Price: $30.00 as of 03/21/2010 12:07 EDT
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786302025170
Format: Black & White, NTSC
ISBN: 6302025176
Label: Turner Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Turner Home Entertainment
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Turner Home Entertainment
Release Date: May 29, 1991
Running Time: 75 minutes
Studio: Turner Home Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: November 02, 1934
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Average Rating: 
Rating: -
When I was younger this was the first movie I saw with the comedy team of Wheeler and Woosley. I was very young and not really interested in their comedy per se.
Yesterday on TCM they paid tribute to Thelma Todd and showed two movies featuring this comedy team. I watched them and instantly remembered the first time I saw them. After watching both films shown on TV I went out to rent this one again.
Bert Wheeler and Robert Woosley to me are not a great comedy team. Their biggest problem is their poorly developed characters. There is nothing distinctive about them. Nothing that really sets the two of them apart. They both in a way play the same character. Woosley is the funny man and Wheeler is the straight man, and often in their films the leading romantic man, don't ask me why.
But the team doesn't have that extra something that would seperate them from Laurel & Hardy or the Marx Brothers. Take Laurel & Hardy for example. They played two different characters. They set an instant contrast to each other. I'm honestly not sure how to explain these characters. And doesn't Woolsey seem to have stolen George Burns' screen persona? The large glasses, the cigar, raspy voice, crass attitude.
I guess they are both hapless, well intending, but always finding themselves in trouble buddies. But, that could describe every comedian that every lived from Chaplin, Jerry Lewis, W.C. Fields, and Woody Allen.
"Kentucky Kernels" though from what I've seen, and I've only seen three of their movies, they are all rare, is my favorite. Though it suffers the same problems their others works have faced.
The movie finds Wheeler and Woosley taking custody of an orphan (played by "Our Gang's" Spanky) after the foster parents go on a honeymoon. Soon the two find out Spanky has just inherited a Kentucky estate. Only when they arrive they find they are caught in the middle of a family feud.
The problem the movie faces is the good ideas come first, thus making the rest of the movie a bit hard to watch. The middle gets rather slow. Woolsey has some good but maybe dated (?) wise-cracks and one-liners, but I enjoyed them. Also, as I have already stated the team doesn't hold my interest. I don't have too much fun watching them.
This plot or one close to it has been used in several comedies before. One of the most effective was Buster Keaton's "Our Hospitality". Keaton had a better screen persona and the movie has many clever comedy gags.
The film was directed by George Stevens, probably best known for films like "Giant", "A Place in the Sun", and "Shane" but when he started by directed comedies and musicals such as "Vivacious Lady", "A Damsel in Distress" and "Swing Time".
The movie also has a good cast including Noah Berry (Wallace's brother), Margaret Dumont (Undoubtedly known for her turn in many Marx Brother movies) and watch out for Charlie Hall (who would play foil to Laurel & Hardy).
To be honest and not sound so critical I think Wheeler and Woosley would have had quite a different impact on me had they made 2 or 3 reelers. Their style was much more suited for that. ** 1\2 out of *****
Bottom-line: Typical Wheeler & Woosley comedy, that suffers the same problems their comedies do. Has some funny moments, but doesn't quite deliver the goods. Slows down in the middle.
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