Meet the Baron

I confess. The "Clean as a Whistle" number made me purchase the DVD. I wish that number was a bit longer. The choral blending drives home the art deco musical styles of the 1930's. The Stooge's scene after the water stopped was very good, especially with the head mistress as comic relief. The rest of the film, well, I did manage to watch all of the DVD, sort of. There are a number of musical comedy films from this great period in Hollywood. One that comes to mind is "International House." That one, with W.C. Fields, is worth a view. Bela Lugosi seems a bit out of character in this movie but it was great seeing him in a slightly different roll. The music played over the Chinese Radio station during W.C. Fields bedroom scene is another great example of the 1930's art deco music style.

I confess I found it hilarious. Stooges were a bit stiff, probably because of Ted Healy's (a truly unfunny person) relationship with the Stooges off camera. How can you not love Jimmy Durante? A true ham, hamming it up every second on screen. Zasu Pitts, Edna Mae Oliver, and newborns performing on a twirling fan as the final shot - I can't help but like it. Hey, it's screwball not exploding cars and obscenities mouthed every few seconds while someone passes gas (and that's just a current PG-13.) I'd rather watch a poor movie from this period than any of the trash being spewed out today. The print is of wonderful quality and hopefully more MGM classics of this calibre will surface. If nothing else, perhaps the gorgeous MGM girls routines will bring a new audience to this DVD.

This is not a great film, but it has great interest for cinemaphiles. One reason is its pre-code action, particularly the "Clean as a Whistle" shower scene. Secondly, the film has a diverse cast of MGM talents on display.

The film's story is silly. After years of searching, they find Baron Munchausen in the jungles of Africa. When they bring him back to civilization, they first take him to Cuddles College (of course), where a bevy of (MGM dancing) girls reside.

Noteworthy cast members include Jimmy Durante, Zasu Pitts, and the Three Stooges.

When the Baron visits Cuddles College, the locals and coeds deliver a rhyming sing-song poem in the style of "The Wizard of Oz" Munchkins six years later. I looked for a connection; Herman J. Mankiewicz was a writer for both films.

Munchausen, played by Jack Pearl, is featured in another film in 1934, so audiences must have responded to this lightweight but light-hearted fare.

For years, Hollywood has been turning TV stars and their shows into movies -- a trend that began back in the days of radio. A good illustration is "Meet the Baron" starring Jack Pearl in his popular persona as an habitual liar with a mittel European accent and an endless supply of puns. Providing him with comic support are a young Jimmy Durante as his manager, a man who never met a malaprop he couldn't mangle, and Zasu Pitts as his daffy love interest. When things slow down, a chorus line of MGM starlets, masquerading as college co-eds, perform a mildly risqué musical number in the shower. And for those who wonder how Moe, Curly and Larry started out, they appear (playing hapless janitors) as Ted Healy and his 3 Stooges. Sure, it's a curiosity piece and a not a very good movie. But oddly enough, it's a lot of fun.

This film is uneven: the first half is very promising, and it looks like "Meet The Baron" could develop into a classic of the absurdist-nonsense school of comedy, in the same vein as "Duck Soup" and "Horse Feathers". But the second half has too much violent, unsophisticated slapstick, and too many lame word puns ("take it with a grain of salt" - "you mean you can eat it?"). The two best sequences are the two musical numbers: the satirical "The Best is None Too Good", and especially the very pre-code "Clean as a Whistle", which must have been considered extremely hot by moviegoers back in 1933, and remains quite provocative and teasing today. Great closing gag, too! **1/2 out of 4.