When's Your Birthday?

Not terrible but not great Joe E. Brown comedy about an astrology-obsessed boxer who lets "the stars" dictate every decision he makes. I'm not the biggest Joe E. Brown fan but this is one of his more tolerable efforts. The movie starts with an animated sequences involving the zodiac symbols. It's very cute and was probably the highlight of the film for me. From there it becomes a live action film; a comedy that is never overly funny but is pleasant and harmless enough. Obviously Brown fans will enjoy it more than I did. I freely admit he's not one of my favorites. Still I thought it was a watchable movie. I didn't laugh a lot but it kept my attention.

Because I have read the other reviews and know that this film has recently been shown on Turner Classic Movies, I am more likely to recommend you watch it. That's because the DVD version I saw was absolutely dreadful--thanks to yet another craptastic DVD transfer from Alpha Video. Alpha specializes in public domain and other cheap productions that you sometimes just can't find from other sources--so I am glad the company exists. However, far more often than not, the quality of the prints are absolutely dreadful--with terrible sound and picture...and never any captioning in case you need it because of the sound issues. As usual, this particular film is practically unwatchable because of an annoying whistling sound that persists throughout the film. It's watchable--but just barely.

This film was made after Joe E. Brown made a very fateful decision about his career--one of the worst career moves in film history. After several extremely successful years with Warner Brothers where he was a top movie draw, he decided to sign with Loew Productions--a tiny company with paltry funds--and in some cases, no money to hire writers! Tonight I watched two of these films--mostly out of morbid curiosity to see just how bad these films really are--their reputations are pretty bad.

As for the first one on the DVD, "Riding on Air", it was truly dreadful--unfunny and about as much fun to watch as a migraine. Plus, the print was of even worse quality than "What's Your Birthday?". So, I had very low expectations for the next. Surprisingly, however, "What's Your Birthday" is actually pretty good--better than some of the Warner Brothers films even--but not up to the quality of Brown's best films, like "Alibi Ike". It is certainly enjoyable and worth seeing.

The film begins with an odd little animated sequence. In it, you see the symbols of the zodiac come to life and they dance about and are quite charming. Then, suddenly, this all disappears--it was all a hallucination by Brown---as he'd been knocked out in the boxing ring and imagined all this! While he apparently is a terrible boxer, Brown isn't too upset, as his career goal is to be an astrologer. So, after getting a degree in astrology from some fly-by-night college, he decides to try his hand at it. To his surprise, he finds he has 'the gift'. To the audience's surprise, they learn that he really can predict the future and he becomes a very popular man--especially with mobsters who want to use his talents for their bookmaking operation.

Unfortunately, when it comes time for the big fight, the gamblers misunderstand Brown's reading and bet heavily. When they learn the truth (that their new prospect stinks), they force Brown to fight in the guy's place---against the middle-weight champion! Overall, while this is not packed with laughs, the film is very solid--with much better writing than I expected. While it certainly isn't a great film (and, I dare say, none of Brown's are), it is pleasant and worth seeing. Just be sure to wait for it to come on TCM or see if someone else--ANYONE else makes the DVD!

Joe E. Brown made a horrible business decision by leaving Warners and signing to do a series of independent comedies for David Loew. This was the first and it is cheap looking and unfunny. There is an astrology theme to it, but the production values are bad and Brown's performance is whiny and annoying. The supporting cast does nothing to help. Avoid at all costs.

I just saw this one courtesy of Turner Classic Movies, and can't really agree with the other user comment. I saw many of Joe E. Brown's Warners films on TCM back in August, and personally I thought this picture was better than many of them. Being post-Code, the script didn't rely on double entendres, which can get tiresome very fast; the writers have to work to get laughs, and they do a good job. Brown is at the peak of his form, and the supporting cast--particularly Edgar Kennedy and Fred Keating--is a lot of fun. Bull Montana is also hilarious as the Salvador "slayer." Favorite line:

Frank Jenks: How'd you like to get drowned the bathtub?

Joe E. Brown: Not particularly!

"Color sequences in Technicolor" have been lost for this film; apparently, the animated opening was one of them. Nicely done, this short cartoon turns out to be occurring in the mind of defeated middle-weight boxer Joe E. Brown (as Dustin Willoughby). An astrology enthusiast, Mr. Brown believes his luck in and out of the ring depends upon proper alignment of the stars. He adopts a stray dog ("Zodiac") and goes to visit fiancée Suzanne Kaaren (as Diane Basscombe). Brown calls off their June wedding due to a bad astrological forecast, but will soon meet pretty secretary Marian Marsh (as Jerry Grant). Before that, he bungles his job as a busboy. Brown disguises himself as a chorus girl and then a bearded fortune teller. As the latter, he is hired by carnival barker Fred Keating (as Larry Burke). Lastly, brown gets back in the boxing ring. This was the first film Brown made after leaving Warner Bros., where he'd become a box office super-star. Fit and funny, Brown is able to carry some silly material. Supporting performers Maude Eburne and Edgar Kennedy are worth their weight in laughs.

***** When's Your Birthday? (2/19/37) Harry Beaumont ~ Joe E. Brown, Marian Marsh, Fred Keating, Maude Eburne