The Rainmakers

This is a polished and entertaining W&W vehicle that is nothing remarkable but proves that their mostly forgotten films hold up more or less as well as that of most other screen comedy teams' from the era. Woolsey (who doesn't do a lot for me) is a supposed rainmaker called in desperation to a drought-plagued agricultural town; en route he picks up Dust Bowl farmer Wheeler, whose naif act is still pretty amusing.

The complications are ordinary but diverting enough (the highlight being the only song, a drolly staged duet for Wheeler and their usual leading lady Dorothy Lee) until we get to a long, elaborate runaway train climax that's good if not great--it's Buster Keaton-esque, with the big diff that Keaton would have avoided back-projection in favor of visibly real, risky stuntwork. Anyway, this is no forgotten classic but a fun outing for a team that shouldn't be so entirely neglected today.

This film, coming late in the Wheeler and Woolsey cycle, is often dismissed as poorly written and executed, although it is actually very enjoyable, fast-paced, memorably written, and sees the two boys on good form as ever.

Dorothy Lee (in her last appearance with the team I think) is as sweet as ever, in her usual role as ingénue and love interest for Bert Wheeler. They have a song, as ever, this time set around an orange tree which drops its fruit whenever someone tells a lie. Lee said it was her favourite of their numbers, and it is certainly one of the best.

A long set-piece with out of control locomotives seems a bit misplaced in the second half of the film, but is still funny. The double entendres and quips of earlier films in the series have been irradicated by the Hays code and the move towards family decency, but this film remains sharp and funny.

Another chapter in the Wheeler and Woolsey collection of oldie but goody comedies. The local farmers are standing around wondering what to do about the lack of rain for their crops. Of course, if that many people are going to suffer, there might be someone who will GAIN from the lack of water. There's usually a pretty strong, coherent story under all the vaudeville gags we get from them, and this one is no different. (My favorite is Peach O Reno! ) Lots of visual, slapstick gags, as well as clever one, two, and three liners. Of course, Rainmakers has the required runaway train. With a love story thrown in too. Costars Berton Churchill and George Meeker. It's also interesting, in that it works in the history of the dry, dustbowl years, where there was just no water for the farmers. A fun 78 minutes, if you're watching the Turner Classics version. Directed by Fred Guiol, who had directed a whole bunch of the Wheeler & Woolsey films.

The farming community of Lima Junction, California, is in big trouble. A devastating drought is threatening to destroy the livelihood of many of the local small farmers. A crooked landowner schemes to find a way to profit from the others' misery, but before he can implement his nefarious schemes, an honest banker sends for THE RAINMAKERS...

This is a very enjoyable comedy from the always reliable team of Wheeler & Woolsey (Bert Wheeler is the little curly-headed one; Robert Woolsey is the guy with the cigar & spectacles.) The Boys are at the top of their form here; it's a shame that these very funny fellows are almost forgotten today.

Berton Churchill makes a fine, blustery villain - from his first encounter with the Boys he begins to get exactly the comeuppance he deserves. Kewpie-doll-cute Dorothy Lee, a frequent co-star of W & W, teams with Wheeler in one of their most whimsical duets - `Isn't Love The Grandest Thing?'

Movie mavens will recognize old Clarence Wilson, in an uncredited role, as the railroad manager. The climax, featuring two runaway, dynamite-laden trains, is very comical.

The farmers of Lima Junction are desperate for rain. Local businessman Simon Parker (Berton Churchill) suggests taking water from a lake, but it would cost $50k. Con man Roscoe the Rainmaker (Robert Woolsey) has a fake rainmaking machine and recruits hopeless farmer Billy (Bert Wheeler) after his house blows away. The town's banker Henry Spencer has invited the Rainmakers. Margie Spencer (Dorothy Lee) is his daughter and bank teller.

It is the comedy team of Wheeler & Woolsey. Their comedy is what I describe as mildly humorous. They are certainly forgotten nowadays and nowhere as famous as other legendary names. That's what we have here. It is mildly humorous. The laughs are not that big, but there are enough of them.