Yoo-Hoo

I stumbled onto this short film on YouTube. The info under the screen explained this was a Universal 2-reel short featuring many players and crew from Hal Roach Studios. It seems Warren Doane-who was an executive at H R-was let go after new general manager Henry Ginsberg-in order to save money-thought some talent was expendable. So Doane set up shop at the lot run by Carl Laemmle and brought some of the H R talent for some work there. Like director James Horne, cameraman Len Powers, and writer George Stevens. Also on board were players like Anita Garvin, Billy Gilbert, and Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins, a member of Our Gang who missed some of the series' shorts during this period. The short's star is James Gleason. Now this is a comedy about Gleason getting orphan Bobby-who is called "Rooster" here-to live with him even though he's not his real parent. I didn't think much of this short was funny except for a couple of scenes involving faking small pox on a couple of characters. Still, it was interesting to watch so on that note, Yoo-Hoo is worth a look, if nothing else.

Rough-hewn line man James Gleason rescues Bobby Hutchins from the cruel orphan farm manager and with the connivance of Anita Garvin, keeps him out of the hands of the authorities.

Looking at this Universal short, you'd think that it was a Hal Roach production. Not only Miss Garvin and Wheezer Hutchins, but Frank Austen, Billy Gilbert and Fred Kelsey in front of the camera, but James Horne directing from a script by George Stevens and J.A. Howe, and Len Powers as the cameraman. Blame Henry Ginsberg, another genius you've never heard of. In order to secure his loans, Hal Roach had to install bank manager Ginsberg as his right-hand man, and his brilliant idea was to cut costs by firing as many people as he could. Warren Doane, who was also fired, went over to Universal, hired these people and put together a unit to produce some solid short subjects.

It didn't last. The unit busted up, a few of them went back to Roach, Stevens went to RKO and eventual fame, and the rest went independent and did very nicely for themselves. And Ginsberg's destruction is forgotten now.

When I found "Yoo-Hoo" on YouTube, I was surprised, as it is a comedy short featuring James Gleason....and I had no idea he ever did films like this.

"Yoo-Hoo" is a film that is very oddly cast. That's because in the film is about a child who is being abused....and Bobby 'Wheezer' Hutchins stars as the child. The oddly is because several Hollywood actors have commented how mistreated Hutchins was...and his father reportedly underfed the boy in a sick attempt to keep him looking young and waif-like due to malnutrition! Here in "Yoo-Hoo" he seems to be essentially playing himself.

In this story, Gleason plays a guy who stumbles upon a little dirty boy who is hiding from his abusive parents. Instead of calling the police, however, Gleason's character takes the boy to live with him! And, you know sooner or later the cops are bound to show up asking questions!

Shortly after this short began, I could see clearly that it was a Pre-Code comedy. In other words, the new toughened Production Code hadn't yet been adopted and all sorts of amazing content appeared in films before mid-1934...such as adultery, homosexuality, extreme violence and drug use....and it often went unpunished! In this case, Gleason's character meets up with an obviously gay stereotype...and the guy is a truck driver for the I.M. Sweet Company! Offensive, true...and sadly a bit funny as well. As for what follows, I think it was supposed to be a comedy but it really wasn't funny...more sadly touching. Worth seeing and well made...but not exactly a must-see film.