Love at First Fright

When I think of great movie comedians, I would never think of Ed Brendel. Heck, when I think of mediocre movie comedians, I would never think of Ed Brendel. In fact, I wouldn't even consider him a comedian. This actor was mostly a supporting actor--playing bit parts in a wide variety of pictures. I was surprised to learn a few days ago that the actor starred in a string of comedy shorts for Columbia Pictures.

Up until "Love at First Fright", every Brendel short I've recently seen has been lame and unenjoyable. Fortunately, this one is decent and watchable...though hardly a comedy classic!

The film begins with the reading of a will. The heir to the estate in this hillbilly town will be some lucky person, as he'll be inheriting the biggest still in the county...and both the feuding McEwans and Hatracks want that still. But there's a problem...the heir hasn't been seen in years and apparently wandered off as a child. The Hatracks insist that a visitor (Brendel) is the heir...but with his odd Scandinavian-like accent, that does seem silly. What follows is the usual hillbilly feuding humor...hardly sophisticated but overall it did make me smile. Not bad....which is saying a lot for the film!

By the way, oddly, after the funny ending the French word 'fin' appears...as if this is some sort of art house film!

El Brendel is taken for the heir to a still. Can he survive being married to Marion Martin in the middle of the feud between the Hatracks and McKuens in this frantic Columbia short? I hope not. Although El Brendel had a long career in the movies, from a major supporting role in WINGS through the 1960s, I am never amused by his baby-faced Scowhegian dullard act. The short is filled out with old Sennett comedy pros, from Hank Mann to Louise Carver and with newcomers like Hank Worden -- best remembered for his roles in John Ford westerns. However writer Elwood Ullman and Harry Edwards have thrown in so many absurd and unrelated comedy bits, including hens that eat gunpowder and lay eggs that explode like grenades that director Del Lord can't do much with the film but keep things moving as fast as he can.

El Brendel was very funny when he had the right material and director. In nearly every movie, El is a simple immigrant who has challenges in the real world. In this film, El gets thrust into the world of the hillbillies where most city people would have an issue.

The jokes are distributed between El Brendel and the excellent supporting cast. Marion Martin is the only cast member credited besides Brendel. IMDb sleuths have provided the names of most of the actors, but I wonder who the African-American actor is in the early scenes with Brendel.

The script also has a character recite the joke that the song "I'm My Own Grandpa" was based on. The song told the story more effectively, but the joke and this movie predated the song.

Del Lord keeps the pace of the film quick. Marion Martin was an attractive partner in her scenes with Brendel.