The Passionate Plumber

...just like in his silent days. Unlike most of his MGM talkies, here he is not cast as the hapless bumbling butt of jokes, but instead he shows grace under pressure and ingenuity when in a tight spot.

This was the first of his three teamings with Jimmy Durante, and even that odd pairing doesn't distract too much from the film's enjoyment. Keaton here is playing Elmer Tuttle, who for some unexplained reason is an American plumber choosing to live in Paris. He enters the story as chauffeur Julius (Jimmy Durante) has been tasked by his employer to find a plumber to repair a leaky shower, and Elmer is the lucky plumber chosen for the job. Julius' employer is Patricia Alden (Irene Purcell), also an American living in Paris, who is trying to pull herself away from her married lover Tony (Gilbert Roland) since she sees there is no future in the relationship.

Patricia decides to drive the proud Tony away by claiming that Elmer is her lover, and she also hires Elmer to make sure she doesn't give in to temptation and go crawling back to Tony. The problem is, shortly after she gives Elmer the job she decides to go back to Tony, but Elmer won't take "you're fired" for an answer. He protects her in spite of herself. Keaton shows that old inventiveness at every turn here. When he needs money to rent formal attire to get into a Paris night spot he finds a way to make the night spot pay for it, every time Patricia thinks she has lost Elmer and is on her way back to Tony, Elmer finds a way to outsmart and stop her, and finally when Patricia's aunt Charlotte comes to visit and Patricia is afraid of what she'll think if she finds a man - Elmer - in her room, Keaton hilariously turns his plumbing toolkit into a doctor's bag and makes aunt Charlotte believe he is Patricia's physician.

Some of the plot lines hit unexplained dead ends and the ending for sure doesn't make much sense, but yet I find myself pulling this one out and watching it pretty often just because it is a good example of the old Keaton magic at work.

This movie marks the darkest period for Buster Keaton and his fans. While the transition to sound for Keaton was very poor (after all, MGM studios tried to make this great mime a talking star), the PASSIONATE PLUMBER marks the beginning of the end of Keaton's career. That's because this was the first of three films that paired Keaton with Jimmy Durante--a "comedian" whose style was the exact opposite of Keaton's. Keaton's humor was physical and sweet, while Durante was extremely loud and overbearing and the two styles meshed like oil and water. It was obvious that the execs at MGM had no idea what to do with Keaton and pairing him with Durante was a sign that they had "jumped the shark"--in other words, they were trying desperate measures to try to salvage a career that had already peaked.

Now this isn't to say that Keaton couldn't have been funny. Had his films remained true to his strengths (physical humor and a general likability), he could have remained a viable star. Chaplin did this by refusing to immediately switch to sound films--making CITY LIGHTS (1931) and MODERN TIMES (1936) as silent movies even when everyone had switched to sound long before these films. It's really too bad that MGM didn't do what they did with Laurel and Hardy. This team did work for MGM technically speaking, but MGM allowed the affiliated Hal Roach Studio almost complete independence to do what they knew how to do best. Perhaps if Keaton had been sent to Roach, his sound career would have been a success. But with the gag writers at MGM, he was sunk.

This film is worse than his previous sound outings because Keaton is given almost no physical gags at all. The few that he does have are among the best moments in the film because they are genuine--gags that suit Keaton's style. But the rest of the film is so talky and forgettable that it will most likely make Keaton fans (like myself) wince. And, while I know some Durante fans might take offense, he came off as just obnoxious and annoying!

The film is called the PASSIONATE PLUMBER, though Keaton spends very little time plumbing. The beginning of the film involves more scenes with Durante and Keaton--while the last half of the film they don't appear in that many scenes together (thank goodness). During this phase of the film, Keaton mostly annoys those around him and is invited to a series of duels due to his incessant and annoying bumbling. For the remainder of the film, he tags along with a young woman as her aide. She has gotten him to promise never to leave her side because she's afraid she'll lose control and allow Gilbert Rolland to make love to her. So, through over half the film, you see Keaton essentially following her and that's all there is to the plot.

Sadly throughout all of this, there are almost no laughs at all--a serious problem with a comedy! Only at the very end, when it degenerates to slapstick, does the film show any promise--but then the final credits roll and you are left thinking "is that all there is?".

Now that was actually good -- I could stand to watch a lot more of those!

The last thirty seconds or so form a too-convenient "eh?--what?" conclusion, the initial set-up is slow, and Jimmy Durante seems to have wandered into a rather pointless supporting role from another movie altogether; but for the first time in talkies we have Buster back as of old -- alert, expressive, and ever-so-slightly bemused as his life unexpectedly intersects with that of a flighty socialite who is the target of a cad -- and the return is worth celebration. It will take all his trademark patience, agility and ingenuity to fulfil the contract to protect his new 'employer' both from her would-be seducer and from her own weaker moments... but "Maybe some day you'll be glad I was here," he tells her with a touching stubbornness, and true to his word it is he who contrives the final confrontation.

