Top Flat

TOP FLAT was the second-to-last comedy short in the successful series pairing Patsy Kelly and Thelma Todd. Todd had previously been paired with Zasu Pitts in a successful series of shorts, but Pitts demanded a raise in pay from Hal Roach, and since Roach had Pitts and Todd on staggered contracts (as he did with Laurel and Hardy), Pitts had little leverage since Todd was still under contract, so Roach simply replaced her with the much different Patsy Kelly. While the Pitts-Todd shorts are wonderful, I've always preferred the series with Patsy Kelly because their characters are so much different and because Kelly is such a comic dynamo. In this one, Kelly is a lady who is starving because no one wants to publish her Gertrude Stein-style avant-garde poetry (this is the second comedy short I've seen in the last few months to contain an explicit parody of Gertrude Stein's writings, the other was HAIL BROTHER). Patsy Kelly, also broke and unable to pay their rent, tells Todd to give up the writing and get a job, they argue, and Todd and Kelly separate, with Todd swearing she will be rich and life in an elegant penthouse. When the pair meet again, Todd's wish seems to have come true, but it didn't really, and the majority of the short takes that premise and runs with it. Todd's persona in these shorts is a lovely, somewhat idealistic yet scrappy young lady, while Patsy Kelly is an aggressive tomboy who is wild and manic. The chemistry works beautifully. This short has a lot of physical slapstick, involving virtually everyone in the cast, and also some musical sequences, featuring two of Kelly's friends who tag along when Kelly visits Todd's penthouse. One is Fuzzy Knight, whom I had never seen doing music before. Evidently he got his start in show business as a musician, and he plays a mean jazzy piano and delivers a novelty song very well. The entire short is well-paced and full of laughs. It's strange that these shorts are not really in circulation. They would play very well today and haven't dated much. It's a shame that Ms. Todd is better known for her tragic death than for her excellent body of work. While much of her work was in comedies for Hal Roach, she also did well in a number of b-movies in dramatic and serio-comic roles. Let's hope some legit company restores and releases both the Pitts-Todd and the Kelly-Todd shorts on DVD. I'm sure Leonard Maltin would be happy to provide some kind of introduction or commentary if asked. To me, this short is perfectly done and I give it a full 10 stars.

When Patsy Kelly runs into her old pal Thelma Todd, she's impressed when Miss Todd informs her she now lives in a penthouse on Park Avenue. So Patsy and some pals drop in and make a lot of noise which annoys Miss Todd, because she's not exactly the lady of the lady.

With the departure of Zasu Pitts from Hal Roach's THE GIRLFRIEND series, a dynamic was lost; now Miss Kelly was the brash one, so that left Thelma to be stuffy, which did not suit this sparkling comedienne. Nonetheless, the situations and gags are funny.

Well, well, well. If it ain't that mischievous ol' rascal, Cornbread Jones! How've ya been, you old so and so? Well, how about it, kid? Happy days are here again, ain't they?

Not altogether unhappy to be reviewing this short, if that's what you wanna know! And indeed, I AM reviewing this short, and is it one of my very favorites? Well, I wouldn't answer "UNCERTAINLY" now, would I? While I think that last one over, let me fill you in on what's probably the best damn short this side o' the Mississippi.

Speaking of bodies of water, is someone goin' swimming? I guess so! And guess who? *CATCALL* And she's as sweet as a mountain full o' honeydew under that adorable little bathing cap. Like a Nathan's red hot drizzled with mustard, with the Ferris wheel whirling nearby. *sigh* Yowza! Finally, a short picture what's right up my alley!

Get a load of the plush carpet and the art deco interiors! WOW! Get a load o' the size o' this bathtub! It could use a diving board on it after all.

Thelma tries her hand at writing poetry a la Gertrude Stein, but it doesn't sell, so she finds a job as a maid, while Patsy finds work as a shopgirl at Stacy's Department Store. One night Thelma lets her cuddly pal up with a couple o' kooky swingers energetically played incurable cornballs Fuzzy Knight and Gary Owen. And get a load o' THESE wolves in sheep's clothing! Fuzzy shows off with his "Cincinnati" number, then plays waterbomb with Gary, and pretty soon the whole street is soaked with deployed waterbombs. Watch out for Dave Sharpe as one of the victims. He's playing an unsuspecting passerby who looks up at the wrong moment. There he is, just sauntering along, and uncharacteristically holding a cane, but believe me, it's him!

The rich couple that hires Thelma comes back from their party, and by then a silly little bunny rabbit named Patsy creeps around in oversized pajamas. A good way to end a marathon of theirs, that is if you're inclined to participate in one. I know I am!

TOP FLAT was one of the last two-reelers produced by Hal Roach which starred the comedy team of Thelma Todd and Patsy Kelly. The team had been making shorts since 1933 but the series was terminated by Todd's sudden death. Had it not been for this tragedy, the team would've surely enjoyed a long and flourishing career. Thelma's glamorous sophistication contrasts nicely with Patsy's plebeian earthiness. They are spirited and engaging performers who can deliver laughs from even pedestrian material.

Fortunately, the comedy material in TOP FLAT is worthy of their talents. In this short, Thelma fancies herself a great poet, although Patsy loudly disagrees. It's a delight to watch Thelma with dreamy conviction of her literary genius recite her asinine verse and to watch Patsy observe her partner with disbelief and disdain and parody her poetry with some choice barbs.

This is only the beginning of the fun. Offended by Patsy's remarks, Thelma leaves in a huff, insisting she'll make a fortune from her poetry. When Kelly next sees Todd, she's emerging from a limousine in front of a posh apartment. In fact, Todd's only a maid for a wealthy couple. But Patsy doesn't know it and proceeds to invite herself and some boisterous friends to the penthouse. The results are a delightful mixture of farce and slapstick as Patsy and her friends run amok in the flat and Thelma struggles to maintain order. As with all Hal Roach shorts, TOP FLAT benefits from a strong supporting cast, particularly Fuzzy Knight and Garry Owen as Kelly's rowdy friends. The direction by both Jack Jevne and William H. Terhune deftly executes the comic potential in the situations and moves the short along at a brisk pace.

If you're already familiar with the team of Thelma Todd and Patsy Kelly, you'll find TOP FLAT a wonderful showcase for their talents. If you're not familiar with them, you'll be pleasantly surprised to find them as funny and appealing as Hal Roach's celebrated team Laurel and Hardy.

This is one of the better pairings of Todd and Kelly, although the script has them both straining to be funny under some barely believable comedy material. This time THELMA TODD lets PATSY KELLY think she's achieved wealth through her poetry, when all the time she's really the maid for a wealthy couple who are out for the evening.

When Kelly invites two of her obnoxious friends over to celebrate her friend's success, Todd goes along reluctantly with the ruse until it's almost time for the real owners of the swanky penthouse suite to return. The rest of the story has them running in and out of doors to hide from the wealthy couple who have no idea what's been going on.

It works up a few good laughs, particularly the "water bombs" thrown from the terrace onto unsuspecting passersby--but it's all very silly and a bit overdone. I'm not a fan of Patsy Kelly's comedy approach at playing a brass tomboy, but Todd handles her material with skill and good comic timing.

Very dated stuff, but occasionally good for a laugh.