Pest Control

PEST CONTROL is a humorous look at human pests with four little stories involving star DAVE O'BRIEN, whom I'm beginning to think was one of the most talented comedic actors of the '40s and '50s with physical prowess beyond the normal. He knew how to take pratfalls without killing himself, all with perfect timing.

He's a wolf cruising women in his convertible in the opening segment and getting payback from a woman who at first pretends to succumb to his stalking maneuvers; he's the nervous manager of an antique shop trying to show a woman customer his wares while her son handles the store merchandise and creates havoc; he's the man who can't get his fountain pen to work without spraying ink all over himself; and he's the restaurant customer who can't eat when a woman maintains a fixed stare at him.

Not the best of the Pete Smith shorts, but passes the nine minutes enjoyably.

These "Pete Smith Specialties" were funny a half century ago, and are still humorous, even if they are dated. They aren't hilarious, but they are entertaining.

In this one, Pete goes after "pests," people who do annoying things....and what Pete would like to see happen to those "pests." We see "the cruising wolf," (who would be up on harassment charges in this day-and-age) and the bratty kid in antique store who constantly breaks things (Pete recommends chloroforming the kid!).

In addition, Pete mentions a couple of other irritations, animate and inanimate pests. Man, he could make a long, long movie about this subject!

Most times Pete Smith's shorts are humorous, but here there is a real contrast in how society has changed since 1950. Smith looks at several types of common human pests in 1950 and how they are completely lacking in self awareness.

First and most striking is "the wolf". He shows a man driving slowly down the street trying to get a pretty girl who is walking down the sidewalk to get into his car. Today this would be met by rape whistles and perhaps bear mace and even screams of fright. In this short Pete advises women to stop and talk to the man, even get in the car with him, and then jump out and damage his car as a lesson to him! I guess in 1950 small town Americana didn't have the term "sexual assault" in its lexicon.

Another segment is more familiar. A woman with a small child who runs around a store destroying property while she goes about her business, oblivious to the child's behavior. Another segment deals with a man who is frustrated with a dried up fountain pen but makes the mistake of writing a letter to the pen's manufacturer using that same pen. It does still expel ink, just at all of the wrong times.

Finally there is "the starer", who today would be "the peeping tom" or maybe "the stalker". This is the weirdest segment of all. A middle aged woman just walks up to a window in a strange building and stares at a man trying to eat dinner. Some people said this was a restaurant, but to me it looked like the guy's home. If it was his home, why did the guy just sit there? Today most people would be so instantly afraid of a stranger staring at them through their own kitchen window that you better hope they are not in a "stand your ground state" or this is about to stop being a comedy! Oh what an innocent peaceful place small town America must have been in 1950, at least in Pete Smith's world! Worth it if just for comparing then and now.

Dave O'Brien directs and stars in this nifty and humorous look at pests, as in humans and an inanimate object. Pete Smith narrates.

First off is the cruising wolf pest, a man who thinks he's god's gift to women and begins to harass a beautiful girl walking down the street, only he's in his car and using that to further his cause. The penis extension metaphor is wonderfully wry. How will it pan out? Pete Smith and the young lady in question provide the solution. Ouch!

Secondly is the tale of a bratty kid let loose in an antiques shop. The brat's mother is keen on buying something so O'Brien is keen to not let the sale slip through his fingers, but the brat is causing untold damage. Is vengeance in the offering for the frantic salesman?

Thirdly we find O'Brien trying to enjoy his meal in a café, only to be put into a nervous meltdown by a woman staring at him through the window. Cue mishaps with the various foods on his table. The resolution to this one is cheeky.

Lastly it's the inanimate object tale, which is a fountain pen that refuses to co-operate. We have all been there and O'Brien's final act is something we all can associate with. 7/10

Pest Control can be found as an extra on the Region One DVD release of James Stewart's The Stratton Story.

Pest Control (1948)

*** (out of 4)

Funny Pete Smith short has him talking about those pests we all hate and the best way to take care of them. We get four brief stories including the man who thinks he's a wolf, the annoying kid touching everything in an antique store, the weird woman who does nothing but look at you while eating and of course the pen that never writes when you need it to. Considering this film is only nine-minutes long, there's really nothing to build up to with the exception of cheap laughs and there are plenty of them here to make it worth your time watching this. The best sequence was the first one with the annoying man trying to pick up women. Dave O'Brien, shamefully overlooked today, plays all the main characters and does a very good job. His turn as the wannabe ladies man is very funny as is the payoff to the woman who won't quit looking at him. As usual, Smith's narration is very charming and brings a few laughs as well.