In a sense this is just as much farce as was "Parlor, Bedroom and Bath": but the script is better, the supporting cast is much better, and Keaton himself more than holds his own where both dialogue and speaking glances are concerned. He may be playing another 'Elmer', but his character here is a far cry from the pathetic buffoon of his first speaking role in "Free and Easy"; Elmer Tuttle, plumber and inventor, may be out of his element in Miss Patricia's social circles, but he is full of resource and determination, and no helpless puppet. The result, predictably, is far more effective -- when Reggie Irving's head nestles on a concerned female bosom, it is through mere ineptitude, but when Buster here avails himself of the same proffered rest in the aftermath of the duel, it is a visible decision to take full advantage of the opportunity! And as ever with Keaton, many of the most hilarious moments are unspoken. His ever-helpful provision of ammunition to the incensed ladies as events catch up with Tony, a scene which had me in stitches; his attempt to conceal a ridiculously fluffy lap-dog in his pocket, with the whole surreal episode the supremely logical culmination of many earlier plot twists, a set-up worthy of any of his silent features; the arrival of Aunt Charlotte, and his inspired solution to the crisis; and of course the whole duel sequence.

The entire production, from script to sight-gags, is somewhat reminiscent of the classic "Carry On" comedies of the 1960s -- and as a longstanding fan of the latter I mean that as nothing more than a thoroughly-going recommendation. It's very easy to mentally substitute Sid James into the Durante role (arguably an improvement...), Joan Sims as Patricia, and Hattie Jacques as Aunt Charlotte, and oddly enough Buster seems entirely at home in such company. But what I hadn't realised is that the actual duel sequence in the Scarlet Pimpernel spoof "Carry On Don't Lose Your Head" -- including the hero's famous offer "You have the swords, I'll have the pistols" -- is a direct homage to this film; Buster, of course, did it all first.

"The Passionate Plumber" is a true sound comedy, adapted from a stage property, but in addition it's a genuine Keaton movie in ways that "Speak Easily" or "Parlor, Bedroom and Bath", for example, are not. The MGM talkies tend to treat physical comedy as the lowest form of humour, utilising pratfalls, entanglements with scenery and general bumbling to milk the audience for routine, predictable laughs. In this film, for the first time since "Doughboys" and with more consistent results, we see the return of Keaton's own unexpected inventiveness, with the 'Aunt Charlotte' scene as perhaps the most memorable example: in a standard farce, Elmer would be hiding in a creaking cupboard or frantically climbing out of a window at this point, but it wouldn't get one-half the laugh that Keaton's straight-faced expedient does, not to mention the inspired improvisation that follows.

For once, we have Buster back in problem-solving mode, overcoming obstacles and pitting his wits against the world, and it's enough to bring a whole extra sparkle for this viewer at least. He has, of course, fallen in unspoken love with the leading lady -- but that certainly doesn't mean he's going to allow her, or anyone else, to walk all over him! Competent, coherent characters always seem to suit his style better than witless stumblers, producing superior comic results, and this film simply reinforces the point; it isn't a run-of-the-mill MGM picture, and it's distinctly funnier for it.

Keaton himself apparently didn't feel that either the film or the role were right for him. As in, famously, the case of "The High Sign" -- which he actually suppressed from initial release as substandard -- I honestly believe that in this case he was wrong: much of the film depends entirely on his interpretation, many of the laughs derive directly from his reactions and timing, and the material provides opportunity for the full range of his talents. And above all, it had me laughing by the end with the sort of helpless delight I haven't experienced from any of his other sound productions...

Out of all of Keaton's MGM sound films, The Passionate Plumber (1932) is the only one I actually laughed at. It's no riot, but it's The General (1926) compared to all that other garbage MGM forced upon Keaton in the 30s.

The story is very pre-code: Keaton plays an American plumber living in France. A socialite (Irene Purcell) discovers her lover (Gilbert Roland) is carrying on with another woman (Mona Maris), so she hires Keaton to make Roland jealous. Most of the movie concerns Keaton trying to keep her away from Roland, whom she simultaneously hates and lusts after.

Thank God above, Buster does not play an idiot! He's still socially awkward and a little lost, but his character is allowed to be clever, resourceful, and sarcastic. The physical comedy is actually inspired too, rather than tacked on (see the painfully bad slapstick during the check-in scene of Parlor, Bedroom, and Bath (1931)).

Much of the supporting cast is completely over the top and annoying. Irene Purcell and Mona Maris screech and howl. Jimmy Durante works best in small doses, which is luckily how he is here. Gilbert Roland works best when he isn't hamming it up to Mars, which unluckily, he does in a number of scenes.

Fortunately, the supporting cast, while not always pleasant, is not terrible enough to kill the movie. If you've lost all hope after Free and Easy (1930) and What! No Beer (1933), then give this one a try.

I thought this was a light, fun romp, 1930s style. Of course Keaton is the scene stealer in this one. I know he didn't like to do so much talking in these films, but I like his voice and delivery. I feel this film also utilizes his wide range of facial expressions more than the other MGM films. Jimmy Durante is as irritating as ever, but for some reason he hit it off with 1930s American audiences. His pairing with Keaton however, was a poor choice. I also feel Keaton did a remarkable job in this film as his life had begun to fall apart about this time. He could have made a successful go at these sort of screwball type films, but as an artist, he felt they were ridiculous and a waste of time. If MGM had let him take control of his own films, then we would have something revolutionary to watch. That being said, This one is enjoyable. Sure, it's not a classic or well thought out film, but it made me laugh, and I saw the old Keaton in there, just a little.