Caught Plastered

Bert and Robert are out of work Vaudeville comedians bumming their way through life when they run into a sad little old lady who owns a down-on-its-luck drug store. They feel sorry for her and decide to help her out, creatively. However a local do-gooder (I never really trusted the type) wants to quickly buy the drugstore for his own purposes. And if you think he looks like Jason Robards Jr., he should because it's his father! Dorothy Lee, the cutest cupie doll since Betty Boop, sweetens this concoction by being not only the police chief's daughter, but the object of both Bert and Mr. Robards Sr.'s affection. Will the boys save Granny? Will Bert & Dorothy sing a duet? Will they all stay sober? See this fun and short comedy for yourself. I recommend it!

CAUGHT PLASTERED (RKO, 1931), directed by William A. Seiter, is a rare find on television these days. It stars the once popular but highly forgotten comedy team of Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey, Wheeler as the dizzy character with a talent for singing and dancing; Woolsey the one with the glasses, cigar and wisecracks like comedian Groucho Marx, but nobody can top the old Grouch. Wheeler and Woolsey play a couple of drifters who help out an old woman (Lucy Beaumont) save her drug store from a crook (Jason Robards Sr.). Dorothy Lee, who appears in almost all of the W&W comedies, once more plays Bert's love interest. They supply the catchy tune, "I'm That Way About You."

I enjoy this movie mainly because I remember it being the very first Wheeler and Woolsey comedy I've seen (back on Turner Network Television in 1989). Some people might refuse to watch these guys today on the basis that they don't know who they are. Unfortunately, because their comedies seldom made the late show lineup on commercial television stations back in the 50s, 60s or 70s, W&W never became immortal as the Marx Brothers or Laurel and Hardy, but when given a chance, one can see how good their comic timing can be and how good these two guys are together. True, their latter films in 1936-37 were not up to par, but if anyone wants to see them at their comedic best, watch either CAUGHT PLASTERED or what many consider their funniest outing, HIPS, HIPS HOORAY (1934). For now, CAUGHT PLASTERED is worthy for film buffs of 1930s comedies. Silly to be sure, but quite funny. Great attention grabber: Check out to the opening credits with cartoon train rolling down the track with the wheels in the persona of Woolsey's eyes and glasses, and that wacky music intro. Wheeler and Woolsey were amusing as comedy teams go, and worth rediscovering today.

Formerly presented on American Movie Classics prior to 2000, it's presently shown, but not often enough, on Turner Classic Movies. (**)

Two failed vaudevillians take on the task of helping a sweet old lady save her rundown drugstore from foreclosure. Reinvigorating the establishment with a lunch counter & live radio broadcast, they soon have the business thriving. However, when a crooked businessman attempts to smear the place as a speakeasy, will the boys be able to trace the bootleg liquor, or simply get CAUGHT PLASTERED?

Wheeler & Woolsey are in top form in this sadly neglected comedy. (Bert Wheeler is the curly-headed fellow, Robert Woolsey is the skinny, bespectacled one.) Always much fun to watch, they've got great dialogue here and they keep it coming rapid fire. Their gags at the expense of the drugstore patrons (society lady, nasty kid, effeminate gentleman, demanding diners) are often hilarious. Once very popular, it's a shame this delightful duo has been virtually forgotten.

Frequent co-star Dorothy Lee is still kewpie-doll cute. Lucy Beaumont is darling as the little old lady. Jason Robards Sr. is effective as the suave crook.

This was only the second Wheeler & Woolsey film I managed to watch when it aired on American Movie Classics back in the '90s (The first was Kentucky Kernels). All I remembered from back then was a duet of Wheeler and Dorothy Lee singing while the latter was drunk. This was made during both Prohibition and before the Production Code was strictly enforced so gags are depicted that probably would have not passed muster just a few years later. It's largely during the last 30 minutes that things really take a hilarious turn but there's plenty of amusing scenes throughout. So on that note, I recommend Caught Plastered.

Tommy Tanner (Bert Wheeler) and Egbert G. Higginbothom (Robert Woolsey) are out-of-work vaudevillians. They encounter a crying old lady on the tram. She recently lost her husband and is about to lose the family drug store. The guys offer to help her save the place. She has 30 days.

Apparently, Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey are a vaudevillian comedy team back in the day. That's what they look like and act like. I'm sure that they have a full stage act of setups and punchlines, one after another. It's fine, but it's not so exciting cinematically. They need to add more physicality to their bits.