Weak But Willing

Dave Finkel's family and friends take him out to a Speakeasy for a birthday celebration. Many distractions prevent him from enjoying his meal, including a seductive Jean Harlow who tries to pick him up. (The dialog with Jean in this scene is the highlight of this leisurely paced Al Christie Talking Play released in December 1929 by Paramount).

Jewish dialect comedian Will King stars as Dave Finkel and is ably supported by Dot Farley as his wife Claire; Billy Bevan as George Downing; Natalie Joyce and Otto Fries as Mr. & Mrs. Edward Langtry.

Jean Harlow was doing bit parts in features and several silent Hal Roach comedies in 1928-9. This early short has the distinction of being one of her only surviving sound 2 reel comedy appearances before becoming a star in features.

"Weak But Willing" is a film that is definitely a product of its time. Back in 1929, American sound films were the rage and studios were quickly switching to this new medium. And, since there was sound, many filmmakers made the mistake of relying too much on dialog...making the movies rather talky. While "Weak But Willing" is not a terrible comedy short, it is clearly quite talky and might have benefited more from a bit more action--particularly in the first portion of the short.

The story follows two couples who go out to a fancy restaurant/club to eat. One joke involves folks hiding flasks of alcohol...and this was because the picture was made during Prohibition. The latter portion involves one of the guests leaving the dinner party...most of which isn't all that funny.

So, although I am only giving this film a 4 and found it uneven and talky, I STILL think it's worth seeing--particularly if you are a nut about old movies. And, the reason boils down to seeing and hearing two folks. First, the silent comic Billy Bevan made a ton of silent comedies...and here you get to hear him talk. This is striking as I'd always imagined him sounding like an Aussie. After all, he was born and raised in Australia. But Bevan was apparently a genius at hiding the accent and sounds very American. Second, Jean Harlow is in a small bit and it's before her big makeover by MGM. She not only looks quite different but she also sounds like an entirely different person. Odd...but unteresting.

Dialect comic Will King is late for his birthday dinner, so when he shows up and they go out to a night club, wife Dot Farley won't let him eat anything.

King's comedy is half Yiddish dialect, half malapropism, and it's a pretty good combination of shticks under the direction of William Watson. The comedy is eked out by a bunch of chorines doing what I can only describe as a tap dance on roller skates, and an exchange between King and an unmistakable Jean Harlow. She was only 18 when she made this movie, her first time with dialogue, if you're interested in what she has to say. With Billy Bevan, Otto Fries, and Natalie Joyce.