cellorey

"Everything's Rosie" is Robert Woolsey's only (surviving) film without the presence of his comedy partner, Bert Wheeler. It is a respectable effort with Woolsey playing a carnival con-man and his adopted daughter trying to fit in with the high society of a small town. This film has many laughs, but the primary difference between this and the other Wheeler/Woolsey films is that it is not afraid to stick dramatic moments into the comedy as well as treating the characters played by Woolsey and Anita Louise as real people instead of slapstick/cartoon characters. I generally liked this movie (being a fan of Wheeler & Woolsey, I usually like all their movies). However, Woolsey's abrasive comic personality is sometimes hard to take for a long period of time, even in this 67 minute film. This film would have worked a lot better had he been able to vent his jokes onto a comic foil, a role which Wheeler usually would have played. The video I have this movie on was taped off of Turner Classic Movies several years ago and features clear sound and very clear picture quality.

This is another classic in Wheeler and Woolsey's long line of slapstick films. However, it is one of the more difficult ones to obtain a copy of. I managed to get the non-TV print (which is 54 minutes) and mine runs 65 minutes. The story, or better, the excuse for their burlesque humor is pretty weak this time. Wheeler and Woolsey play out of work vaudeville performers who are at the end of the line. Their only income stems from their exploitation of several large lions (don't ask). For some reason, they are invited to film an epic African movie on location, and this is officially where the story ends and the sexual double entendres enter. Dorothy Lee is missed, but Raquel Torres (from DUCK SOUP) is pretty good playing a female type of Tarzan. My favorite scenes are where Wheeler and Woolsey encounter a bear in Africa, and the very strange all-female tribe of "Africans." For Wheeler and Woolsey fans, this ranks very high on the must-see list. Also, I think this is their only film not produced by RKO, instead being done at Columbia Pictures.

This is one of Laurel & Hardy's later Twentieth Century-Fox films and it is not one of their best. However, it is an upbeat and fast-paced effort that shows signs that they put some effort into it. THE BIG NOISE has some good bits: the dinner with the inventor, the bunk bed scene in the train, and the constant threat of the bomb going off with Stan transporting it carelessly. The only part of this movie that seems weak is the Nazi segment and the scenes with a very annoying little kid. Other than that, this is recommended for all L&H fans, especially younger fans. 7 out of 10.