Oh! Oh! Cleopatra

Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey take some pills which makes them imagine they are Marc Anthony and Julius Caesar trying to woo Dorothy Burgess as Cleopatra.

It's one of several shorts that the Masquers made to raise money for charity. The Masquers were a Hollywood charitable and fraternal club for actors, in much the same way that the Lambs were (and still are) in New York City. The shorts that they made were filled with members, and it's a fine chance to see the huge number of supporting actors appearing in roles far from their usual casting.

The short is filled with anachronistic gags that are still amusing, and Dorothy Burgess never looked prettier.

"Oh! Oh! Cleopatra" is a 'holy grail' of sorts for fans of 1930s comedy. It's the only film by Wheeler & Woolsey I've never seen (up until now). According to IMDB, there's a copy in some private collector's collection and a copy owned by the British Film Institute...though the British copy is in les than ideal condition. Neither were available to watch...until I found the BFI version posted on YouTube today!

When I say less than perfect, I should explain. In a few small sections (mostly towards the beginning) bits of film are missing...though the audio does still exist. The BFI copy essentially is the best they can offer...with a few tiny portions consisting of stills while the sound continues. The sound is also a bit wonky...though you can hear everything. Not ideal...but certainly watchable.

The story begins at some sort of banquet with a lot of smart folks...though why this included Wheeler & Woolsey, I have no idea! Apparently, one of them has created some time travel pills...and the two dopes take them and are magically transported to Cleopatra's court.

For some reason, Wheeler & Woolsey have become Antony and Caesar and they both spend most of the short trying to convince Cleopatra to love them alone. She suggests they have a chariot race to determine which one can have her.

As you might expect, the time travel sequence is quite anachronistic and silly. However, it's not among their best work...worth seeing but not as timeless as many of their full-length films.