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Hook Line and Sinker

  • 1930
  • Passed
  • 1h 15m
IMDb RATING
5.9/10
439
YOUR RATING
Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey in Hook Line and Sinker (1930)
ComedyRomance

Two fast-talking insurance salesmen meet Mary, who is running away from her wealthy mother, and they agree to help her run a hotel that she owns. When they find out that the hotel is run dow... Read allTwo fast-talking insurance salesmen meet Mary, who is running away from her wealthy mother, and they agree to help her run a hotel that she owns. When they find out that the hotel is run down and nearly abandoned, they launch a phony PR campaign that presents the hotel as a resor... Read allTwo fast-talking insurance salesmen meet Mary, who is running away from her wealthy mother, and they agree to help her run a hotel that she owns. When they find out that the hotel is run down and nearly abandoned, they launch a phony PR campaign that presents the hotel as a resort favored by the rich. Their advertising succeeds too well, and many complications soon ar... Read all

  • Director
    • Edward F. Cline
  • Writers
    • Tim Whelan
    • Ralph Spence
  • Stars
    • Bert Wheeler
    • Robert Woolsey
    • Dorothy Lee
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.9/10
    439
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Edward F. Cline
    • Writers
      • Tim Whelan
      • Ralph Spence
    • Stars
      • Bert Wheeler
      • Robert Woolsey
      • Dorothy Lee
    • 20User reviews
    • 11Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos14

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    Top cast19

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    Bert Wheeler
    Bert Wheeler
    • Wilbur Boswell
    Robert Woolsey
    Robert Woolsey
    • Addington Ganzy
    Dorothy Lee
    Dorothy Lee
    • Mary Marsh
    Ralf Harolde
    Ralf Harolde
    • John Blackwell
    Jobyna Howland
    Jobyna Howland
    • Mrs. Rebecca Marsh
    Natalie Moorhead
    Natalie Moorhead
    • Duchess Bessie Von Essie
    Hugh Herbert
    Hugh Herbert
    • Hotel House Detective
    George F. Marion
    George F. Marion
    • Ritz de la Rivera Bellboy
    Stanley Fields
    Stanley Fields
    • McKay - Blackwell Henchman
    William B. Davidson
    William B. Davidson
    • Frank Dukette
    • (as William Davidson)
    Lynton Brent
    Lynton Brent
    • Gangster
    • (uncredited)
    G. Pat Collins
    G. Pat Collins
    • Motorcycle Cop
    • (uncredited)
    Ben Hendricks Jr.
    • Spudoni
    • (uncredited)
    Ethan Laidlaw
    Ethan Laidlaw
    • Gangster
    • (uncredited)
    Larry McGrath
    • Gangster
    • (uncredited)
    Robert McKenzie
    Robert McKenzie
    • Detective
    • (uncredited)
    Frank Mills
    Frank Mills
    • Gangster
    • (uncredited)
    Bert Moorhouse
    Bert Moorhouse
    • Gangster
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Edward F. Cline
    • Writers
      • Tim Whelan
      • Ralph Spence
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews20

    5.9439
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    Featured reviews

    6bkoganbing

    Hotel Hideout

    Hook Line And Sinker has Wheeler&Woolsey meeting Dorothy Lee on a road way while they successfully talk a cop out of a speeding ticket and sell insurance to him. She's running away from her mother's arranged marriage to the family attorney Ralf Harolde. Lee talks the boys into helping her run a fleabag hotel which is in her name.

    There's a good reason why Harolde wants to marry her. In reality he's a gangster and he's used the place as a crook's hideout for years. But when Bert and Bob take it over they start a publicity campaign which works all too well saying the place has become THE in vacation resort for society folks. They come bringing all their money and jewels. Society bigwigs and gangsters, what a spot for a caper.

    As for the romance Lee of course falls for Bert and her mother the amazonian Jobyna Howland just loves the moves that Woolsey is putting on her. Harolde's being foiled at every turn. It all leads up to a gangster invasion and a hilarious shootout at the climax.

    This is a good introduction to Wheeler&Woolsey who are too sadly neglected today.
    borsch

    Funny Stuff!!

