one must make allowance it be wartime and it be propaganda and it be united artist but even take all that into account and this be a fairly ludicrous melodrama about an upper middle class american household that bring chaos on itself by unknowingly invite a hitler youth into it home . and what a little hellraiser he turn out to be write anti semitic epithet about his teacher and potential stepmom ( field ) and whack his cousin ( carroll ) with a fireplace iron and attempt to knife a playmate . adapt by no less than ring lardner jr. from a hit broadway play and it may have have resonance at the time and if audience be willing to overlook pedestrian direction and absurdly melodramatic music and and homeier undisciplined histrionics ( reprise his stage role and he sort of a nazi dennis the menace ) . but the script and like so many at the time and take the goodness of american and all american and so for grant that it start to sound smug and patronizing . ( it a mighty white bread america theyre portraying and too while if that how thing really be and it look today like an unwitting expose of america racist past . ) it also suggest that it fairly easy to deprogram these little monster while all it take be a bit of lovingkindness and a birthday present . march and moorehead ( play a repressed spinster aunt and much like she do in the magnificent ambersons ) be as good a movie actor get and but theyre playing device here and not flesh and blood . under the circumstance and betty field manages to be surprisingly interesting she always look so worried and like she have a horrible secret the audience never find out .