Double or Nothing

This is a fun short for those of us who remember the personalities being impersonated or who want an early example of the genius of songwriters Sammy Cahn and Saul Chaplin. Under anesthesia a stunt double, having a dentist repair a tooth lost during a fight in a western, dreams of movie scenes starring him with famous stars (Mae West, Bing Crosby, Eddie Cantor, Deanna Durbin, Hugh Herbert, Zazu Pitts, Joe E. Brown, Greta Garbo, among them). Only the actors are portrayed by their doubles.

This more than usually entertaining 1940 Vitaphone short directed by Roy Mack borrows the plot of a Phil Harris short made four years earlier. A stunt double, Lee Dixon, under anesthesia dreams he is in other worlds populated by movie stars. Some of the imitations he hears are excellent--Tom Herbert does a terrific job impersonating his more famous brother Hugh. Fans of Mae West will love rehearing the great Sammy Fain song "Now I'm A Lady" decently mimicked by Virginia Rendell. There's even a Hollywood song for male chorus by Sammy Cahn and Saul Chaplin with lyrics as good as "Horray for Hollywood." A better than average Warner Bros. short subject.

LEE DIXON is a stunt double who gets punched in the jaw and ends up at the dentist to have a tooth replaced. He's given gas by the dental assistant and immediately imagines himself acting opposite various stars of the silver screen.

Among the stars, the Deanna Durbin double is the most effective--as well as the Greta Garbo impersonation and Hugh Herbert. Less impressive but good enough were Mae West, Norma Shearer, Charles Laughton, Joe E. Brown, Zasu Pitts, Bing Crosby and Eddie Cantor.

Enjoyment will depend solely on whether you recognize these performers or not. Other than that, there are a couple of so-so song numbers composed by Sammy Cahn and Saul Chaplin--but nothing special.

Bill (Lee Dixon) is a stunt double for the movie star lead. The punch actually connects. He loses a tooth and gets knocked out. He goes to the dentist. He dreams of other doubles replacing the well-known stars while he's put under.

It's an interesting premise. The audience of its day would be having fun spotting the double of their favorite star. I probably have a lot more trouble. For example, Mae West is easy. I definitely recognize some of these roles. Some of the others are a little harder to figure out. I wouldn't mind a modern movie trying this concept. It's a surreal watch. It's a real guessing game.

3 years before this short subject from Warner Brothers Bing Crosby did a film also entitled Double Or Nothing. Maybe a few of his fans thought they were seeing a re-release.

This amusing short subject has many of the folks who double for stars including Bing Crosby getting a chance to show their stuff. Other doubles include Mae West, Zasu Pitts, Deanna Durbin, Hugh Herbert, Charles Laughton, and Eddie Cantor.

All this is in a dream sequence where Lee Dixon gets the gas courtesy of his dentist. Dixon is best known for being the original Will Parker in Oklahoma.

It's an amusing short subject, you'll like the impersonations.