The Rounder

Was surprised to see Jack Benny as a young man and showing more energy and vitality than in his later years on his TV show. On TV he is more stationary and lethargic, although still funny. Here his droll sense of humor is more effective as he strides easily around the set and flops into a chair, for example. His is not the comedy of the Marx Bros. or Laurel and Hardy - he is subtle and you listen to him more than watch what he does. I thought he was very funny and entertaining in this short, which has been given short shrift by previous reviewers.

This 1930 comedy short is a good example of films during the transition period from silent to sound. The early films of this period were shot with stationary microphones. The actors couldn't move about as freely and naturally. So, they often stood around in scenes that give them a "wooden" feel to audiences.

Jack Benny and the rest of the cast do a good job in this setting. His exchanges with Dorothy Sebastian are samples of the witty, clever and snappy comic routine he would develop and use throughout his career. It was as true of his Hollywood films as of his radio and then TV shows.

This 20-minute short has some very funny sequences. But Benny's Mr. Bartlett doesn't come across as too tipsy, which he is supposed to be. It's a fine film extra that accompanied feature films back in the early days of cinema.

Here are a couple favorite lines from this 20-minute short.

Ethel Dalton, "I am going to marry you." Mr. Bartlett, "All right, go ahead I haven't anything to do this afternoon."

Mr. Bartlett, "I love you. What is your name again?"

Here is a rare gem: an early short of Jack Benny. He is supposed to be playing a drunk, a very popular convention of the day, but underplays as ever--no W. C. Fields-type here. His gift is his glib talk, finely honed on the vaudeville stage, and he makes the most of it here. Obviously missing a live audience, which so energized him for later radio and television triumphs, nevertheless he shows complete confidence in the material and in his performance and star quality. Don't expect any fancy movie-making: there are very minimal camera angles and settings. Actually, don't expect very much at all! But, it's a treat to see the young Benny Kubelsky, and to think how funny he became.

"The Rounder" is a very early short with Jack Benny. Like many early talking comedies, this one is very talky and static--mostly because studios really didn't know what to do with stage comics. Also, because of the primitive sound equipment, folks often stood around in these films. In light of this, while "The Rounder" is not a particularly great film, it stacks up reasonably well with similar early talking shorts from other comics like Bob Hope, George Jessel, Smith & Dale and the like.

It begins with a drunk* (Benny) trying to climb into the window of his house, as he cannot find his key. However, it turns out NOT to be his place and the woman inside offers him a bizarre proposition--she'll pay him to pretend to be her husband in public! Where all this goes, you'll just have to see it for yourself.

*Benny's drunk imitation is one of the worst in film history, as he didn't look or sound the least bit drunk. Not an auspicious performance, that's for sure!

The Rounder is an extra on the DVD "To Be or Not to Be". After watching the main feature I decided to see what this extra was about. Jack Benny was out of character as we know him today but as I watched I became drawn in by the very bizarre story line. Jack plays a sophisticated man who has been out late drinking and enters the wrong home in his tipsy state. He encounters a woman who has also just returned from an evening at a club with her boyfriend that ended up in her breaking up with him. The interaction between Jack and the woman is priceless. It has a number of good laughs as well as a somewhat surreal feel to it. Highly recommended.