Prego sorrida!

A Skelton movie is always good for at least a few laughs. Even when the storyline is pretty well hacked up, as it is here, some of his slapstick bits still register. Here he's an inept camera store-owner turned inept photographer, who gets involved with a housing developer (Dahl). Trouble is her housing project is being sabotaged by insiders. Skelton stumbles across their plot and now they're after him. So, will pa Skelton and grandpa Skelton get their youngest and his girl out of the stew, (Red in three roles!).

I agree with others—this is a lesser Skelton vehicle. It never really gels. Instead, the narrative resembles beads of comedic bits strung along a choppy string. Nonetheless, there are some funny sketches—Red and a fat guy undressing in what amounts to a closet; Red photographing a bedecked doorman that he takes to be an admiral, et al. There's also some funny lines-- Red commenting on the opening credits, which is unlike anything I've seen. But the overall impression is that, except for the climactic chase, the bits could have been worked easily into his TV show instead of awkwardly strung out into a movie.

(In passing—Note in one segment the extensive housing project under construction. In short, it's suburban housing opening up like blossoms in LA's post-war sunshine. Can clogged freeways be far behind.)

According to IMDb, "Watch the Birdie" is a remake of the old Buster Keaton film "The Cameraman". While the newer film did borrow a few bits, the plot is so different that I wouldn't consider it a remake at all. This is great, because I hate remakes and both films are a lot of fun.

Red Skelton plays Rusty Cammeron--a nice schnook who works at his family's camera store. Like "The Cameraman", Rusty decides to make money by taking newsreel shots and selling them for bit bucks--exactly like in the Keaton film. However, this portion of the film doesn't last long at all and in the process he ends up meeting Lucia Corlane (Arlene Dahl) and he is instantly smitten. However, she's rich and successful and he's just a bit of an idiot--a very nice and likable idiot, nevertheless.

While working for Lucia, he's filming the groundbreaking on her company's big housing project. However, unintentionally, he films her trusted adviser making an underhanded deal to destroy the company! When Rusty and Lucia discover this, they rush to the police with the film--with the baddies in hot pursuit.

As I watched this film, I was surprised by my wife's reaction. She just thought Red was cute and very, very likable. In fact, she liked him so much, she was willing to forgive the few missteps the film took (such as having Lucia TELL the baddies that she's on her way to the police....who is THAT dumb?!?!). I would agree but do think the high-speed (or not so high-speed) chase did go on a bit long and because of this, I give the film a still respectable 7. Pleasant and worth seeing.

By the way, when everyone is viewing the film Rusty took from the roof of his truck, the camera angle is all wrong--like it was filmed about 5 feet lower. I am surprised they didn't notice this discrepancy. Also, make sure you watch all the movie--even the opening credits. It's rather funny listening to Skelton walking about the cast and crew as the credits roll.

---and see him in three roles in this B / W comedy of his. His first is the lead role of Rusty a bumbling photographer who is trying to save the family business; his father a rather old fashioned and quiet guy that might be Rusty one day if not for his Grandfather (the third role), a playboy a heart, who shows Rusty how to handle a woman properly. The special shots of the three of them and even two of the same characters are great and there is no blurring screen or noticeable break in the film.

This film may be only for Skelton fans, of which I am not really one, but I did found a lot of the routines here funny (especially a scene in a Dr.'s change room) and did laugh out loud at some of Skelton's delivery and timing. The girls are great - Arlene Dahl and Ann Miller. They have their share of gags, though Miller is quite far the funniest of the pair. Some tributes to old movies are obvious, especially in the final chase scene. The only scene people might find objectionable today is where Grandpa tells Rusty how to handle and keep a woman by showing him old Clark Gable and Robert Taylor movies.

This is great preservation of a moment in cinema history.

Red Skelton takes a leaf out of Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers' book and plays three generations in Watch The Birdie. Red plays the grandfather, father, and son who own a camera shop.

During the course of the film Red comes to the attention of the beautiful Arlene Dahl who has inherited a construction company from her father. The last project her father was on is a site that rival construction company owner Leon Ames wants very badly and is not above chicanery to get it.

The other woman in Red's life is Ann Miller who while she doesn't dance a step uses that figure to full advantage. Jane Russell had nothing on Miller for being a full figure gal. Miller is a beauty contest winner and her character is drawn from the one who chased Jules Munshin in On The Town.

There's a very funny sequence with Red and Dick Wessel as the two try to change clothes in a small dressing room with Skelton having a cold and sneezing all over the place. The climax chase scene with the bad guys chasing Skelton and Dahl is also well staged.

Fans of Red Skelton will like Watch The Birdie.

There are probably very few people today who realize what a big star movie star Red Skelton was in his day. In the late '40s and early '50s he churned out a string of very popular comedies. He was probably as big as Bob Hope, who is much better remembered today, probably because of later TV appearences, including all those USO specials. (I've always thought that Skelton's and Hope's movie personas were very similar. At least the young Hope. They were hapless but well-meaning boobs who always somehow managed to get the pretty girl).

No point going into the plot, because the plots in Skelton's movies don't matter much. They're just something on which to hang the gags and comic routines. There's some very inventive physical comedy in this movie, culminating in the extended, wacky final car chase. There's the added attraction of two lovely actresses, Arlene Dahl and Ann Miller, as fetching eye candy. Arlene falling for Red may seem somehow inexplicable, but like I said, Red always gets the girl. Ann Miller is young, perky, and funny. (though no tap dancing).

I don't think that Red Skelton ever cared about being perceived a comic genius. (Even Hope showed more ambition and ego). He just wanted to make people laugh, and generally succeeded. This isn't one of his best efforts, but it still made me smile.