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.

In this film, Mr. Smith (Arthur Q. Bryan) has sent his application in to the Grouch Club because he hates people. What follows is the story of why Smith is now such an angry man.

The guy just moved into town and simply wants to check out the book "We Are Not Alone" by James Hilton. However, the librarian refuses to give him a card and makes him jump through many, many bureaucratic hoops to get it. Many months pass...and ultimately he gets his card after a ton of trouble...but this isn't the end of his problems!

This film is a bit like a cartoon as far as the silliness of the plot AND because Arthur Q. Bryan was the voice of Elmer Fudd. Overall, a very enjoyable short--one that will even make grouches smile!

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.

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.

This little short is about a guy who wants to join the grouch club because for six months since moving to his town he has been unsuccessfully trying to join the library. The librarian is a courteous blockade of documentation requests - you must own a home or have cosigners that do, you must have references, and you must have a telephone, among others. And there is a fellow that has a Franklin Pangborne like presence who steps into the picture every time the would be library member raises his voice.

The short was directed by Lloyd French, who worked for Hal Roach and directed Laurel and Hardy. The would be member of the grouch club does have an Oliver Hardy - like demeanor in that he starts out calm and polite and grows angrier and louder with each ridiculous impediment put in his way.

Today the grouch would just buy the book off of Amazon if he met resistence at the library. Who wants to put in a landline just to satisfy such a stuffy institution anyways?