Broadminded

1931's "Broadminded" was an early vehicle for the hugely popular Warners star Joe E. Brown, known for his unusually large mouth and inevitable yelp when in trouble (in later years he would become immortalized by three words to climax 1959's "Some Like It Hot" - "well, nobody's perfect!"). As an athlete and former circus clown his rubbery features already looked like a clown without makeup, and this screenplay by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby takes every advantage for facial expressions and bits where he impersonates a gorilla, then Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. One need only endure a fairly embarrassing opening reel, where police raid a 'baby party,' all the guests dressed as toddlers with bottles not filled with milk, and an enraged Senior Hackett (Holmes Herbert) hoping to straighten out his ladies man son Jack (William Collier Sr.) by sending him away from New York with cousin Ossie (Brown), who's an even bigger carouser than put upon Jack. A long trip to California is made far longer by Jack's insistence on stopping to flirt with every girl en route (even one milking a cow!), but once they pull over at the Cactus Cafe the fun really starts at the 15 minute mark. Here we get to see Bela Lugosi, still basking in his newfound stardom after "Dracula," making for an excellent comic foil as South American Pancho Arango, unable to get through a promising meal with Ossie throwing salt over his shoulder ("dandruff!"), then using Pancho's own fountain pen to turn his cherished dessert from strawberry to blackberry. A busload of female students distracts Ossie long enough to ram into the car in front of him, which turns out to be driven by a still fuming Pancho: "first you spoil my shortcake and now you ruin my rear end!" Jack and Ossie end up at a hotel where they've made the acquaintance of brunette Constance (Ona Munson) and blonde Penelope (Marjorie White), but Ossie's attempts to humor Connie's disapproving aunt (Grayce Hampton) get him into more trouble (it's a jaw dropping sight watching him eat celery as noisily as possible). When he begins to talk about punching out some South American 'bozo,' who should be in the booth right next to him but Pancho and his gorgeous girlfriend Gertie (Thelma Todd), giving Ossie the full Lugosi stare as he stammers and stutters, admitting defeat by feigning laryngitis. When a blackmailing former flame tries to halt Jack's engagement to Constance, Gertie is hired to play the fiancee to accept Jack's damning love letters but again Pancho spies his girl in a negligee and gets the wrong idea. Kalmar and Ruby were best known for their work for The Marx Brothers but went on to script two more vehicles for Brown, as well as Eddie Cantor and Wheeler and Woolsey. Those unfamiliar with Brown's appeal as a star comedian probably won't be swayed by his material here, but his ability to use his entire body makes him akin to Buster Keaton, and Thelma Todd was always a welcome presence opposite the cinema's top comedians. The underrated Marjorie White unfortunately has no opportunity to display her skillful singing and dancing, a diminutive dynamo who excelled in Wheeler and Woolsey's "Diplomaniacs" before her final screen performance in The Three Stooges' "Woman Haters" (she also appears with Bela Lugosi in "Oh, for a Man!" "Women of All Nations," and "The Black Camel"). With nearly 9 minutes screen time, Lugosi not only holds his own in another surefire box office success, he also gets the girl for the fadeout.

Even staunch fans of Joe E. Brown may be disappointed by this one, which fails to utilize his comic skills, such as they are, with maximum effectiveness. The foremost liability is the scenario, bulging with some of the feeblest jokes and flat sight gags that one is likely to find outside of a high school drama club original. But wait.....

Playing against type (to say the least) are Bela Lugosi doing an effective comic turn as a temperamental Latin/Hungarian (his accent is variable), and Ona Munson (she of the gritty roles in "Gone With the Wind" and "Shanghai Gesture" that came later) as an ingenue. These are curiosities worth seeing. But wait.....

Thelma Todd is here, too, playing the kind of role she did best, even if she hadn't Groucho's priceless reactions to her vamping. And what of Marjorie White, someone altogether new for me (and like Thelma Todd, destined to die young): a perky pepperpot with exceptional comedic attributes, mugging and bouncing throughout, creating a very appealing character without any of the comic (sic) lines having been written for her.

All in all, a third-rate picture well worth seeing.

... which is about 20 or 30 minutes, but at 65 minutes it just outstays its welcome and the jokes drag on for too long.

Wealthy Mabel Robinson has a "Baby Party" where everyone invited must show up dressed as a baby. Naturally the baby bottles all have liquor in them, and prohibition is still in force. When things get rowdy the cops show up and arrest everybody, but Jack Hackett and Ossie Simpson (Joe E. Brown) manage to evade arrest. Still, Jack's father isn't amused as the next morning the scandal makes headlines in the New York papers and names Jack as Mabel's fiance. Jack's father orders Jack to never see Mabel again and to take an extended trip somewhere until the scandal is forgotten. Dad tells Jack's cousin Ossie to go with Jack to make sure he stays out of trouble, not realizing that Ossie is a bigger partier than Jack could ever be and falsely believing that Ossie is a sober young man.

