The Meanest Gal in Town

This little film has a lot going for it. There's James Gleason, funny and sympathetic as a sort of "tough guy" barber who wants to win the girl. There's Pert Kelton playing the cute and sexy actress turned manicurist. There's El Brendel (I had never seen him before), playing the naive Scandinavian barber named Chris Peterson. He is a lot more canny than he appears. Finally there is ZaSu Pitts, wonderful as the long-suffering owner of a dress shop. She is actually much more naive about business than Peterson is. My only complaint is that I wish Pitts had gotten a better role. She is playing a weak character who is more pathetic than funny. But, she did what she could with the part.

I was surprised to see in the full cast list that John Carradine is in this film. I didn't notice him, and must have walked out of the room during his scene.

Overall, this is a good movie that is worth seeing for the pre-Hays Code innuendos and some sparkling comic performances.

Although perky Pert Kelton is billed second to ZaSu Pitts, she's the one the title refers to. She plays an actress, stranded when the manager of her troupe absconded with the funds. Asked by a fellow actress what she is going to do, she responds "Don't worry, I'll wiggle my way out of this one," as she wiggles her derriere walking out of the door. This was the first of many sexual innuendos within the film, released early in 1934, before the Hays Office started really cracking down on violations of the Production Code that July. Even so, I was surprised to hear the expression "cop a feel," used by "Skeets" Gallagher, when he asks a woman to place her hand on his breast to feel his heart beating. Kelton is not mean as much as she is wily, building up El Brendel's barbershop business as a manicurist, by enticing men to come in, and causing much jealousy from ZaSu Pitts, who has been courted by Brendel for ten years. Because of Kelton, this film was an enjoyable romp; without her, it would have been a flat, unfunny comedy.

Chris Peterson (El Brendel) is an unsuccessful barber in a small town. His fiancée of ten years is Tillie Prescott (Zasu Pitts), a hardworking woman who just can't wait to get married. Chris wants to prove he is successful by obtaining a second chair in his barber shop before tying the knot, but Tillie is impatient. She is constantly taken advantage of by Chris and she feels she is the real brain behind the couple. This proves to be false when she falls prey to a business scam. Meanwhile Chris's business starts booming when an actress (Pert Kelton) takes up shop as a manicurist to make some extra money. Her wiggling hips make the shop a hot spot for the local men.

A fun movie with a cast of unknowns, The Meanest Gal in Town is not likely to show up outside of film conventions and collector's homes, but it is an enjoyable film. Brendel makes use of his simpleton Swedish character and provides much of the comedy. Some people hate him; I love him. He is sweet and rather funny, illustrated by scenes like the opener where he strums a ukulele and sings with the accompaniment of a howling dog. Pitts is more likable here than in some of her other movies. In spite of Brendel's sweetness, it is difficult not to root for Pitts too, especially when Chris treats Tillie badly.

Producers run out on star performer Lulu White (Pert Kelton) and the whole crew. Penniless Lulu is confident to wiggle herself out of the predicament. She gets a manicurist job with struggling barber Chris Peterson (El Brendel). The place is soon swarming with Lulu's male admirers. Long-suffering girlfriend Tillie Prescott (Zasu Pitts) gets jealous.

Lulu White is a fun character and Pert Kelton is a solid comedic actress. I've never heard of her and it's interesting to read up on her career or lack thereof. El Brendel's accented performance is a little problematic with the early sound. I don't even know what he's trying to be. This is pre-Code which allows some more fun. Mostly, I'm taken with Pert and Lulu.

Zasu Pitts owns a dry goods store. She's engaged to El Brendel, who owns a barber shop that on a good day, there's as much money in the till when he closes as when he opened. Then stranded actress Pert Kelton sets up as manicurist in his shop and business booms. Miss Pitts is jealous, and takes in as partner a big firm fronted by Skeets Gallagher, which Brendel advises against. Gallagher's firm freezes her out.

While I usually enjoy Miss Pitts, as well as James Gleason, who plays a fifth wheel to this plot, Brendel and Miss Kelton annoy me. Add in the general thrust of the film, which is clearly intended for small-town audiences, and this movie does not appeal to me at all. Perhaps it did poorly at the box office; at any rate, it was writer-director Russell Mack's last time wielding the megaphone. He had begun in vaudeville, then went on the legitimate stage as an actor and director. His first movie credit was Rio Rita, and he was on his way for a while. After this movie, he returned to the East Coast, where he managed a theater in Newark, NJ. He died in 1972 at the age of 79.