George Burns, seeking a tie, is frustrated by department store staff.George Burns, seeking a tie, is frustrated by department store staff.George Burns, seeking a tie, is frustrated by department store staff.
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Comedy legends Burns&Allen made their screen debuts in this 10 minute short subject Fit To Be Tied. It concerns poor George Burns who mistakes an insane asylum for a haberdashery simply because they are advertising men's clothes for sale. It's also one of the few times he actually gets more screen time than Gracie.
Burns walks into a haberdashery and goes up to June Clayworth and says he wants to purchase a tie. She just keeps jabbering on the with gossip and absolutely resents the intrusion. Than manager William Browning inquires if he can be of assistance. Burns says yes and Browning asks him if he wants a tie just like the one he has on. When Burns says yes, Browning cuts off the bottom and says he'll try to find a matching pattern.
By this time I'd be walking out of the joint, but George goes to a second saleswoman and it's Gracie. After that it's their usual patter of nonsense as George makes his first screen trip to Gracieland.
For fans like me who think Gracie Allen was the funniest woman God ever put on the planet.
Burns walks into a haberdashery and goes up to June Clayworth and says he wants to purchase a tie. She just keeps jabbering on the with gossip and absolutely resents the intrusion. Than manager William Browning inquires if he can be of assistance. Burns says yes and Browning asks him if he wants a tie just like the one he has on. When Burns says yes, Browning cuts off the bottom and says he'll try to find a matching pattern.
By this time I'd be walking out of the joint, but George goes to a second saleswoman and it's Gracie. After that it's their usual patter of nonsense as George makes his first screen trip to Gracieland.
For fans like me who think Gracie Allen was the funniest woman God ever put on the planet.
George Burns wants to buy a necktie (hence this film's title) but runs afoul of a shopgirl who speaks in extreme 1920s slang. (He also meets a shopgirl with a very proper English accent.) He claims to be the nephew of the store's owner, but this is clearly a ploy to get some service, as a moment later he asks who owns the store. A floorwalker cuts off the tie George is wearing so he can match it with one in stock. Just when things can't possibly get any screwier, George meets Gracie...
'Fit to Be Tied' is a very crude comedy short: at one point, the camera adjusts itself during a shot. There's a reference to Elinor Glyn's steamy novel 'Three Weeks' that will baffle modern viewers. But the byplay between George and Gracie is funny. Gracie Allen's speaking voice annoys me, but here -- singing 'I'm a Whole Lot Wilder Than I Know' -- she reveals an excellent singing voice. Oddly, the director films her in three-quarter view during this sequence, rather than full-on ... was Gracie perhaps worried that the monochrome film would reveal that her eyes were two different colours? The first nine minutes of this 10-minute short are delightful, but the ending is weak. George and Gracie, having run out of material, simply face the camera and wave goodbye! I'll rate this one 6 out of 10.
'Fit to Be Tied' is a very crude comedy short: at one point, the camera adjusts itself during a shot. There's a reference to Elinor Glyn's steamy novel 'Three Weeks' that will baffle modern viewers. But the byplay between George and Gracie is funny. Gracie Allen's speaking voice annoys me, but here -- singing 'I'm a Whole Lot Wilder Than I Know' -- she reveals an excellent singing voice. Oddly, the director films her in three-quarter view during this sequence, rather than full-on ... was Gracie perhaps worried that the monochrome film would reveal that her eyes were two different colours? The first nine minutes of this 10-minute short are delightful, but the ending is weak. George and Gracie, having run out of material, simply face the camera and wave goodbye! I'll rate this one 6 out of 10.
Did you know
- TriviaParamount offered George Burns $1,000 for his script. He demanded an additional $250 and the starring role.
- Quotes
Miss Allen, a Salesgirl: I have brains I haven't even used yet.
A Tie Customer: Well leave em alone, don't bother.
- SoundtracksI'm a Whole Lot Wilder Than I Look
Sung by Gracie Allen
Details
- Runtime
- 10m
- Color
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