The Great Library Misery

The "plot" of this Warners short concerns a man named F.T. Smith who is applying for membership in The Grouch Club, an organization of men who like to grouch about everything. On his application, Smith relates the experience he had trying to get a card at his local library, and why that qualifies him for membership in this club. There are only about two or three even remotely funny things in this film, otherwise it's a complete dud. This badly written, poorly directed, overacted mess tries to pass itself off as a screwball comedy, but virtually nothing works. The only interesting thing about is it that "F.T. Smith" is played by character actor Arthur Q. Bryan, who made his name as the voice of none other than the beloved Elmer Fudd of the great Warners cartoons of the 1930s and 1940s. Bryan actually LOOKS like Elmer Fudd, and if you close your eyes when he speaks, you can definitely hear Elmer's voice. Otherwise, there's absolutely no reason whatsoever to watch this time-waster.

This film short is about a man who applies to be a member of the Grouch Club. He describes his experience of trying to obtain a library book as a visitor. He visits the library several times to a young librarian who quotes library rules. The poor applicant does everything to get a library card and borrow a popular book. You have to wonder why he doesn't just buy the book instead but you have to admire his determination. Is the book worth it because you can just go to the bookstore and get it. Nancy Evans is fine as the straight no nonsense librarian. The film could have gotten away with an unattractive woman in the role. The story is short and sweet.

The first in Vitaphone's series of "Grouch Club" comedies, based on a radio show of the same name. There's a famous sketch from a 1947 Milton Berle radio show about a man who wants to borrow a book, only to be told that he needs a library card, and the situation snowballs for several minutes. This has been included in at least two audio collections of great moments in spoken-word comedy, and if you know the Berle sketch you'll find yourself being amazed by this Vitaphone short. The short is almost identical to the sketch, with some of the dialogue transferred verbatim from the 1938 movie short to the 1947 radio show (by writer Nat Hiken, later of "Sgt. Bilko" and "Car 54"). Arthur Q, Bryan does well as the poor guy who suffers for weeks on end while the library keeps throwing obstacles in his path. You may recognize the young Jack Lescoulie, who hosted Nat Hiken's "Grouch Club" radio show at the time; he was later the longtime TV host of the "Today" show. Hiken delivers a funny premise and a clever short, entirely dialogue-driven given its radio background.

This short feature stars "The Grouch Club." Jack Lescoulie Jr. plays the "Grouchmaster." The story was written by Nat Hiken of "Bilko" television fame. That program was a lot funnier than this little film.

The group is meeting to discuss the latest application for membership. Lescoulie gives the definition of a grouch (I think I qualify!) and then goes over the application with the four other guys in the room. That's the last we see of him until the end.

The bulk of the story is about "F.T. Smith" and his trials and tribulations of trying to take out a book at the public library. They make it about impossible with one obstacle after another. Arthur Bryan is Smith and Nancy Evans is the librarian. Detmar Poppen (nice name) is the library manager who keeps threatening to kick Smith out of the library for being too loud.

Frankly, I saw nothing humorous in this skit - nothing. I can't believe this would make people laugh, but I guess humor was a lot different back in 1938.

There's two much laughter at the executive board meeting of the Grouch Club until Arthur Q. Bryan tells his sad tale of trying to check out a book at the library.

Bryan spent a lot of time performing on the radio, but he's best remembered as the voice of Elmer Fudd in the Bugs Bunny cartoons. In this Vitagraph short, he spends six months trying to get a library card so he can check out a book by James Hilton, constantly balked by the rules of using the public library, which seem to be at least fifty-six in number. His increasing frustration at the sort of petty bureaucracy that afflicts all of us provides the humor here.