Straight Place and Show

I'm not sure if I've seen a Ritz Brothers movie before this one. In terms of brother comedy acts they haven't stood the test of time like the Marx Brothers, perhaps because they lack distinctive personalities, but they have a lot of energy and know how to sell a joke.

The rest of the cast is fine. Ethel Merman is the standout of the bunch, but her character is little more than a character device devoted to either breaking the obligatory cute couple up or getting them back together. She has a couple of good songs, but seems to good to be a bit player in a low-budget comedy.

The film's biggest weakness is the script, which is just a mess. It centers around a relationship in peril because of the woman's love of her horse, and it can be remarkably inane. Besides Merman's poorly-defined character, there is a "bet" that makes no sense and a moment when the guy, who is portrayed as being a really swell fellow, considers doing something not-good to his girl's pet. The lack of character continuity is so notable that it feels like the characters were written by several different writers who didn't read any part of the script they didn't write.

But it's quite amusing all the same.

I should warn you up front....I have seen and reviewed several other Ritz Brothers movies and have hated them all. I have found the boys to be incredibly grating...and probably the most unlikable American comedy team. But, I try to be fair and when TCM showed three in a row, I watched them all....hoping, perhaps, that they actually DID make a few good comedies. I tried this with Wheeler & Woolsey. I initially disliked the team but I did eventually find a few of their films that I really liked. Well, this movie surprised me! After all, I really disliked the Ritz Brothers but in this one they weren't bad...and it's a rare case where one of the co-stars is the annoying one!!

When this film begins, Denny (Richard Arlen) and Barbara (Phyllis Brooks) are planning on marrying. There is one big problem, however....Barbara is annoying and rather dopey. Instead of focusing on her fiance, she consistently spends ALL her time and energy on her horse. It doesn't help that she also is very rich and very spoiled. In frustration, Denny makes Barbara a bet....if this racehorse cannot win, he gets to do what he wants with the horse. She makes the bet...the horse loses...and Denny gives away the horse to the Ritz Brothers. Now, Barbara is angry....after all, bets mean nothing to her and she stomps off and breaks her engagement. At this point, I was thoroughly convinced that although I usually hate the Ritz's, they weren't too bad and I thoroughly hated Barbara. Fortunately, despite this, the film turns out to be reasonably entertaining....and is CLEARLY better than the half dozen other Ritz films I've seen...mostly because the Ritz's aren't as annoying as usual and I spent so much time hating Barbara. Not exactly a glowing endorsement....so be it.

All comedy is a matter of individual taste, and the Ritz Brothers are no exception. They are the class cut ups, mugging and and crossing eyeballs, shouting and always on stage, minor variations on each other, as opposed to the Marx Brothers, who had clearly differentiated personalities -- except for Zeppo, who had none -- and actually had a intellectual side to them.

In any case, the question of whether you will like this movie depends on if you like the Ritz Brothers. Richard Arlen is present for standard leading-man action, and Ethel Merman to sing a few songs, but this movie is about the Ritz Brothers mugging it up over a racehorse. If you like them, go to it. If you dislike them, avoid it. If you don't know who they are, give it a try.

OUR FIRST VIEWING of the act that was the Brothers Ritz was on that old, now classic NBC sports/comedy hybrid, JACKPOT BOWLING WITH MILTON BERLE. Don't feel bad if you don't recall or have never heard of it.

THE FORMAT OF this series was to cover real, live pro bowlers, with a sort of intermission in which the guest star(s) would come on, do a little schtick with "Uncle Miltie" before rolling one ball for charity. (Hmm, could it be rebooted ?)

AS FOR THE film being reviewed, STRAIGHT, PLACE AND SHOW (20th Century-Fox, 1938) was a comical farce which pretty much was a typical representation of the sort of fare being done in that era. It had the comic team, the romantic interest and a fanciful, yet compelling, plot toward the notion of getting rich quick. This is always a winning formula, especially when there was still a Depression on in the country.

THE PRODUCTION TEAM manages to adapt a story by Damon Runyon and capitalize on the nation's love of horse racing. They throw in, just for good measure, a brief junket into the squared circle World of Professional Wrestling. Rather than being just a reason to have Harry Ritz do a comic impersonation of a pro grappler, this, sort of sidebar to the plot, helps in moving the story along.

ADDITIONALLY, WE FIND in the cast Phyllis Brooks and Ethel Merman. They provided the romantic sub-plot; with Miss Merman's singing making its contribution to our entertainment (not!)

SOME HAVE CALLED the Ritz Brothers a sort of road show or imitation of the Max Brothers (be they in the original 4 or later 3). We maintain that this could not be further from the truth. Both groups were actual, blood brothers; who just happened to be Jewish.* That's the end of their similarities.

WHEREAS THE MARX boys displayed their madcap zaniness in a fast-paced, rapid fire style, they still maintained individuality and distinctive personality. With the Ritz Brothers. the pace was no slower. But viewing them was like seeing things in triplicate. The singing, eccentric dance maneuvers and the distorted displays of mugging were all well coordinated and uniformly displayed.

OUTSIDE OF VIEWING this picture or others in their list, a very good impression of the Ritz comic genius can be seen on display in THE AUTOGRAPH HOUND (Walt Disney/RKO, 1939. This is a Donald Duck starring vehicle; which uses caricature of many Hollywood luminaries, including a very accurate at the Ritz Brothers brand of humor on the screen. Bye, bye for now ! NOTE: * Someone once asked Jack Benny why all comedians seemed to be either Jewish or Irish. Jack thought for a brief moment, then replied; "Ever meet a funny Lutheran ?"

Like the Marx Brothers who found themselves with a racehorse in their classic film A Day At The Races, the Ritz Brothers also gain possession of a thoroughbred courtesy of a spat between engaged parties Richard Arlen and Phyllis Brooks in Straight Place And Show. The parallels between the two films are truly obvious and I won't belabor you with them.

A whole lot of the same gags are used. But I and others have noted that unlike the Marx Brothers the Ritz Brothers have no individual identities. It's one of the reason their work is not as acclaimed as other comedy teams.

The film's best moments occur when the guys are at a wrestling match and Harry Ritz goes in the ring to earn money for an entrance fee. Very funny stuff, wrestling was as honest a sport then as now.

Straight Place And Show is not a bad film, very funny in spots still.