The pair go to Pasadena, and Ossie falls for Penny (Marjorie White) and Jack falls for Connie (Ona Munson), who is a girl of whom Jack's dad heartily approves. But Mabel finds Jack in Pasadena, is angry about being thrown over, and is threatening to show her love letters to Connie and break up Jack's (new) marriage plans. Also, on the road, Ossie has managed to anger a hot blooded South American (Bela Lugosi???) who is also very jealous of his girlfriend (Thelma Todd), an actress.

Originally a play by songwriting team Kalmar and Ruby, this might have also been a musical that had its songs removed because of musical films going out of fashion for the moviegoing public after they had been ubiquitous - and not very good - during 1929 and 1930. That may be why the material seems so stretched out. It's interesting seeing Bela Lugosi playing a hot blooded Latin lover, and coupled with Thelma Todd of all people. Ona Munson, who played Belle Watling in Gone With the Wind, is unrecognizable here. Marjorie White was a unique spritely comedienne, but her life was cut short due to an auto accident in 1935. She was featured in the first Three Stooges short in 1934 which actually was a musical short.

This one was painful to get through, and I say that as somebody who very much appreciates the humor of Joe E. Brown.

Released in 1931 by First National Pictures the Joe E. Brown comedy vehicle Broadminded is a brisk 65 minute endeavor that not only showcases the star but has the added attraction of Bela Lugosi, fresh off his triumph as Dracula, appearing as his nemesis. The story concocted by writers Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby is episodic and serves up some Pre Code style sex and debauchery while director Mervyn LeRoy switches gears from social melodramas to lensing the shenanigans of Brown in a pleasant though uninspired way.

Jack Hackett (William Collier Jr.) is youthful New York playboy living off his father's wealth and indulging in a freewheeling party lifestyle. When his latest escapade nearly ends in scandal his father (Holmes Herbert) orders him to leave town and puts him into the care of his cousin Ossie (Brown) whom the old man somehow believes is a steadying influence. The young duo pack up a car and drive out to Pasadena where they become involved with a pair of society gals (Ona Munson and Marjorie White), their disapproving Aunt Polly (Grayce Hampton), and hot headed South American named Pancho Arango (Lugosi) whom Ossie runs afoul of.

The story presents minimal plot and commences with a truly bizarre party sequence where everyone is dressed like a baby. The film is largely set-bound with a handful of exteriors around the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena. Sequences of Ossie and Jack driving are lensed with some hilariously awful rear projection that is so phony it intrudes on whatever suspension of disbelief the movie intends to conjure up. Director Leroy seems to have encouraged broad, theatrical performances from his cast who emote as if they were onstage. One wonders how a film depicting the travails of spectacularly rich and decadent sex-starved characters with unlimited free time went over with Depression audiences.

Fans of Joe E. Brown will likely be pleased with his antics here. The rubber faced, Pac Man-mouth star is frequently amusing and displays remarkable athleticism in several scenes. Perhaps even more delightful is Bela Lugosi as his combustible antagonist Pancho if only because it is so refreshing to witness the horror icon in a completely different milieu. Lugosi deserved costar billing but for some reason is buried down the cast list and not even mentioned in contemporary promotional material. Nevertheless he leaves an impression and all of the film's highlights involve him. William Collier Jr. Is forgettable as the horny heir being haplessly chaperoned by Brown as is a disappointingly vapid Ona Munson who enacts his true love. Spunky Marjorie White and equally vivacious Margaret Livingston chew up scenery as Miss Munson's pal and Collier's spurned lover, respectively, while Grayce Hampton channels Margaret Dumont as the haughty Aunt Polly. Adding plenty of glamour to the show is foxy Thelma Todd whose mere presence causes all kinds of trouble for the men in the cast. Miraculously she ultimately ends up in the arms of Lugosi!

Broadminded is a mirthful exercise in the absurd and will likely entertain most anyone. It serves as a proper gateway film for those who wish to explore Joe E Brown while fans of Bela Lugosi are sure to enjoy him in this atypical role. Toss in the tragic Thelma Todd, frank depictions of amorous protagonists, and Hollywood Pre Code freedom and the recipe for a harmless good time is achieved.

The normally likable Joe E. Brown is trapped here in an extremely unfunny comedy with an extremely poor script. Missing is his usual screen persona of a brash, cocky naif and is seen here as just a dimwit. The screenplay is surprisingly awful and seems ad-libbed in places. Vaudeville was still alive but I have to think it was funnier than the lame jokes contained in this picture, many of which fall completely flat. Hard to believe Mervyn Leroy directed this mess.

Trapped in this movie is some pretty good acting talent, especially Thelma Todd who was a foil in some Marx Bros. pictures as well as some Laurel and Hardys. Also on hand is Bela Lugosi as a South American playboy. It's hard to tell if comedy was his oeuvre because, as mentioned, there is very little humor here. Give him an A for effort.

Not much to recommend this film except for Bela Lugosi and hard-core Joe E. Brown fans.