Ladies Last

This was one of a series of "Boy Friends" films made by the Hal Roach Studios in the early 1930s. They are best described as being like the Our Gang characters all grown up. Now they are in their late teens and in most of their films they have adventures much like they would have when they were just kids, though this film is a bit different because it is the only one I have seen that shows them in college. One of the standout characters from this group is Mickey--who graduated from being a very unattractive freckled boy in the Our Gang series to a very unattractive teen with a HORRIBLE AND TOTALLY IRRITATING LAUGH! Uggh--every time he laughed, my blood pressure rose 50 points it was that bad! Fortunately, he didn't laugh much in this short. There was also a character that I've only seen in this film--an annoying and rather insensitively written stutterer. Despite these two characters, the film was an amiable time-passer.

The odd plot involves a fraternity coming up with the wacky idea that women are no good and they should all pledge to give up women. Given modern sensibilities, I know exactly what most people NOW would think about this, but at the time people probably didn't snicker at the homosexual implications and just accepted the film at face value! Unlike other Boy Friend films I've seen, this one has fewer stunts but a more complex plot--allowing the characters to develop into real people. This helps to elevate this film slightly above average, but it is still obvious that Laurel and Hardy and even Our Gang/Little Rascals were STILL the "big boys" at the studio--and as a result, they got the best gag writers and films. Oddly, because this was a second-tier film for Roach, it was passed off to a new and unproven director--George Stevens--who would later go on to direct some amazing full-length films, such as GIANT. For Roach, this isn't an isolated incident, as in the 1920s, Frank Capra was a gag writer long before he went on to be one of the truly preeminent directors in Hollywood.

A final couple notes--The sub-compact car in the film appears to be the same one Roach Studios used in at least one Laurel and Hardy film (OUR WIFE) and a Patsy Kelly-Charley Chase film (KELLY THE SECOND). It probably was in many other Roach films, but these are just two that come to mind. Also, Grady Sutton plays "Alabama". You'll probably recognize him from some later W. C. Fields movies or from the many films he appeared in during the 1940s.

This episode in the Roach BOY FRIENDS series -- a spin-off from the Our Gang series, built around Mickey Daniels and Mary Kornman, after they outgrew their kiddie roles -- is the directorial debut of George Stevens, who had been purely a Roach cameraman since 1923.

His direction at this stage is a little unsure. What you mostly notice is the careful, formal compositions interspersed with the gags. Well, the gags are pretty funny and it would be as a comedy director that Stevens would make the leap to RKO; but while Stevens clearly knows how to shoot the comedy gags, the compositions show that he is still concentrating on the camera placement as the director.

Or perhaps he let his cameraman, Hap Depew, set up the shots, while he worked with the actors. Grady Sutton, who specialized in in comic nullities -- check him out as Carole Lombard's fiancée for eight seconds in OUR MAN GODFREY -- actually shows some screen presence and charm here. The result is one of the best of this decent but unexceptional series.

THE BOYFRIENDS was Hal Roach's unsuccessful attempt at making a OUR GANG type series aimed at and starring teenagers (or actors in their early twenties passing as teens). Fifteen movies were made 1930-32, and occasionally featured actors who had outgrown the OUR GANG series, notably Mickey Daniels, one of the more famous kids in the series from the silent era. The series largely centers on Mickey and buddies Dave (David Sharpe) and Alabam (Grady Sutton) and their love troubles with girls. LADIES LAST is one of the better ones in the series as the boys lead a revolt "boycotting" women because of their pushy girlfriends insisting they wear monkey suits to the upcoming dance, basically LYSISTRATA in reverse. Trouble is the girl-crazy guys have to watch their pals to make sure the other doesn't break the strike. The girls meanwhile come up with a ingenious way to arouse their jealousy.

The story inexplicably brings in a couple of crooks to the story toward the end (why are they there? There's no one but a bunch of teenagers partying, not exactly a potential goldmine to rob.) The acting unfortunately leaves a lot to be desired. These "teens" have nowhere near the charisma and natural acting ability as their younger counterparts in the OUR GANG series. Grady Sutton went on to become a talented character actor but his performance is very uneven here. He's cast as an the exceptionally lazy Alabam (he puts a "reserved" sign in his hammock when he's not in it and in one of the better gags, is so lazy he has trained his dog to open the door for him) which is probably the reason for his "tired" delivery of lines. Mickey Daniels' eccentric form of comedy is definitely not for everyone and most of the starlets are rather unpolished in their performances. On the other hand, David Sharpe not only gives a totally natural performance but he's quite handsome (with a startlingly contemporary look unlike his costars who are very much locked into early 1930's) and is something of a miniature Tyrone Power, one wonders why his career didn't take off to more than bit parts which lead him to work mostly as a stunt man in Hollywood.

The movie does have a bit of a quirky charm though as a rare chance to see genuinely young people from the era playing kids in love. And Sutton actually does get a great last line and accompanying sight gag that is unusually (and literally!) low-comedy for a movie from this period.

Ladies Last (1930)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Legendary director George Stevens made his debut in this Hal Roach comedy, another entry in the "Boy Friends" series. This time out Dave (David Sharpe), Alabam (Grady Sutton) and Mickey (Mickey Daniels) are invited to a dance by their girlfriends who insist they wear fancy suits. The boys refuse and decide to go on strike and stay away from the girls but soon they see other guys at the dance. This was the third entry in the series and you can tell that the cast members are still learning their routines but for the most part I enjoyed this two-reelers. I think Mickey steals the film as the annoying wimp who gets to act tough but ends up fighting a few fake dummies before running into a couple thieves. I found Mickey to be quite funny here because he just comes off so strange and corny that you can't help but laugh. Sharpe and Sutton don't get as much to do here and their line delivery is still pretty rough around the edges. This early sound comedy suffers from the new technology but much of this can be overlooked. The final gag dealing with fireworks in someones pants works pretty well and makes for a nice little film.