Alex in Wonderland

Eddie Foy Jr. plays an obnoxious brother-in-law who comes not only to visit but makes a total menace of himself. And, despite Foy's horribly boorish behavior, his sister-in-law excuses everything and treats her poor husband (Walter Catlett) like dirt. While it was supposed to be a comedy, the humor was generally far from funny--mostly because Foy's character was so far over-played that he seemed less like a thoughtless person and more like Satan. And, as a result, only the most easy to please people will enjoy this film--others will simply be irritated. A terribly unfunny and painful film from start to finish.

A few things to note. First, the short was narrated by Frank McHugh--someone you might not expect to be narrating anything. Second, while I could be mistaken, the interior of the mansion late in the film appears to be the same one used in "The Beverly Hillbillies" TV show. Third, there is a somewhat offensive black joke--though it's no more distasteful than the rest of this crappy film.

Alex in Wonderland (1940)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

This rather strange short has a husband (Walter Catlett) becoming upset when his brother-in-law Alex (Eddie Foy, Jr.) comes to stay with him. The annoying relative finally does something good by getting them invited to a party but of course things don't work out well in the end. This 14-minute comedy from Warner appears to be partially influenced by The Three Stooges as there are many examples of sound effects being used to try and jazz up the laughs. These sound effects really don't work in regards to laugh but that type of comedy just seems to far from what you'd expect from both Catlett and Foy that you can't help but be slightly drawn into the weirdness. I think the short deserves some credit because I can honestly say that I've never seen a Warner short like it before. It's certainly not a masterpiece but I think those who enjoy sitting through short subjects should at least find it to be an interesting curio. Both Catlett and Foy work well together even though the screenplay isn't anything to write home about. The two of them can bounce off one another at a good rate and their energy helps keep the film moving.