A Very Honorable Guy

O.K., so this not the best Joe E. Brown vehicle. The script is weak and the laughs few. But it did have some amusing moments, such as the scene in Mindy's, when Robert Barrat pours just about every condiment into his coffee and Alan Dinehart looks on in disbelief. Or the tear gas scene. The capable cast tries hard but apart from a couple of funny scenes, they can do little with inferior material. Still, I thought it was kind of cute. Joe E. Brown fans should enjoy it.

Most Joe E. Brown movies don't make you think, they just make you laugh. Typically, there's not much to think about. So you eat your popcorn and you laugh. But this one has food for thought. So while you're eating your popcorn, and laughing, you can think about what you're seeing. And what you're seeing is quite shocking. Because this movie is about suicide. At least partly, anyway. It's also about luck. I can talk about luck because I've had lots of luck, most of it bad. In fact, most of it was so bad that if I told you about it it would probably make you cry. And that is not my intention.

Joe E. Brown brings some subtlety to his acting in this movie and that's unusual for Joe E. Brown. Normally, his acting hits you over the head. And if you don't get knocked unconscious then you laugh. So this one is quite interesting from that standpoint.

Remember I said this movie is about luck? It sure is. It's about a guy going from bad luck to good luck. That's the best way to go, from bad luck to good luck. You don't want to go from good luck to bad luck. That's a mean and sad road to follow. So always go the other direction if you can.

To sum up. I would rate this movie #2 on my list of Joe E. Brown movies. I enjoyed it quite a bit. And, who knows, it might even bring me some good luck. By the way, #1 on my Joe E. Brown list is "Bright Lights".

Gambler Joe E. Brown is having a terrible run of bad luck. He's broke, he owes Alan Dinehart $500, and his girl, Alice White, has thrown him over for rich doctor Robert Barrat. Being a very honorable guy, he decides to sell his body to science, but the only taker is Barrat, who gives him a grand with the body collectable in four weeks, underwritten by Dinehart, who is touched by Brown's honesty. Then something terrible happens. His luck turns, and he has a lot of money and Miss White. He offers Barrat his money back and a handsome profit, but Barrat tells Dinehart Brown wants to welsh.

It's the second movie adapted from Damon Runyon. Runyon was born out of wedlock, and by the 1910s he was one of the premiere sportswriters, and writers about Broadway, with Walter Winchell and Ed Sullivan his leg men. With the institution of the Production Code, his comic hoods speaking ridiculous English became an acceptable way of portraying gangsters without making them outright villains. He died in 1946 at the age of 66.

"A Very Honorable Guy" is a very dark comedy--and very little in it is all that funny. Still, despite this, it was enjoyable mostly because it was such a strange film and a welcome change of pace for Joe E. Brown.

When the film begins, 'Feet' Samuels (Brown) is having a long run of very bad luck. He owes everyone and his life is on the skids. So, because he was so honest, instead of not paying off his bets he comes up with a bizarre solution--to offer his body to any scientist who wants it IF they give him $1000 so he can settle his affairs. In a weird twist, however, suddenly the guy has amazingly good luck- --so much that his life should be terrific. But, he STILL has a contract with Dr. Snitzer--and the local gambling boss has guaranteed that the contract WILL be honored!

As I mentioned, this is very dark. But the film was enjoyable and I liked its strangeness. Worth seeing and a bit better than usual for Brown.

Feet Samuels (Joe E. Brown) has a run of bad luck and stuck with a gambling debt to the Brain. He sees himself as a very honorable guy and never breaks a promise. He gets tricked and put in jail. The Brain pays his bail and he's further in debt. He decides to sell his body to mad scientist Dr. Snitzer who likes the shape of his head. He lives his life for one last month before leaving his body to science.

It's a ridiculous premise. Joe E. Brown is trying to make it breezy fun. It's not actually funny. The tone is light or more light than the material should allow. I am intrigued mostly wondering how this is getting resolved. It needs to end with a funny gag but it's not. Maybe that's why there is the final chicken gag. Honestly, I don't get the joke but it's the same light ridiculous non-sense that permeates this movie.