All Over Town

ALL OVER TOWN (Republic Pictures, 1937), directed by James Horne, stars the comedy team of Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson in their second feature for the studio, following COUNTRY GENTLEMEN (Republic, 1936). Although popular vaudeville headliners having appeared in some early sound comedies for Warner Brothers (1930-1931), which hardly matched their stage successes, ALL OVER TOWN is no exception. Due to low-budget scales and some forced humor, ALL OVER TOWN is often regarded to be slightly better than most. As much as the premise does show great promise, considering its fine character types as James Finlayson, Franklin Pangborn and Fred Kelsey (notable for playing stooge detectives), around for humor purposes, the final results still show weakness in comedy rather than the strength of entertainment value.

Opening title: "Not in the wide open spaces nor in the depths of the vast wilderness -- but in a remote section of Manhattan Island struggle the last of their tribe -- the true vanishing Americans." Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson (as themselves) play vaudeville entertainers from Oklahoma staying at Mother Wilson's Home for Ladies and Gentlemen of Vaudeville Profession. Other than being accompanied by their pet seal, Sally, they are close friends with Don Fletcher (Harry Stockwell), a pianist and composer of numerous unpublished songs. Being behind on their rent owed to landlady, Mother Wilson (Blanche Payson), the trio seek employment at the Eldridge Theater, a theater with a bad reputation of being jinxed and haunted due to an unsolved murder of actor, Ramsey Taylor. Having inherited the theater from her now deceased father and heavily in debt, Joan Eldridge (Mary Howard) hires Olsen and Johnson and their seal for an upcoming show, especially after being lead to believe they are oil millionaires who could finance the show. William Bailey (Eddie Kane) wants control of the theater for investor, Peter Stuyvesant Phillips (Otto Hoffman), and tries to convince Joan to sell the theater to him. After discovering Olsen and Johnson are not millionaires after all, it is Don, believing the show will become a success, who advises Joan to have her production crew to rehearse without salaries. Further hi-jinx prevail when Bailey is shot and killed, having Olsen and Johnson to endanger themselves by doing a radio broadcast hoping to expose the murderer, regardless of the fact that they have no idea who the killer is. Featuring D'Arcy Corrigan, Stanley Fields, John Sheehan, Lew Kelly and Gertrude Astor in supporting roles. Olsen and Johnson are credited for composing a song they perform titled "McDougal's Mackerel."

As much as director James Horne had worked wonders with Laurel and Hardy comedy/western of WAY OUT WEST (MGM, 1937), it's a pity he didn't do equal justice to Olsen and Johnson's ALL OVER TOWN. Considering the fact the Olsen and Johnson failed to have a cult following due to frequent television revivals of other comedy teams as Laurel and Hardy, The Marx Brothers or Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, what maybe sets Olsen and Johnson back is Chic Johnson's constant high-pitched laugh and forced humor, which grows tiresome very quickly. When their pet seal, Sally, gets more laughs than the Ole and Chic, something is definitely wrong.

This material of murder and comedy makes one think about WHO DONE IT? (Universal, 1942), one of Abbott and Costello's best comedies, compiled with character types (William Bendix and Mary Wickes), fast-paced chases around the radio studio, and a surprise finish. A pity ALL OVER TOWN didn't provide enough workable gag material to make this a laugh-out-loud classic comedy. It's been said that Olsen and Johnson's latter production, HELLZAPOPPIN (Universal, 1941) showed the comedy team at their finest. Yet, the only Olsen and Johnson Universal comedy of three to have played on cable television in recent years was CRAZY HOUSE (1943) on American Movie Classics in the 1990s.

A public domain movie title formerly distributed on video cassette, and later DVD, ALL OVER TOWN can be found in two versions: its original 62 minute edition (minus Republic Pictures logo) or shorter 52 minute reissue released through Hollywood Television Service, the print used for television broadcasts in the 1960s to fit into one hour time slots with commercial breaks. (** seals)

This was made when they were still trying to turn Olsen and Johnson into the next Wheeler and Woolsey instead of the next Abbott and Costello, and long before their Broadway hit, "Hellzapoppin'".

