Wheeler and Woolsey make their final joint film appearance in a last hurrah, a final farce with a few more funny gags than normal which return them to racier material. Dorothy Lee is gone, replaced by classy Marjorie Lord and adding in quite a different style of leading lady-the formidable Lupe Velez, aka The Mexican Spitfire. The plot concerns two clowns who end up at Paul Harvey and Margaret Dumont's estate, searching for missing jewels and outwitting a group of thieves. Velez adds her usual amount of malapropisms, basically playing Carmelita as a maid and the boys in place of Leon Errol. She is terrific here, having an energy and vitality that shows why she was a fan favorite for years, The three play very well off each other and are aided by a cute little jack russell pooch who gets a great visual gag at the end.
Initially seen working at a carnival in an odd looking flying machine, the boys are at first idiotic saps used for their stupidity but prove like smoke followed by fire that stupidity is usually hiding a sense that geniuses can't understand. Dumont (complete with crystal ball) and Harvey add amusing elements to their uppity rich folk while Jack Carson is his usual cynical wise-cracking self. Harvey is particularly funny as he expects a few policemen to show up, and he ends up with practically the whole force. His slow burn when one final single policeman comes into the room is a classic moment of silent anger.
Obviously filmed on standing art deco sets usually used for either musicals or screwball comedies, this is Wheeler and Woolsey's most lavish looking film since 1934's Hips Hips Hooray! A cute little pool set dance number, "Keep your head above Water", is another highlight. Velez gets a show-stopping number, imitating her rival, Dolores Del Rio, complete with sneer, and Shirley Temple. Unlike other Wheeler and Woolsey films, this is lacking in their usual verbal wit, but the physical comedy makes up for it.
Initially seen working at a carnival in an odd looking flying machine, the boys are at first idiotic saps used for their stupidity but prove like smoke followed by fire that stupidity is usually hiding a sense that geniuses can't understand. Dumont (complete with crystal ball) and Harvey add amusing elements to their uppity rich folk while Jack Carson is his usual cynical wise-cracking self. Harvey is particularly funny as he expects a few policemen to show up, and he ends up with practically the whole force. His slow burn when one final single policeman comes into the room is a classic moment of silent anger.
Obviously filmed on standing art deco sets usually used for either musicals or screwball comedies, this is Wheeler and Woolsey's most lavish looking film since 1934's Hips Hips Hooray! A cute little pool set dance number, "Keep your head above Water", is another highlight. Velez gets a show-stopping number, imitating her rival, Dolores Del Rio, complete with sneer, and Shirley Temple. Unlike other Wheeler and Woolsey films, this is lacking in their usual verbal wit, but the physical comedy makes up for it.