Ed Gardner's Archie the barkeeper at Duffy's tavern was a classic radio personality when this film was made. The attempt at making this a more successful transition to movies is hampered by a couple of things. The best way I can describe it is by a comparison to the successful bar sit com years later - Cheers.
Archie is a bar keeper like Sam Malone (though Sam owns his bar most of the time while Archie doesn't). Archie's character was popular on the radio because of his voice. While the voice transfer's easily to film, his character is not developed for film. Yes, Archie is helpless with women, but really we need to know his background story. Sam Malone has a background as Sam 'Mayday" Malone who is a washed up former Major League Pitcher. Archie's only background is that he is a bar keeper. That is one big difference.
Archie's love interest appears to be a woman who already has a love of her own. This makes for a pretty dull script as it is very obvious Archie is just going to fail to get any traction and there is almost no Chemistry between Archie and her. The film kind of illustrates this by locking Archie in the fridge when she comes home. Meanwhile, there's plenty of static between Sam Malone & Diane or later Rebecca. A big difference that this film desperately needs in the first hour.
The best scene in that hour is when Archie and his buddy get mistaken for masseuses by a young Hollywood starlet and show how not to rub someone the right way. I admit for a G rated film, she has a good looking figure, and that is the most voltage this film gets. The saving the bar theme because it's broke is too thin a plot. Cheers does better than this when they open Season 11 with Rebecca accidentally setting fire to the bar. Duffy's Tavern lacks this fire.
The benefit skits are more than okay here, but they can't save this film from being mediocre. I am a Crosby fan and as usual he gets in his jabs at Hope here, while he is still a contract player at this studio. The ending of the film is a real let down too. If you want to see what is supposed to have inspired Cheers on TV, I supposed it's worth a trip to where the elite meet. It is obvious that this needed to be more developed as when you go from radio to film you need more than just the voice of Archie to put it over.
Archie is a bar keeper like Sam Malone (though Sam owns his bar most of the time while Archie doesn't). Archie's character was popular on the radio because of his voice. While the voice transfer's easily to film, his character is not developed for film. Yes, Archie is helpless with women, but really we need to know his background story. Sam Malone has a background as Sam 'Mayday" Malone who is a washed up former Major League Pitcher. Archie's only background is that he is a bar keeper. That is one big difference.
Archie's love interest appears to be a woman who already has a love of her own. This makes for a pretty dull script as it is very obvious Archie is just going to fail to get any traction and there is almost no Chemistry between Archie and her. The film kind of illustrates this by locking Archie in the fridge when she comes home. Meanwhile, there's plenty of static between Sam Malone & Diane or later Rebecca. A big difference that this film desperately needs in the first hour.
The best scene in that hour is when Archie and his buddy get mistaken for masseuses by a young Hollywood starlet and show how not to rub someone the right way. I admit for a G rated film, she has a good looking figure, and that is the most voltage this film gets. The saving the bar theme because it's broke is too thin a plot. Cheers does better than this when they open Season 11 with Rebecca accidentally setting fire to the bar. Duffy's Tavern lacks this fire.
The benefit skits are more than okay here, but they can't save this film from being mediocre. I am a Crosby fan and as usual he gets in his jabs at Hope here, while he is still a contract player at this studio. The ending of the film is a real let down too. If you want to see what is supposed to have inspired Cheers on TV, I supposed it's worth a trip to where the elite meet. It is obvious that this needed to be more developed as when you go from radio to film you need more than just the voice of Archie to put it over.