Two Guys from Milwaukee

Dennis Morgan teamed with Jack Carson in an earlier film with Ann Sheridan.

What makes this film so good is that eventually the 2 guys will change status and accept what has become of them.

The story basically deals with a Balkin Prince (Morgan, in a non-singing role) who comes to America on the eve of his country deciding whether or not to maintain the monarchy or change to a republic. His goal is to spend some time with the common people and of course, he meets up with cab driver Carson.

Naturally, Joan Leslie, Carson's girlfriend, falls for our prince and there are some very funny scenes as the FBI trails the trio.

The ending is a good one with a big surprise. It has something to do with Morgan's goal throughout the picture.

Two Guys From Milwaukee was a fun, comedic surprise. Yes, it was a little predictable; though, who would win the girl was in question almost until the end. The story moved along quite quickly with smart and snappy dialogue and an array of likable characters.

Beyond the comedy and the quickly developed love story was a very enjoyable window into everyday life in Brooklyn in the mid-1940's--the friendliness, the simplicity (by modern standards), the economic modesty. Director David Butler shot the movie in an intimate fashion, which makes you feel like you're sitting with the characters in the living room, riding the tour bus in Manhattan or waking with them in the morning.

Jack Carson plays the role of Buzz Williams, the very likable Brooklyn cabbie. Carson has played many enjoyable characters, but this one has a unique charm to it. He's a simple enough guy, but with some real life complexity to him. Even during a rather obvious advertisement for democracy (of course, having just won WWII, there's nothing wrong with marketing the winning stuff) Carson delivers the message in a humble, regular-guy-on-the-street way.

All in all, you'll smile through much of the movie and laugh out loud, too. It was a very enjoyable way to spend 90 minutes.

A Balkan prince making an official tour of the United States jumps off the train to mingle with the common people and experience the "real" America. Prince Henry (Dennis Morgan) befriends a cabbie from Brooklyn named Buzz Williams (Jack Carson) and gets a street-level view of New York City with the help of Buzz's family and friends.

The prince particularly enjoys seeing the sights with Buzz's girlfriend, Connie (Joan Leslie), who is a manicurist. In a short time, they grow very close, setting up a romantic triangle that is the crux of the film. All three characters are very likable and the romantic complications are kept light. In fact, Buzz and Connie have an unusual relationship. When Connie has to make a choice between the two gents, it is handled very well.

Within the story are plugs for democracy (in the immediate aftermath of the world war). This coincides with the beginning of the American effort to export its political system.

Warner Brothers also used the film to promote its upcoming film, "The Big Sleep", which would be released later. This is done cleverly and humorously.

The entire cast is fun to watch. Carson and Morgan might not be the studio's answer to Crosby and Hope, but they have a chemistry that works well. They will later appear in "Two Guys from Texas".

Perhaps unknown to most of the posters here, both stars of this movie, Jack Carson and Dennis Morgan, were born in Wisconsin of which Milwaukee is the biggest city so there is something of an inside joke here! Dennis Morgan was born in tiny Prentice, Wisconsin, and went to college at Carroll College in Milwauke as did Jack Carson. Carson was born in Canada but his family moved to Milwaukee soon after and he always regarded that as his home town. So this is kind of an inside joke in a script full of inside jokes. Carson and Morgan were great friends. Carson died the same day Dick Powell did.

This is not a great movie but it is an entertaining one and with the startling cameo from....at the end, what could be better?

Two Guys from Milwaukee (1946)

** (out of 4)

Warner comedy has Prince Henry (Dennis Morgan) landing in America but not wanting to do the normal Prince stuff like meetings and royal dinners. Instead he wants to see NYC and meet Lauren Bacall. He meets a taxi driver (Jack Carson) and the two hit it off until the Prince starts to have feelings for his girlfriend (Joan Leslie). I've read several positive reviews for this film but I must call it a pretty big disappointment for several reasons. I think my biggest problem with the film was that I simply didn't laugh at anything. I didn't laugh at the Prince getting drunk for the first time and I didn't laugh at anything that followed. The movie was fairly boring, although I give Morgan and Carson a lot of credit because you can tell they're giving it their all to try and get laughs but the screenplay really lets them down. For me the movie dragged from one scene to the next and none of them got any better or had any real energy that would keep me into the story. I think it was pretty predictable that the Prince would end up falling for his friends girlfriend and in many ways this isn't all that funny because I personally felt bad for the taxi driver. There's a running joke of the two men telling everyone that they're from Milwaukee but I didn't find this funny either. I think the film would have been better had the Prince actually done his first goal in trying new things. The movie seems to forget this and by the twenty-minute mark he pretty much knows his way around. The movie does end on a very good note when the Prince's main dream comes true but he also meets her better half.