertones, Free for All stars
Robert Cummings as erstwhile inventor Christopher Parker. Hoping to secure a patent on his latest invention--a formula that turns water into gasoline--Parker is flummoxed by yards and yards of governmental and bureaucratic red tape. He also faces formidable opposition in the form of avaricious oil-company executive Blair (
Ray Collins). Thankfully, Peterson can occasionally seek comfort in the arms of Alva (
Ann Blyth), fortuitously the daughter of sympathetic patent-office employe Mr. Abbott (
Percy Kilbride). Within a few years, the heat generated by the House UnAmerican Activities Committee would preclude the on-screen depiction of a villainous oil executive (this particular stereotype would, however, stage a comeback during the energy crises of the 1970s). Outside of its satirical jibes, Free for All scores its biggest laughs when concentrating on the various eccentrics (
Percy Helton,
Harry Antrim et. al.) dwelling in Mr Abbott's gadget-laden boarding house. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide