What - No Beer?

Keaton followers know his decision to go to MGM was a disaster artistically and the smothering of his talent is apparent in this film. In some scenes he looks like he hasn't slept in days. Stick with it though, as with any chance to glimpse comic genius, you can spot the sparks. Durante, also a unique performer, and Keaton don't make a good team. Keaton was a cool presence, far more subtle and with much more depth of characterization than other comedians of the era. Durante was a hot performer, more verbal, but with a manic physicality. At times, you worry that he's actually hurting Keaton with his constant shoving, grabbing, poking and slapping. There is a rather sexy performance from Phyllis Barry as Keaton's amour and one wonders why she didn't go on to become, as they say. Everybody works very hard which usually kills farce, but there are moments of pure zaniness usually involving barrels, and some good lines satirizing the standard gangster picture. Anyone who loves these two men, as I do, should see this, if only in giggling tribute.

I love Keaton, but there is nothing here that resembles Buster Keaton. That any could find this a good film is totally beyond me. It is sad and painful to watch.

It is hard to imagine a worst partner for Buster then Jimmy Durante. Durante spends most of the movie yelling and waving his arms frantically. All poor Buster can do is stand around displaying his deadpan face. The attempts to inject physical humor into this are about as artless and unfunny as it gets.

If you like watching train wrecks, go for it. For me I will watch The General again. I would much prefer to remember him in that.

What - No Beer? (1933)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Pleasant time-killer features Buster Keaton and Jimmy Durante in a low-rent but entertaining film. Keaton wants to marry a woman his fixated on but needs a million dollars to impress her so Durante talks him into buying a brewery just as Prohibition is about to end. The two plan on making some easy cash but soon a couple gangsters are wanting to know who's cutting in on their sales. WHAT - NO BEER? isn't going to be mistaken for a classic but if you've got 65-minutes to kill then it's worth sitting through at least once. I think the material is certain "B" level and it's a real shame the studio didn't try to do more with the screenplay because with Keaton and Durante they probably could have gotten a classic comedy had they tried. Both actors are in very good form here and the two are clearly playing off one another at ease with this being their third movie together. Keaton gets to showcase a couple good stunts and as usual Durante has no problem running around being loud and causing a scene. The big highlight in the film happens when the two finally get their brewery and start trying to make beer when neither one of them know what they're doing. The "too much yeast" sequence is full of nice gags and perfect timing by those involved. The supporting cast includes Roscoe Ates (FREAKS) doing his famous stuttering act. Fans of Keaton will notice that the film rips off a couple earlier gags from SEVEN CHANCES and SPITE MARRIAGE but they work well here. WHAT - NO BEER? certainly isn't the place to start if you're new to Keaton as it would be wise to begin with his silent masterpieces. With that said, if you do want to get to know Keaton in the sound era then this would be a good place to start.

Certainly not great, but not awful either. It's topical with the end of Prohibition, and the film's treatment of this is a celebration, with some wonderful moments towards the end. Unfortunately, Buster Keaton, already depressed and drinking heavily, was fired afterwards, marking an even sadder inflection point in his career, as bad as the MGM years were. These things tugging the emotions in opposite directions make it worth seeing.

The film leans on Durante, who delivers his malapropisms and "ha cha cha" shtick with zeal. "Say, it's so dark here, I can't see the nose before my face," Buster says. "I don't have that trouble," Durante replies, in perfect deadpan. Contemplating Buster being with the woman he's fallen for, he quips "Can you imagine? At a time like this. Elmer's in the park - spoonin'. Why, it's enough to give a man 'varicoose' brains!" There are many others, not uproarious, but delivered energy and charisma.

As for Buster, it's always sweet to see him lovelorn (the object of his affection played by Phyllis Barry), but the only moment truly worth the price of admission is him running down a hill away from a bunch of beer barrels bounding along after him. It ain't Seven Chances (1925) with the rocks, but it ain't bad. Buster also reprises the overflowing yeast gag from My Wife's Relations (1922), but the slapstick from Durante and the workers who are like 3 stooges-lite isn't all that funny.

There was a clever bit of innuendo at the polling place, when Durante's character says his name is "Potts - and no crack!" When Buster steps up next he reports his name is "Elmer J. Butts," and the silent "and no crack" can be felt. Buster also gets in a funny line when a swarm of townspeople descend upon the brewery to "drink up all the evidence." The best moment is saved for Durante, however, who while breaking the fourth wall blows the suds off a stein of beer and says "It's your turn next, folks! It won't be long now! Ha cha!" While FDR had been elected, it would be another 10 months before this was true.

