Hips, Hips, Hooray!

Another little gem from the mad 30s boys of RKO as this frenetically paced oddity takes us from flavoured lipsticks to a mad Keystone-like car race in the space of just over an hour. Alongside cigar-chomping Woolsey and irritating little Wheeler we have Dorothy Lee (as per usual) and Thelma Todd playing the cutie romantic interest parts, and a short song right at the beginning from third-billed Ruth Etting (in a rather fetching hat).

Best sequences in this one - "Just Keep On Doin' What You're Doin'", really funny - the whole car race sequence, and the bevy of cuties with flavoured lipsticks ("we've got to guess what flavour" - oh, sure ...). I bet the set cleaners at RKO were knee-deep in bananas by the end of the shoot though :)

Traveling hucksters Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey sell Dr. Dudley's Flavored Lipsticks from the back of their truck. Thelma Todd and Dorothy Lee also sell lipstick, with the rather more respectable firm of Maiden America Beauty Products.

Through what may be called a misunderstanding, the two businesses merge. A bag of lipstick samples is accidentally switched with a banker's bag of treasury bonds. A couple of detectives set out after Wheeler and Woolsey, who flee and eventually find themselves driving a fast car in a cross country auto race. It never really make sense but the wild climactic car chase is fun.

Wheeler and Woolsey are their usual comic selves - Wheeler more mild-mannered and romantic, Woolsey the cigar smoking blowhard. Their frequent costar Dorothy Lee is fine as the girl who finds goofy Wheeler irresistible. Thelma Todd mostly plays it straight as manager of the lipstick firm - unfortunately her role offers little opportunity for Thelma to show her comic skills.

Fast moving and very silly but the hectic pace does not always equal hilarity.

This one doesn't showcase W&W at their best (see "Diplomaniacs" or "Half Shot at Sunrise" for that). The verbal badinage is generally lame, and the sight gags and slapstick are mainly of the "seen 'em before" variety. This is rather unfortunate, since the flick definitely has a dynamite premise. The boys are street hucksters promoting flavored lipstick, but thanks to ever-vivacious Dorothy Lee, manage to link up with a high-class, publicity-seeking cosmetics emporium.

Despite the middling comedy antics, this is a must-see for pre-code aficionados. The opening number, a live radio studio broadcast featuring naked models in bathtubs (their naughty bits discreetly obscured by hair-do's and foreground objects) is pretty eye-popping, as are the minimal outfits sported by the hot-to-trot sales crew in a risqué scene wherein the boys test the product "in vivo". Thelma Todd and famed songstress Ruth Etting are on hand, and the tunes are catchy enough. If you liked "Roman Scandals" and "Murder at the Vanities", by all means check it out.

The very beginning of this film made it obvious that it must have debuted in early 1934--before the newer and tougher Production Code was adopted. This code prohibited nudity, suggestive material, cursing and many other things that had been prevalent in films up until this point in time. And, when there is a scene featuring many naked women with their naughty bits strategically covered (something that never would have been allowed in late 1934), you might be a bit surprised.

As far as the film goes, it stars Wheeler & Woolsey--two of the very top film comedians of the day who are all but forgotten today. Most of it, I think, is because they tended to rely on corny jokes and the writing of their films was very, very inconsistent. I used to hate their movies but later noticed some of their films were very good--when the material was worthy (such as in "Caught Plastered"). Will this be one of their good vehicles or yet another lame one? In addition to the team, the film features three ladies. One is the very familiar Thelma Todd (though, oddly, with black hair)--who seemed to be EVERYWHERE in comedies during the early thirties--with appearances with Laurel & Hardy, Charley Chase and the Marx Brothers. Ruth Etting (whose life was later chronicled in "Love Me or Leave Me" with Doris Day) also was on hand--mostly to sing. And, not surprisingly, Dorothy Lee is also in the film--as she was in practically all the team's films playing Wheeler's love interest and to sing duets with him.

The boys are cosmetics salesmen--trying to hawk a variety of beauty products. When they accidentally switch bags with an industrialist (switching their cheap lipsticks for a bunch of valuable securities), things heat up a bit! Later, while being chased by detectives, the two end up getting in the middle of an auto race--a very contrived moment to say the least. The rear projection used to make it look like they were driving isn't 100% horrible but why have these cosmetics salesmen involved in a cross-country race?! And what happens to them next just just about defies description and it almost looks like they were making their own version of "The Wizard of Oz"! I've gotta say that this portion of the film is the weirdest and craziest I've ever seen in a Wheeler & Woolsey movie! It's kind of funny, but certainly NOT cerebral--sort of like stuff you might see the Three Stooges doing.

Overall, this is a slightly better than average film for the team--though, this really isn't saying much!! It's reasonably entertaining for anyone who can stand listening to Woolsey's lame quips--and they are pretty lame.

Good---pool scene Bad---too much singing

Two zany scam artists find it's all HIPS, HIPS, HOORAY! when they meet the curvaceous owner of Maiden America Beauty Products and her lovely female employees.

Wheeler & Woolsey (Bert Wheeler is the short guy with curly hair; Robert Woolsey is the bespectacled fellow with the cigar) star in this often hilarious film. The Boys were a perfect comedy duo and their movies are always great fun to watch (here they try to promote flavored lipsticks and get involved in a cross-country auto race, while keeping one jump ahead of the law ). It is indeed a pity that these very talented comics are all but forgotten now.

Cute little Dorothy Lee returns as Wheeler's perennial love interest. The beautiful & tragic Thelma Todd, a very gifted comedienne in her own right, puts the spark in Woolsey's eye.

Movie mavens will spot an unbilled Bobby Watson, who gets one funny line as a Dance Director.

Director Mark Sandrich keeps the plot moving at a frantic pace throughout. Some of the sights & situations push the borders of good taste in this pre-Production Code movie.

The Boys, Miss Lee & Hot Toddy do a wild burlesque of Diaghilev during their performance of `Just Keep On Doing What You're Doing'. Singer Ruth Etting drops by long enough to trill `Keep Romance Alive' at a radio broadcast featuring ungarmented bathing models.

And, yes, those really are frogs climbing out of the race car's radiator...