the turner classic movie channel have spend the month of january do the film of one of my favorite actor and robert montgomery . his film be mostly rarely watch these day and except for those that be atypical for most of his career meaning that the role that frequently reappear on television be they be expendable and the lady in the lake and june bride and night must fall and the saxon charm and ride the pink horse and rage in heaven and the earl of chicago ( in short the film he fight to get the role in because they be not the usual comic fluff he usually appear in ) . it ironic that nowadays when one think of montgomery career it be the film that be mostly make after 1937 that be push the one that break the original image that mgm and louis b. mayer push . the pity of this be that montgomery be a gifted comedian and and save many film from be routine . petticoat fever be one such film . make in 1936 with picadilly jim and trouble for two it be a banner year of good performance by montgomery and and help lead to his be able to convince the power that be at mgm to allow him to play danny in night must fall the next year . petticoat fever be set in labrador and and montgomery be a weather station operator there name dascom dinsmore . he have be live there for five year and and have not be in the company of a woman ( except for inuit woman ) for most of that time . he have a girlfriend of sort name clara ( winifred shotter ) who he sort of propose to and but it be two year since he have hear from her and so that he believe she have give up on him . dinsmore world be rock when sir jam felton and irene campton ( reginald owen and myrna loy ) show up . they be fly to toronto for a business meeting that felton be to address . felton be engage to campton and but dinsmore find her enchanting . and gradually she find him equally attractive . certainly the pompous and self important and and hopelessly inept felton be no competition ( it be a measure of owen act that he keep the character entertain even if one find it hard to believe such a boob be a canadian captain of industry ) . there be something surreal about this film probably due to the original play . while the labrador scenery be quite phony look it do serve it purpose for the comedy ( witness th polar bear sequence ) . but the height of the surrealism be the dinner dinsmore serve his guest and a dinner of pemmican steak and which owen eats with real gusto . owen ( a minor noble a a baronet ) be dress in normal clothing a winter suit for the climate ) . but montgomery be dress in his suit of even dress ( a though attend a ball at the embassy ) . loy and see him dress up and likewise put on a gown . they be be serve by dinsmore servant assistant and the inuit kimo ( otto yamaoka ) and who be wear a suit of even dress too it turn out that it be owen . owen and who earlier insist that dinsmore change into clothing more suitable to his station and be the only person who be improperly dress for this dinner . montgomery be mgm most elegant actor in a tuxedo or even dress ( franchot tone be the his close rival ) . it be a toss up in movie if montgomery or fred astaire be the more elegant figure in such suit . hard to decide . the course of love do not move smoothly in comedy or drama . clara show up ( we be tip off too early about this at the start of the film when we see her on an icebound ship ) . will dinsmore break with clara . will irene break with felton . the film be funny and and loy and montgomery make a nice couple . they have appear together in one other film and and both be in separate scene in a second and before this movie . but this would be their last film together . one last interesting point at the start of the film when the credit be show and you see illustration of men and woman in comic situation . they be base on the art work of john hold jr. and the great cartoonist or illustrator of the 1920s and 1930s who be the recorder of the flapper and jazz age . it an unusual choice a it have absolutely nothing to do with the film plot or labrador .