Look Who's Laughing

ALthough I gave this film only a 7 (because of the thin plot and trying to make Charlie into a solo character) it was a hoot to watch. Remember, humor was simpler back then and even spouses had to be shown sleeping in separate beds. To see Bergen and Charlie live along with other radio characters like Gildersleeves and Fibber and Molly (all three translating to the screen and a live performance just fine), spotting new young stars that later would go big time (like Ball and Holloway the soda jerk), and hearing not a swear word not seeing a risque scene was priceless. This was humor before it had to be off color. An added bonus was to hear Molly do the voice of the little neighbor girl from the Fibber McGee and Molly radio show. I never knew she was the one that did the voice. It is too bad Gildersleeves comes off as rather a cad on tv because he was much more likeable on his radio show. Want to HEAR more? Seek out Greg Bell on Sirius XM for old time comedy radio shows. We have lost a great deal when it comes to today's humor.

Perhaps the audience for old radio comedy is dwindling, but those who enjoy Fibber McGee and Molly, The Great Gildersleeve, and The Chase & Sanborn Hour will get a kick out of this silly movie. It's a crossover story in which Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy accidentally crash their plane at Wistful Vista. An added plus: Lucille Ball as Bergen's love interest. An added added plus: Sterling (Winnie the Pooh) Holloway as a soda jerk.

I can't be sure what effect the movie would have on viewers unacquainted with the radio series...the only reason for the existence of the film is for fans to be able to SEE people whose voices they've come to love, saying the popular catch phrases from the shows. Imagine "Where's the Beef? - The Motion Picture!" ...well, it's not that dreadful, but almost as nonsensical for the uninitiated.

Lovers of cinematic weirdness will enjoy a bizarre aspect of the story: Dummy Charlie McCarthy is depicted as a living, independently mobile creature, with several solo scenes. You can kind of accept him sitting there talking, but the effect is pretty eerie when he moves around. A friend of mine found it so disconcerting she left the room.

A minor gem thanks to a clever script, fast-paced direction, and top radio stars of the day. Fibber McGee wants to locate a new aircraft plant in Wistful Vista, and gets Edgar Bergen to help him. The machinations fly fast and furious, along with a hair-raising finale where non-pilot McGee is at the controls of a twirling airplane. Everyone gets a turn at getting laughs, including Lucille Ball who already shows a flair for comedy along with a shapely leg. Then there's that blustery small-town blowhard Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve, who would soon star in his own movie series. Fibber's wife Molly also gets to do her little girl voice that's so amusing. But the real star is the inimitable Charlie McCarthy. I hate to say so, but after awhile I started thinking he was a real person. I expect he has that effect on a lot of viewers. Anyway, the movie remains a minor delight, and I don't think that's just nostalgia for the entertainment I grew up with.

I saw this movie about fifteen years ago on American Movie Classics. Having a great deal of interest in movies of this time period, I found it a lot of fun to watch. It is true that the plot is pretty thin, but for those familiar with the characters from repeats of old radio broadcasts it is great to put a face with the characters. I was surprised to see Lucille Ball in this picture. She really doesn't have a lot to do, but has some funny moments. I watch this movie with my children once or twice a year. They especially like the hand puppet Ophelia as well as the section where Charley McCarthy gets tipsy while drinking chocolate sodas. (They became familiar with Bergen by watching Disney's Fun and Fancy Free on DVD). Totally enjoyable and great for the whole family. Catch it when you can!

This film based on the Fibber McGee And Molly radio series has Fibber enlisting Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy to get industrialist Neil Hamilton to build an aircraft plant in their town of lovely Wistful Vista. Looking to crab the deal is speculator Charles Halton and the McGees neighbor the ever larcenous Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve.

The McGees were quite the American institution on radio. The films that real life married couple Jim and Marian Jordan allowed America to see the McGees as well as follow them weekly on radio. So in fact was Edgar Bergen and his two wooden companions Charlie McCarthy and Knucklehead Smiff.

Another future legend this one on television Lucille Ball also appears Look Who's Laughing. And Harold Peary who began as a neighbor of the McGees on their show spun off on his own with The Great Gildersleeve. Both Fibber McGee And Molly and The Great Gildersleeve were tried on television with different actors in the starring roles and never found an audience.

The climax is a hoot with McGee accidentally pushing the start button on Edgar Bergen's airplane and taking off. Bergen performs a rescue a long the lines of one that Charlton Heston did in Airport 75. Of course with a lot more laughs than Heston got.

Nostalgia lovers like myself will enjoy this one.