Diplomaniacs

This riotous, politically incorrect classic has a lot in common with the Marx Brother's film "Duck Soup". Consider: (1) Both films were released in 1933. (2) Both films had a strong anti-war message to them. (3) Both films starred Louis Calhern and Edgar Kennedy. (4) Both films had hilarious musical numbers in them. A film that is unjustly forgotten today, it has a lot of bizarre, but wonderful moments in it. The film opens with Wheeler & Woolsey as barbers on an Indian reservation. The Indians recruit the boys to attend the Geneva Peace Conference and convince all of the other countries to pledge to end war. However, the owners of an ammunition company sets out to stop them. A delight!

"Diplomaniacs" is a funny, uneven and very politically incorrect film. It also happens to be one of Wheeler & Woolsey's better movies. It's also very, very unusual in many ways. There's even more singing than usual, cute Dorothy Lee (who is in nearly every one of the boys' films) isn't in this one, and it has a very, very dark ending...surprisingly dark for a comedy.

The story begins with the pair lamenting their opening up a barber shop on American Indian land. The natives don't have beards and don't need their services...but they do, for some inexplicable reason, want Willy and Hercules (Wheeler & Woolsey) to represent them at the Geneva peace conference. After all, they wonder why the Indian nation isn't being represented and they want peace. However, a baddie (Louis Calhern) is bent on preventing the pair from addressing the conference, as he wants war...though they never really say why!

The film is, like "Duck Soup" from the Marx Brothers (which debuted a few months later), a film that is actually deadly serious. It makes fun of the peace conferences of the day because they pointed out that these conferences really achieved nothing to protect mankind...and the film even ends on a very, very dark note. In many ways, it's very intelligent in addressing this YET it also is very dopey and filled with tons of jokes...many of which fall a bit bit flat. It's also very unusual in that the film's dialog is often sung. Overall, a good film that occasionally misses the mark...but also often succeeds.

By the way, I need to address the proverbial elephant in the room with this film. It is filled with politically incorrect stuff that will horrify some viewers. Hugh Herbert plays a Chinese man, the American Indian tribesmen and sexy tribeswomen are ridiculous and the final scene at the peace conference is a giant black-face number!! It is offensive....a product of its times, of course! But, all in all, I still enjoyed it in spite of everything.

Also, do NOT freak out at the swastikas in the opening credits. American Indians (as well as Asians) used the symbol for many, many, many years before the Nazis ever began in Germany....and it's not meant as a Nazi reference.

A pacifistic Indian tribe sends two zany barbers to be its envoys at the Peace Conference in Geneva. The DIPLOMANIACS soon find themselves up against the machinations of spies working for a powerful munitions company who have a vested interest in seeing that war continues the demand for their explosive bullets.

Wheeler & Woolsey take a plot ridiculous even by their standards and manage to get some solid laughs out of it. The Boys (Bert Wheeler is the little fellow with the curly hair; Robert Woolsey is the skinny guy with the cigar & glasses) are always tremendous fun to watch, but the viewer who tries to find anything meaningful or coherent in this film would be wasting their time. However, in its own goofy way, DIPLOMANIACS holds its own against DUCK SOUP & MILLION DOLLAR LEGS, two contemporary films with which it shares an hysterical point of view.

The Boys are given a fine supporting cast, each of whom get to shine for a few moments, as they are given no chance for any real character development: Louis Calhern as the suave master spy; Edgar Kennedy as the harried head of the Peace Conference; elderly Richard Carle as an inebriated ship's captain; spunky little Marjorie White as Wheeler's violent love interest, choking him into submission (a very funny comedienne nearly forgotten today, a tragic car wreck would claim her life two years after the release of this film); and Hugh Herbert as an inscrutable proverb-spouting Oriental. Movie mavens will spot Charlie Hall as an eager beaver valet.

Wheeler & White fight their way through `Sing To Me' - while the Boys vocalize with `On The Boulevard' and `No More War.'

"Diplomaniacs" is a funny, uneven and very politically incorrect film. It also happens to be one of Wheeler & Woolsey's better movies. It's also very, very unusual in many ways. There's even more singing than usual, cute Dorothy Lee (who is in nearly every one of the boys' films) isn't in this one, and it has a very, very dark ending...surprisingly dark for a comedy.

The story begins with the pair lamenting their opening up a barber shop on American Indian land. The natives don't have beards and don't need their services...but they do, for some inexplicable reason, want Willy and Hercules (Wheeler & Woolsey) to represent them at the Geneva peace conference. After all, they wonder why the Indian nation isn't being represented and they want peace. However, a baddie (Louis Calhern) is bent on preventing the pair from addressing the conference, as he wants war...though they never really say why!

The film is, like "Duck Soup" from the Marx Brothers (which debuted a few months later), a film that is actually deadly serious. It makes fun of the peace conferences of the day because they pointed out that these conferences really achieved nothing to protect mankind...and the film even ends on a very, very dark note. In many ways, it's very intelligent in addressing this YET it also is very dopey and filled with tons of jokes...many of which fall a bit bit flat. It's also very unusual in that the film's dialog is often sung. Overall, a good film that occasionally misses the mark...but also often succeeds.

By the way, I need to address the proverbial elephant in the room with this film. It is filled with politically incorrect stuff that will horrify some viewers. Hugh Herbert plays a Chinese man, the American Indian tribesmen are walking stereotypes and are ridiculous...and the final scene at the peace conference is a giant black-face number!! It is offensive....a product of its times, of course! But, all in all, I still enjoyed it in spite of everything....but you should be forewarned.

"Diplomaniacs" is not one of their best movies, but it still has one of the best comedy teams of early Hollywood. As always, the plot is not the main focus of the film; just wait for the boys to throw off one-liners and to work out some wacky situations.

Now, this was 1933 and some of their gags and jokes are old and have been done over and over, but it's special for their fans when it comes from these two. And some of the material would have to be reworked for modern audiences. Some would find some of the situations dated or offensive, this being 2018. But fans of Wheeler and Woolsey will not be disappointed - they're still funny.

6/10 - Website no longer prints my star ratings.