AllMovie

When Marie Dressler died in 1934, the career of her frequent screen partner Polly Moran went into eclipse. Four years later, Republic Pictures tried to recapture the Dressler-Moran magic by casting Moran opposite the formidable Alison Skipworth in Ladies in Distress. Skipworth plays female mayor Josephine Bonney, at present having trouble dealing with her town's criminal element. Josephine enlists the aid of home town boy Braddock (Robert Livingston), a pretty tough customer himself, to take on the crooks. By using a few underhanded tactics of his own, Braddock accomplishes his mission, winning the hand of pretty Sally (Virginia Grey) in the bargain. Polly Moran is peripherally involved in the action as Josephine's supercilious sister Lydia, but it's really Alison Skipworth's film.