A Nag in the Bag

You've probably never heard of Smith and Dale, but they were a great cross talk act in vaudeville. Neil Simon based THE SUNSHINE BOY on them -- actually, they were great friends -- and at the heart of that show is Smith & Dale's classic skit "Doctor Kronkheit and His Only Living Patient". Their act was so-so, but they were a riot together with an amazing timing built from talent and decades of working together.

You can see it in this short subject in the way they slang each other as lunch stand owners with gambling problems. Director Charley Chase fills in this average comedy with some good standard gags, including a nice role for fellow Sennett veteran Chester Conklin -- he's the one in the walrus mustache -- and a nice bit in which the co-stars and Bud Jamison are stuck in a phone booth. At its heart, though, it's a decent comedy sustained by the stars. Come to think of it, that's more than good enough.

This Smith & Dale comedy is included in the recent release of the first part of Charley Chase's Columbia Pictures comedies. Why is it included? Because Charley directed this one--and he also directed quite a few other comedies during his career.

The vaudeville comedians Smith & Dale made very few films and most of their successes came on stage. I think their film career suffered a bit due to their ethnic style and corn-ball humor--which was certainly not in vogue during the 1930s. But, they were pretty funny and seeing them is such a rare thing, you should give this one a look.

Here in "Nag in the Bag" the pair own a lunch counter. In addition, they spend a lot of their time betting on races...and losing. So what happens when they get a great lead in an upcoming race? See it for yourself.

Is this a brilliant comedy? Nah. But, for anyone who loves comedy history, it's worth seeing. And, it's a nice chance to see the sort of humor the team excelled in doing during their heyday.

By the way, pay attention to the voice on the radio--it's Charley. Additionally, the old guy with glasses at the counter is Chester Conklin--a very familiar face in the old Mack Sennett comedies of the 1910s.