WHAT! NO BEER? (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1933), directed by Edward Sedgwick, is a prohibition-era comedy that marked the closing point to Buster Keaton's career as a star comedian for MGM. Having come a long way since becoming the studio's contract player starting with THE CAMERAMAN (1928), WHAT! NO BEER? far from being prime Keaton, ranges from disappointing to enjoyable. Of the Keaton talkies, WHAT, NO BEER? appears to be his better known movie title, particularly by beer drinkers, naturally. It also pairs Keaton once again with Jimmy Durante for the third and final time, here sharing equal billing above the title, being more of a showcase for Durante rather than Keaton himself.

The story introduces Elmer J. Butts (Buster Keaton), a taxidermist, closing shop to attend a political rally as campaigners march down the street holding a sign reading, "Vote for Horace Frisby, the People's Choice." While in attendance, Elmer is smitten by the presence of Hortence (Phyllis Barry), a companion of mob boss and bootlegger, Butch Lorado (John Miljan). Jimmy Potts (Jimmy Durante), a neighborhood barber and Elmer's best pal since babies in a cradle, returning home from a fishing trip, comes upon a get-rich-quick scheme of being the first to open a brewery and sell beer once Prohibition is repealed. Elmer finances Jimmy $10,000 to open up an abandoned brewery where the two go to work manufacturing beer with the assistance of three homeless men (Roscoe Ates, Henry Armetta and Charles Dunbar) they've found flopping about inside the building. As the election voters put an end to Prohibition, it's still not yet outlawed, causing Elmer and Jimmy to encounter further problems with authorities and rival gangsters, Lorando and Spike Moran (Edward Brophy) the latter with the intent of cutting in on their business, creating a gang war in the process.

Considering the numerous times Keaton acquired the "Elmer" name during his MGM years (1928-1933), this would be the only time he assumed the exact same name from another movie, FREE AND EASY (1930). Whether Keaton's character name of Elmer J. Butts from WHAT, NO BEER! is the same one from FREE AND EASY is uncertain. It might very well be two different characters bearing the exact same name played by the very same actor since there's really no evidence of this being a sequel. In FREE AND EASY, Keaton's Elmer is a garage owner who happens in Hollywood where he unintentionally becomes a comedy actor. In WHAT, NO BEER! he's now a taxidermist who keeps portions of his fortune inside stuffed animals. Yet, on the surface, this appears to be the same Elmer J. Butts three years later. His lovesick "Elmer" character could very much be Elmer from DOUGHBOYS (1930) or Homer in SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK (1931). In Keaton tradition, there's a series of pratfalls to get a few laughs. Though many consider Durante a mismatch for Keaton, somehow they work favorably together here, even though Durante gets most of the attention with both his schnozzola with constant catch phase of "hotchichacha!"

With gag material few and far between, the most notable sequence turns out to be the rolling of the barrels down the hilly street, a scene reminiscent of rolling boulders from Keaton's masterpiece, SEVEN CHANCES (Metro, 1925). The boulders from the silent classic is classic Keaton. The re-enactment here makes more sense, though this new sequence, quite short, works much better in silent comedy than in sound comedy. Other minor highlights consist of Keaton and Durante's struggle at the voting booth; Keaton's day in the park with Hortense, and occasional amusing Durante one-liners. Hotchichacha!

The editing and pacing are tightly done, with certain scenes ending in sudden blackouts or gag material in abbreviated form. Released at 66 minutes, it leaves indication WHAT! NO BEER? to have been initially longer. In release form, however, it plays like an extended comedy short. Take notice that the aerial view of office workers used in one scene is one lifted from director King Vidor' THE CROWD (MGM, 1928).

Not revived in many years, WHAT! NO BEER? saw its rediscovery where this, and other classic movie titles from the MGM library, aired on Turner Network Television starting in 1988. As classic film titles slowly phased out from TNT in favor of more contemporary ones by 1991, WHAT! NO BEER? turned out to be one of its longer surviving oldies, ending its run by 1993 before becoming part of the Turner Classic Movies line-up which began in 1994. Distributed to home video, it's currently found in the DVD format. Next time it turns up on TCM, have some beer, sit back and watch the movie, compliments of Keaton and Durante. If beverage is unavailable, simply say, "What! No Beer?" (**1/2)