Asleep in the Feet

"Asleep in the Feet" is a Zasu Pitts/Thelma Todd short from Hal Roach Studios. It co-stars a familiar Roach supporting actor, Billy Gilbert.

When the story (such as it is) begins, Thelma and Zasu have just arrived at their apartment after a day at work. They overhear the landlady telling another resident that she's going to be thrown out if she cannot pay her rent and so the two ladies would like to help her but they are broke. Another resident tells them they can make a few bucks at the local dance hall, so they head there. Once at the dance hall, several stuck up fuddy-duddies arrive to look the place over and pass moral judgment on the going ons there.

Not much actually happens in this short. It felt almost as if they really didn't have a thorough script but adlibbed a bit. None of it was brilliant but it was enjoyable enough to merit you watching it.

Asleep in the Feet (1933)

** (out of 4)

Thelma Todd-Zasu Pitts short has the two playing roommates who hear their landlord threaten to throw the woman out who lives next door if she doesn't come up with twenty bucks. In order to help Todd and Pitts decide to work at a dance club and pick up some extra money but soon the police come in looking to break it up. If you're a fan of the Todd-Pitts combo then I'm sure you'll enjoy this but I guess I'm starting to realize that this duo just doesn't cut it for me. Both actresses were very talented women but at the same time I can't help but think they weren't meant for each other as I've yet to ever feel any real chemistry between the two and in the end we're left with a rather flat film. The "comedy" attempts to come from Pitts and her clueless ways, which ranges from her not being able to properly open a can of condensed milk and then her having to dance with a bunch of dumb men. The one funny moment comes when she is forced to dance with a man twice her height and she ends up breaking a heel. Todd doesn't haven much to do here as she pretty much just stands around and watches what Pitts does. The film actually moves at a pretty good pace but in the end there just weren't enough laughs to keep me entertained.

Zasu Pitts and Thelma Todd work with a fairly new director on the Roach lot, Gus Meins. Where directors like James Horne, James Parrott, Lloyd French, and George Marshall were most interested in gags, Meins wanted to present a well defined, motivated story. He does use sight gags, but they are built into the story. Meins' style is certainly a contrast to the other directors on the Roach lot. It can really be seen in his Our Gang and Thelma Todd-Patsy Kelly entries. I only wish he had used the stock LeRoy Shield background music more often. He only chooses to use it in a handful of shorts.

In this depression era piece, Thelma and Zasu are late in paying their rent and haven't much to eat. However, their neighbor is about to be evicted from her room if she cannot pay $20. Softhearted Thelma and Zasu become dance hall girls to help her. Anita Garvin is hysterical as a veteran taxi dancer. Also funny are the attempts to make Zasu more appealing. Of course, Thelma is naturally appealing. Billy Gilbert is funny as always as the dance hall manager. But why did he need the accent? The closing gag could have gone in many directions. All I will say is that Meins chose a very good one. It tops off a charming short.

Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts need some extra money, so they decide to become taxi dancers at Billy Gilbert's dance hall. Anita Garvin instructs them on how to earn extra money, but Zasu doesn't start to put it into action until the morals society shows up.

This episode of the GIRL FRIENDS series from Roach is one of the better ones, thanks to Billy and Anita. Thelma spends a lot of time doing a goggle-eyed reation and the band heats up. Lots of fun.

Hal Roach's female answer to Laurel and Hardy, Zasu Pitts and Thelma Todd get themselves in more than one fine mess in one of the better entries in the comedy team's series. Fatigued department store workers by day they come to the aid of a neighbor facing eviction by becoming taxi dancers to pay her rent.

Asleep in the Feet is a two set piece of non-stop slapstick with a few double entendres thrown in to keep things funny most of the way. Pitts grabs most of the laughs with her simple " Oh my dear" clueless fluster as she wrestles with a can of condensed milk and dances with a trio of bad matches. Meanwhile sexy Hot Toddy plays straight girl to obnoxious gob Eddie Dunn while Billy Gilbert grabs his share of the laughs as the ultra frustrated manager of the dance hall.

Feet also offers some fancy footwork by extras, a comic montage of surreal absurdity and in an attempt to enhance her marketability a tarted up Zasu looking like a cross between Betty Boop and Tammy Faye in what turns out to be one of the more ambitious chapters in the series.