Asleep in the Feet

"Asleep in the Feet" is a Zasu Pitts/Thelma Todd short from Hal Roach Studios. It co-stars a familiar Roach supporting actor, Billy Gilbert.

When the story (such as it is) begins, Thelma and Zasu have just arrived at their apartment after a day at work. They overhear the landlady telling another resident that she's going to be thrown out if she cannot pay her rent and so the two ladies would like to help her but they are broke. Another resident tells them they can make a few bucks at the local dance hall, so they head there. Once at the dance hall, several stuck up fuddy-duddies arrive to look the place over and pass moral judgment on the going ons there.

Not much actually happens in this short. It felt almost as if they really didn't have a thorough script but adlibbed a bit. None of it was brilliant but it was enjoyable enough to merit you watching it.

Zasu Pitts and Thelma Todd work with a fairly new director on the Roach lot, Gus Meins. Where directors like James Horne, James Parrott, Lloyd French, and George Marshall were most interested in gags, Meins wanted to present a well defined, motivated story. He does use sight gags, but they are built into the story. Meins' style is certainly a contrast to the other directors on the Roach lot. It can really be seen in his Our Gang and Thelma Todd-Patsy Kelly entries. I only wish he had used the stock LeRoy Shield background music more often. He only chooses to use it in a handful of shorts.

In this depression era piece, Thelma and Zasu are late in paying their rent and haven't much to eat. However, their neighbor is about to be evicted from her room if she cannot pay $20. Softhearted Thelma and Zasu become dance hall girls to help her. Anita Garvin is hysterical as a veteran taxi dancer. Also funny are the attempts to make Zasu more appealing. Of course, Thelma is naturally appealing. Billy Gilbert is funny as always as the dance hall manager. But why did he need the accent? The closing gag could have gone in many directions. All I will say is that Meins chose a very good one. It tops off a charming short.

Asleep in the Feet (1933)

** (out of 4)

Thelma Todd-Zasu Pitts short has the two playing roommates who hear their landlord threaten to throw the woman out who lives next door if she doesn't come up with twenty bucks. In order to help Todd and Pitts decide to work at a dance club and pick up some extra money but soon the police come in looking to break it up. If you're a fan of the Todd-Pitts combo then I'm sure you'll enjoy this but I guess I'm starting to realize that this duo just doesn't cut it for me. Both actresses were very talented women but at the same time I can't help but think they weren't meant for each other as I've yet to ever feel any real chemistry between the two and in the end we're left with a rather flat film. The "comedy" attempts to come from Pitts and her clueless ways, which ranges from her not being able to properly open a can of condensed milk and then her having to dance with a bunch of dumb men. The one funny moment comes when she is forced to dance with a man twice her height and she ends up breaking a heel. Todd doesn't haven much to do here as she pretty much just stands around and watches what Pitts does. The film actually moves at a pretty good pace but in the end there just weren't enough laughs to keep me entertained.

I didn't know it till I watched these shorts, but ZaSu Pitts is an incredible physical comedian. Previously I was mostly familiar with her from Greed (1924) and Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch (1934), neither of which is anything resembling comedic. (In case you care, Greed is in my top 100 movies of all time. I hated Mrs. Wiggs.)

I was also surprised to discover that her name is pronounced ZAY-zoo, with a long A. I always though it was ZA-zoo, riming with "has to." But Thelma Todd clearly says, "Come on, ZAY-zoo."

MIss Pitts has a talent for physical comedy that is rivaled only by Lucille Ball and Patricia Routledge, and even they don't really approach what ZaSu is capable of, and demonstrates in these shorts. For one thing, her prat falls are the funniest I've ever seen, by male or female.

Asleep in the Feet is a laugh riot from start to finish. But it is so short, I wonder if some scenes were cut. For example, I'm surprised the landlady didn't have a follow-up after the stew incident -- it seemed like they were setting up the snotty neighbor to take the fall, but it never happened. Regardless, I wish it had been longer.

The basic premise is that, at the recommendation of their snotty neighbor, ZaSu and Thelma take a temporary job as taxi dancers in order to raise $20 so their nice neighbor won't get thrown out. Thelma is buttonholed by a burly sailor who won't let anyone else dance with her.

ZaSu doesn't fare as well. Apparently the men don't find her too attractive. I don't really know why. She's not the raving beauty she was in Greed, but the intervening nine years were kind to her, and I think she still looked quite fetching. At any rate, she's the last to be picked for every dance, and gets some lulus for partners. The funniest is about seven feet tall and yanks her around the dance floor in an animated fashion.

A bit later, her imitation of a fast, sexy jitterbugger is one of the funniest things I've ever seen!

Unlike many of these shorts, the ending is well thought out and satisfying. It leaves you laughing just like they are.

I can't think of a better way to spend just over 18 minutes than getting aching sides from watching this movie!

Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts need some extra money, so they decide to become taxi dancers at Billy Gilbert's dance hall. Anita Garvin instructs them on how to earn extra money, but Zasu doesn't start to put it into action until the morals society shows up.

This episode of the GIRL FRIENDS series from Roach is one of the better ones, thanks to Billy and Anita. Thelma spends a lot of time doing a goggle-eyed reation and the band heats up. Lots of fun.