Sealskins

Thelma (Thelma Todd) works as a typist for a local newspaper. But she would love to become a reporter. So when she reads about a stolen Siberian Royal Seal, she is determined to find it with the help of her friend Zasu (Zasu Pitts). At the same time, a seal (the animal variety...not a symbol for royals) is stolen from a circus...and Thelma thinks these folks were the ones who stole the royal seal. Complications ensue.

The plot to this one is pretty contrived...even for a comedy short. There actually IS a Siberian Seal (commonly called a Baikal Seal) but there was no Royal Siberian Seal (the royal type). And, mixing the two up seems pretty lame as well. Overall, a tough plot to make work...and in this case, they didn't! Like too many of the team's comedies, the material just isn't funny and it seemed quite forced.

Seal Skins (1932)

** (out of 4)

Fair entry in the Zasu Pitts and Thelma Todd series has a few laughs but in the end not enough to make it worth viewing to anyone other than fans. Todd is working as a typist for a newspaper when she learns that a "seal" has been stolen. The "seal" is actually a jewelry piece but Todd thinks it's the animal so she grabs Pitts and heads out to a creepy castle to follow a source. This is a pretty fast and wild entry in the series but I'm guessing there was a reason why two directors were credited here. The overall pacing of the film seems a tad bit off and the story never comes together like it should have. The biggest problem is the uneven feel of the film because it was rather hard to get involved in the thing when you'll be getting jerked one way only to then get the rugged pulled out from other you and it seems as if you're watching a different film. The opening piece inside the office has a couple pretty lame jokes including one where Todd's fast-typical skills are put to the test. The second portion of the film is when many horror elements come into play. We get a strange looking butler, a scary midget, a man in a skeleton outfit, a beyond tall man and of course the wild gorilla. None of them elements are very entertaining on their own but in a weird way they actually build up a rather strange atmosphere that at least keeps the film moving. Todd is clearly the star here as she's given the majority of the "jokes" while Zasu stays in the background. The highlight of the film is when the girls, one by one, get into bed not knowing the seal is there.

After one attempt to replicate Laurel & Hardy's success by doing a female Laurel & Hardy team (FEED 'EM AND WEEP), Roach waited a few years and tried again with Zasu Pitts and Thelma Todd and hit pay dirt.

There is nothing in the least Laurel & Hardyish about the teaming of these two women, except for the warm friendship that they show for each other on the screen. Yet the comedy arises out of their characters.

SEAL SKINS, although not the best of their vehicles, does emphasize the basis of their friendship: they fill in the gaps in each others' characters and support each other: Thelma wanting to get ahead as a reporter, and Zasu trying to act as the voice of reasons.... not that either is capable of much reasoning. This one is definitely worth twenty minutes of your time.