This is really a weak mixed bag. It starts out in a boarding house where O&J have stashed a trained seal as part of their vaudeville act, and are trying to hide it from the landlady (who towers over them! What were Ole and Chick, midgets?) They go to a theater to audition their act and discover the theater is supposed to be haunted. So you think this is going to be their "Hold That Ghost". But no, they quickly forget the ghost angle and get involved with trying to save the theater by putting on a show and solving a murder on a live radio broadcast.

Ole and Chick are the stars and get featured bits with the seal, doing a ventriloquist act, and have a mildly amusing Abbott-like scene where the slick talking partner tries to get his tubby sidekick to confess to the murder. They also do a nice play by play broadcast of the final chase scene as the cops try and capture the killer, constantly punctuated by the product placement: "brought to you through the courtesy of MacDougal's Mackeral".

James Finlayson took a holiday from the Laurel and Hardy films to play the angry Mr. MacDougal. He's okay, but its not his best work. The crazy theater stage manager probably has the best bits in the film, which is far from Olsen and Johnson's best, but still watchable.

In Manhattan, vaudeville comic team Ole Olsen (as Ole Olsen) and Chic Johnson (as Chic Johnson) practice performing with their live seal. Probably their room has a "no pets" policy, because "Sally" the seal annoys landlady Blanche Payson (as Mother Wilson). Also, the rent is due. Olsen and Johnson are mistaken for oil millionaires and decide to help nice Mary Howard (as Joan Eldridge) re-open her musical theater, which was shut down after a mysterious death. That death is never explained or connected with another one, which our heroes attempt to solve. They also become suspects. Olsen and Johnson are much better represented in the 1941 film version of their Broadway hit "Hellzapoppin'!" (1938).

*** All Over Town (9/8/37) James Horne ~ Ole Olsen, Chic Johnson, Mary Howard, Harry Stockwell

For a movie made on a shoestring during the Great Depression, this movie delivers plenty of laughs -- which is precisely what it was designed to do. It isn't educational, and it doesn't have a "moral", and it isn't high-brow. Neither were the Stooges. The only public goal of making a movie like this (besides getting paid) is to make people laugh a little during one of the darkest times of modern history. And it pulls that off with aplomb.

For anyone out there seeking depth where there isn't supposed to be any, I have this to say: Just because the plot changes direction to fit the jokes instead of the other way around, that doesn't make it a bad movie. Watch the flick and laugh along. It's only 63 minutes long. Can you stand 63 minutes of laughter in your life?

A simple telling of the plot would go something like this- Olsen and Johnson talk their way into putting on a show in a jinxed theater. The theater isn't really jinxed but is wanted by some one who'll do anything to get it. A murder occurs during a rehearsal after which Olsen and Johnson state that they will reveal who done it on a radio program, Unfortunately the murderer has other plans. Since any detailed explanation of the goings on would take as long as this hour long film, you'd better just find a copy and watch it to see for yourself.

Lets face it, Olsen and Johnson never really made a movie with anything that resembled a plot. Oh sure the movies have a through lines but its a rare film that ever went there on a straight course. Olsen and Johnson loved to take the scenic route to "The End". Plots were never more than something to hang a never ending series of gags on. Here the plot takes frequent detours and stops for what is often inspired lunacy. In most of the duo's films you really don't care about the fits and starts since you're laughing too hard. Here the fits and starts cause an unevenness to the affair with some bits going on too long and some bits not long enough (for example the bit with the radio program is rather too short, as if they came up with the idea, then ran out of time only to realize that they really had to do something with it). Its an odd mix that makes it not quite as good as the other films I've seen by the pair. Sure its funny but it doesn't hang together a well as it should (and the disappointment is only in comparison to other Olsen and Johnson films).

Is this film worth seeing. Yes its funny and it will make you laugh. But while I am a fan of the stars, and I know you will laugh, you probably won't come away as fans since this is a lesser film. (though you might want to try to get a second classic comedy to round out your nights viewing)