The Man Around the House

Another entertaining entry in the MGM "Pete Smith Specialty" series starring Dave O'Brien as the not too clever man who assumes he can fix anything.

He starts by trying to fix a wobbly table by inserting magazines and match sticks until he topples from a chair at a great height; cleaning his new car from plum stains has him cutting down the overhanging tree until it smashes his car when it falls the wrong way; and using the string and doorknob technique to loosen a tooth doesn't work on his young son when the gag backfires.

O'Brien has a variety of facial contortions, along with his limber pratfalls, and as usual carries the short with considerable comic and athletic skill.

The Man Around the House (1955)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Mildly amusing, if highly unoriginal comedy short has Pete Smith narrating about the "man of the house" who just happens not to be all that bright. The man (Dave O'Brien) tries to fix various objects around the house including a table with uneven legs, a phone stool and then a tree that keeps dropping plums on his clean car. After that business is done he must try and pull his youngest son's tooth and learn to play ball with his oldest. THE MAN AROUND THE HOUSE is the typical type of comedy that you'd expect from both O'Brien and Smith. As you'd expect, Smith does his typical silly narration and he's as charming as ever as he explains what's going on while at the same time throwing at sarcastic remarks. O'Brien has never really gotten enough credits in terms of being a comedy director and actor but he also turns in a fine performance as his comic timing is right on the spot. The biggest thing going against the picture is the simple fact that we've seen this type of story way too many times before and nothing new is done here.

A Smith called Pete produces and narrates this short about how Dave O'Brien -- who also co-wrote and directed under a different name) -- does various chores about his house, like being struck by furniture he is trying to fix, and swallowing features that light on his car after he waxes it. I should learn to do these things myself, instead of hiring handymen and paying them to maim themselves.

O'Brien -- or Barclay, if you use his writer-director name -- takes some major pratfalls with some good timing.

This would be the last year of Pete Smith's short subjects for MGM. Barclay, or O'Brien (his real name was 'Fromahbarger' if you can believe his IMDb biography page) would end his movie career, which included acting in a lot of westerns and an appearance in Demille's MADAME SATAN as a 'Zeppelin Reveler', which actually makes sense if you've retained any memory of that movie. He would work as a writer for Red Skelton until 1959. Better than running into a tree for a living.

It's the Pete Smith Specialty series from MGM. Hugo Hightonsils (Dave O'Brien) has to fix various things around the house... in his own special ways. His young son has a loose tooth. His older son is practicing baseball.

It's very standard. It's cartoonish. It's simple. It's mildly humorous. The Pete Smith narration works for this type of old time comedy. Dave O'Brien is doing fine silent film work. The smallest kid is pretty good. He has a bit Denise the Menace energy. Sadly, his career never gets into his teen years. He did get into the Mickey Mouse Club. They could expand this short if they bring in a wife.