    While this comedy falls off a little towards the end, it's still a great repository for the Funny Stuff that W and W did best. You might call Bert and Bob "Dumb and Smarter", with Wheeler's sweet-natured shlub a perfect match for Woolsey's sly, Groucho-esque wisecracker. The story shell is pure silliness, and the double-entendres come fast and furious. This certainly isn't their best vehicle, but anytime you see these guys in the cable schedule(which, alas, is not often), WATCH 'EM!!
    Snow Leopard

    An Entertaining Comedy

    This comedy starts out very well with a promising set-up, and although it cannot maintain the same standard throughout, it's mostly entertaining, if rather silly. Wheeler and Woolsey make a pretty good comic team, and the complicated, deliberately implausible plot provides them with some good moments. Director Eddie Cline, better known for the comedies he made with Buster Keaton and W.C. Fields, keeps things on track.

    We are first introduced to the two leads in a funny scene where they try to talk a policeman out of giving them a ticket. Shortly afterwards, they are involved in all kinds of complications at a run-down hotel, involving a large cast of dubious characters. While the pace is a little uneven, it keeps your attention, and there are also a couple of clever lines of dialogue. While it doesn't quite fulfill its early promise, this is definitely worth a look if you enjoy comedies from the 30's.
    8Mike-764

    Wheeler and Woolsey in the hotel business.

    Wilbur Boswell and Addington Ganzy abandon their insurance business (read scam) and enter the hotel business with Mary Marsh, who has runaway from home to escape her mother and the family's lawyer Blackwell, whom Mary is being forced to marry by her mother. Unknown to Mary, her mother, and Boswell & Ganzy, is that Blackwell is running a criminal organization and its main hideout is the basement of the hotel. Also coming to the hotel are every sort of criminal set out to crack the hotel safe, so its up to our two heroes, along with a bizarre house detective and the always sleeping bellboy to save the day. A very enjoyable and funny film from Wheeler and Woolsey with Dorothy Lee around again as Mary. As with the majority of the W&W films there are a bizarre bunch of characters and plenty of zaniness to please the audience. Great ending with the shootout. Rating, 8.
    7dbborroughs

    One of the Best Wheeler and Woolsey Comedies

    This is a very funny film starring Wheeler and Woolsey, a comedy team that is all but forgotten these days. Their brand of humor tended to be verbal and punny, but they were also adept physical comedians as well.

    Here the pair end up helping, and romancing, a runaway fom a rich family. She's inherited a hotel and the boys decide to help her turn it into THE hot spot. Using their way with words they manage to have newspapers write the place up---mentioning how safe their safe is. This of course brings a steady stream of crooks all of which want to be the one to crack the safe.

    Extremely well written, the film suffers from a few slow spots where the fast and furious dialog stop for a silent shot or moment. Normally it wouldn't be bad, but here it off sets the pacing of the film, which for the most part is fast moving, even if it seems not to have a direction.

    If you want to see a good comedy you haven't seen before, by all means pick this up, its 75 minutes well spent.

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    Related interests

    Will Ferrell in Présentateur vedette: La légende de Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942)
    Romance

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This film, along with Amos 'n' Andy's "Check and Double Check (1930)," were the most successful of "RKO"'s 1930 productions.
    • Goofs
      When Ganzy calls in the article about the hotel to the newspaper and a full screenshot of the headline and the first paragraph of the story is shown; the following shot shows Rebecca Marsh reading the article out loud to her attorney. However, what she is saying is not printed on the paper.
    • Quotes

      Mrs. Rebecca Marsh: Mr. Pansy?

      Addington Ganzy: "Ga-," "Ga-."

      Mrs. Rebecca Marsh: Mr. Gaga?

    • Soundtracks
      Three Little Words
      (uncredited)

      Music by Harry Ruby

      [Played by the hotel band just prior to the rainstorm.]

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 26, 1930 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Hook, Line and Sinker
    • Filming locations
      • RKO Studios - 780 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • RKO Radio Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $287,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      • 1h 15m(75 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.20 : 1

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