The Meanest Gal in Town

A small town barber hires a flirtatious out of work actress as his new manicurist - much to the chagrin of his longtime girlfriend.

Undeservedly obscure, THE MEANEST GAL IN TOWN boasts plenty of pre-Production Code sauciness and several funny performances. It is a good example of a very competent little comedy which fell through the cracks into movie limbo.

At the heart of the film, ZaSu Pitts & El Brendel make unlikely, but completely compatible, comedic companions. Fluttery fingered & vague, Miss Pitts brings her considerable experience into playing a businesswoman who is very tired of waiting ten years for her beau to propose marriage. Gentle, good-natured dialect comedian Brendel - the Swedish accent was fake - enlivened a handful of early 1930's films with his genial humor. He was always enjoyable to watch and his performance here is no exception, as he portrays a fellow whose greatest ambition is to have enough clients to enable him to add a second barber chair to his shop.

James Gleason scores as the local ladies' man, always ready with the sly innuendo. Pert Kelton practically steals the show as the flirty tart who knows how to get exactly what she wants from most men. Skeets Gallagher is perfect as the brash salesman who almost trumps her ace.

Movie mavens will recognize John Carradine as a stranded actor, Robert McKenzie as a hotel manager, Harry Holmes as the mayor & Vera Lewis as a lady at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon - all uncredited.

Although perky Pert Kelton is billed second to ZaSu Pitts, she's the one the title refers to. She plays an actress, stranded when the manager of her troupe absconded with the funds. Asked by a fellow actress what she is going to do, she responds "Don't worry, I'll wiggle my way out of this one," as she wiggles her derriere walking out of the door. This was the first of many sexual innuendos within the film, released early in 1934, before the Hays Office started really cracking down on violations of the Production Code that July. Even so, I was surprised to hear the expression "cop a feel," used by "Skeets" Gallagher, when he asks a woman to place her hand on his breast to feel his heart beating. Kelton is not mean as much as she is wily, building up El Brendel's barbershop business as a manicurist, by enticing men to come in, and causing much jealousy from ZaSu Pitts, who has been courted by Brendel for ten years. Because of Kelton, this film was an enjoyable romp; without her, it would have been a flat, unfunny comedy.

Zasu Pitts owns a dry goods store. She's engaged to El Brendel, who owns a barber shop that on a good day, there's as much money in the till when he closes as when he opened. Then stranded actress Pert Kelton sets up as manicurist in his shop and business booms. Miss Pitts is jealous, and takes in as partner a big firm fronted by Skeets Gallagher, which Brendel advises against. Gallagher's firm freezes her out.

While I usually enjoy Miss Pitts, as well as James Gleason, who plays a fifth wheel to this plot, Brendel and Miss Kelton annoy me. Add in the general thrust of the film, which is clearly intended for small-town audiences, and this movie does not appeal to me at all. Perhaps it did poorly at the box office; at any rate, it was writer-director Russell Mack's last time wielding the megaphone. He had begun in vaudeville, then went on the legitimate stage as an actor and director. His first movie credit was Rio Rita, and he was on his way for a while. After this movie, he returned to the East Coast, where he managed a theater in Newark, NJ. He died in 1972 at the age of 79.

Pert Kelton bowled me over with her very sexy portrayal which allowed her to manipulate the male characters. The very wry Zazu Pitt and the apparently naive but winning El Brendel along with the wise cracking James Gleasen and the traveling salesman character all were very funny and cleverly written. The script had many very pointed comments on the indomitable spirt and frailty of the human character. I have watched the movie many times and always see some different bit that I hadn't noticed before. Obviously, this was a low budget programmer in its day, but a far better movie than most megabudget movies of today.

Chris Peterson (El Brendel) is an unsuccessful barber in a small town. His fiancée of ten years is Tillie Prescott (Zasu Pitts), a hardworking woman who just can't wait to get married. Chris wants to prove he is successful by obtaining a second chair in his barber shop before tying the knot, but Tillie is impatient. She is constantly taken advantage of by Chris and she feels she is the real brain behind the couple. This proves to be false when she falls prey to a business scam. Meanwhile Chris's business starts booming when an actress (Pert Kelton) takes up shop as a manicurist to make some extra money. Her wiggling hips make the shop a hot spot for the local men.

A fun movie with a cast of unknowns, The Meanest Gal in Town is not likely to show up outside of film conventions and collector's homes, but it is an enjoyable film. Brendel makes use of his simpleton Swedish character and provides much of the comedy. Some people hate him; I love him. He is sweet and rather funny, illustrated by scenes like the opener where he strums a ukulele and sings with the accompaniment of a howling dog. Pitts is more likable here than in some of her other movies. In spite of Brendel's sweetness, it is difficult not to root for Pitts too, especially when Chris treats Tillie badly.