The McGuerins from Brooklyn

I wonder if the Red Circle Cab Company run by William Bendix and Joe Sawyer from Brooklyn ever ran into that Harlem based outfit the Fresh Air Taxi Company run by Amos Jones and Andy Brown. Now that might have made an interesting film.

Bendix's Tim McGuerin is a blue collar knockabout guy who never forgets his roots. He's even got a pool table in his office at the Taxi Company office. But it's a sad day when wife Grace Bradley finds him in a compromising position with pretty Marjorie Woodworth. He was just giving her instructions in shooting pool, but what self respecting wife who's a former stripper herself is going to believe that.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander as Bradley starts taking classes from physical education instructor Max Baer. She even goes up to his spa for a cure. Naturally Bendix doesn't believe that.

The McGuerins From Brooklyn following the original Brooklyn Orchid film is a working class romantic comedy. When you think about it, the antics of Bendix and Bradley can be found in many comedies with sophisticated leading men like Cary Grant or Rock Hudson. It's just that no one would expect Bendix's Brooklynese speech pattern from them.

Don't believe me, check out My Favorite Wife or The Awful Truth and see what I mean.

Shortly after this film, Bendix went to Paramount where he was one of their most acclaimed and busiest character actors for the next decade. He also became a star of radio and later television with that other Brooklyn character he created Chester A. Riley.

The McGuerins From Brooklyn is a no frills romantic comedy in its own blue collar way.

This is one of a total of three 'streamliners' made by Bendix and Sawyer, about two Brooklyn mugs who strike it rich by building a successful cab company in New York. Stream liners were short (50 - 60 minutes) and to the point. While funny, this movie belongs strictly to Bendix. He is as he is in most of his later movies; a lovable bumbler, getting himself in and out of improbable but sometimes hilarious situations. This one concerns mix-ups and misunderstandings among McGuerin (Bendix), his wife (Bradley), his partner (Sawyer) and his fiancé, and their secretary, deliciously played by Woodward. Only Bradley seems a little out of sync, stiff and uncomfortable with her role, but beautiful none the less. Even Max Baer, as a fitness trainer, does well with his role (catch the bit with him as he turns around a picture of Joe Louis to face the wall. He was one of Louis's boxing ring victims). Perhaps it's the length of the movie, or the bit of miscasting, but the film seems just a bit out of kilter. But not enough so as to make it less than enjoyable.

"The McGuerins from Brooklyn" is the second of three films from Hal Roach Studios starring William Bendix and Joe Sawyer. I've seen the first one, "Brooklyn Orchid" and it's enjoyable but slight...just like this one. Overall, the films are harmless fun...good for a laugh but no especially deep nor films you must rush to see.

Tim McGuerin (Bendix) and Eddie (Joe Sawyer) have both built a very successful taxi business and are rolling in dough. But their love lives could certainly use some improvement. The story involves a series of mistakes and as a result, Tim's wife is angry and thinks he is cheating on her...as does Eddie's girlfriend. Add to this a kooky health spa run by 'Samson' (played by former heavyweight boxing champ, Max Baer) and you have a bunch of laughs AND some very broad acting and silly situations.

As I watched this movie with my aunt, I noticed that the film was kind of cheesy BUT my aunt kept laughing...showing that despite the story's problems here and there, there are still a bunch of laughs. As a result, it makes for a very enjoyable time-passer.

McGuerins from Brooklyn, The (1942)

** (out of 4)

Hal Roach comedy is the second of a trilogy films surrounding the title brothers. The two brothers (Joe Sawyer, William Bendix) are still running their taxi service but one of the brothers gets involved with his secretary while the other tries to keep his wife from finding out. If you've got nothing to do at 3am and need to waste 45-minutes then this film might come in handy but if you've got better things to do then you can certainly skip this one. I've been impressed with some of the Roach comedies with Sawyer but I was disappointed in this one of the previous film in the series (Brooklyn Orchid). There are a couple laughs here and there but it's easy to see that this film was rushed and not much time went into coming up with a good screenplay.

William Bendix and Joe Sawyer are two Brooklyn mugs who make a success out of the small cab company they started and now head the most successful cab company in the city, but they're still two Brooklyn mugs at heart. The plot of this slight comedy revolves around both Bendix's wife (Grace Bradley) and Sawyer's girlfriend (Arline Judge) thinking that each is having a fling with their gorgeous secretary (Marjorie Woodworth). Bendix, although this film came early in his career, is his usual amusing self (he did much better later that year in a hilarious Abbott & Costello comedy, "Who Done It?") and Sawyer, while not really having much to do, does have his moments and acquits himself well. The stunning Woodworth shows a real flair for comedy, but Bradley's performance veers between stiff and hammy, and throws the picture's pace off somewhat. There's some mistaken identity, some slapstick, and everything finally gets resolved at the end of this 46-minute Hal Roach "streamliner". While's it's hardly a memorable comedy, it's not a complete waste of time, either. Worth a look.