The Great Film Discussion

[myhomeo]

Re: Why only one Christmas episode. My guess is it was more a business decision than anything else. A Christmas-themed short would be out of place any time but the holiday season. And while Hal Roach certainly had no idea his work would go any farther than maybe one or two showings, he presumably wanted to get as much use out of them as possible.

[RJH]

Good Cheer (1926) - On Christmas Eve, the gang is looking fondly through a toy shop window with Santa operating some wind-up figures, but after the display closes, a curtain falls down and reveals that Santa was janitor who had donned whiskers. Disillusioned, they seek the counsel of "Dad," the shoemaker. Along the way Jackie and Jay attempt to earn ten bucks by washing the mud of someone's car as he goes into a shop, but their effort leaves the car covered in icicles and they slink away. Dad tells the gang they need to wish, and Santa will make their wishes come true. Shivering wihile sitting on some steps, Farina wishes for something to cover him, and a shelf of snow slides off the roof and buries him up to his neck. The spirit of Santa Claus speaks to Mickey and Johnny, and tells them to play Santa Claus, and to earn money by selling hot bricks to warm the feet of everyone who passes by. This is a big hit, and they earn enough money to buy toys. Mickey and Johnny then climb down the chimney of the aparment building the gang lives in and dole out presents to the kids pretending to be asleep.

Meanwhile, a bootlegging organization has come up with the idea of disguising the dozen or so booze runners as Santa Claus, carrying bags with some toys and some bottles of moonshine. While avoiding the cops, somehow they get trapped on the roof of the apartment building the gang lives in. They conclude their only escape is down the chimney. Seen by a policeman, they try to get away with it by giving out the presents, but as they leave the building they get hit by Mickey and Johnny, and then a mule kicks them into the end of an alley and knocks them out. This leaves the gang with a huge number of presents. Upon informing Dad, he tells them they wished for too much and that Santa might not like it. The spirit of Santa then blows more snow off the roof (actually the footage is repeated) burying the gang, but they're not very upset as the film closes with them jumping around in the snow.

This is an interesting one-time departure from the usual gang setup. It is rather sentimental and contains some fantasy, which I find fine for a one-time theme. There are some good gags and some flaws like in many films. The best gag is the icicle-covered car, which miraculously starts after the crank is turned and the icicles shake off. Joe finds a grate through which he can smell freah hot bread for free, and soon Farina and several other gangsters join him. When they're done, they have black streaks across their faces, unfortunately except for Farina who has white streaks, ruining an otherwise good gag. The bootlegger who goes into Joe's room stuffs a toy and two balloons into Joe's pants hanging on a wall since Joe doesn't have a stocking, and the pants float away. Joe tried to swat them down with a broom, but eventually it flies outside and gets caught on a power line. A friendly officer shoots the pants down, and Joe gets his toy, a somersaulting monkey. Consequences of where the bullet lands or what would have happened if it severed the power line are not addressed. Farina's request for something to cover him is worded oddly, but was made for the gag to get covered in snow. But his reaction is odd; he shakes the snow off his face and continues to sit there. I think it would be natural to stand up, but then I'd have him shake his fist at the sky, state that is not what he menat, and then get buried up to his neck again by more snow sliding off the roof and struggle to get out. I'm not fond of Mickey telling the kid early on that he's lucky he only has one foot to keep warm. What is unsatisfying is that how all the bootlegger Santas got up on the roof is never explained. That part, and their escape down the chimney is rather contrived. Overall this was an effort that should have been tried once. If they did another Christmas episode, it should have been ten years later.

[ymymeatemup]

THE FIRST ROUND-UP (1934)

Things I like:
Spanky & Scotty. This is the quinessential Spanky/Scotty episode, though a good argument could be made for "Honky Donkey." They're too little to go camping with the older boys - or so the older boys say. Ultimately, they turn out to be better-prepared and much braver than those seasoned veterans of outdoor living, to the extent that it takes several bolts of lightning to chase them home. There's also the relationship between the two tykes, as Spanky suffers through Scott's blunders in much the same way Hardy does with Laurel. This results in two of the funniest Spanky moments ever, both of which involve jelly sandwiches. We're also treated to some pretty good one-liners from both of them.
The Older Boys. The cast was sort of in interim mode during this period, but we get a good batch of young actors nevertheless. They think they're going to have a great time camping, and of course, they end up unprepared and jumping out of their skins every time they hear a noise. In their own way, they're just as amusing as the little kids, since their plight is entirely relatable.
Grape Jelly. As an adult, I prefer strawberry jam, but when I was a kid, it was always grape jelly. So, when the kids are smothering that bread with all that grape jelly, I can perfectly relate - and I certainly related watching this as a child.

Things I don't like:
Buckwheat. I refer not only to the less-than-impressive casting choice for this character, but also the nature of the material. Inevitably, the humor surrounding Buckwheat is of a racial nature, but the bigger problem is that, even if we put the short in its proper historical context, the gags just aren't that funny.
Not Much Else. Perhaps I can mention the pacing, which is a bit slow. The lack of much incidental music is probably the main reason for this, as it generally gave other shorts from this era more of a sense of mirth.

Grade: A-

[ymymeatemup]

HEEBEE JEEBEES (1927)

Things that intrigue me:
Hypnosis. In this film, a shady 'professor' hynotises people in order to steal from them. The Gang notices this, and he hynotises them in order to keep them quiet. For most of the film, they believe themselves to be various animals. Jackie thinks he's a donkey, so he mule-kicks people. Harry thinks he's a goat, so he eats everything in sight and butts people. Joe thinks he's a dog, so he sniffs and bites people and chases Farina, who thinks he's a cat. When Farina rubs up against people's legs, they initially reach down to pet him, only to realize he isn't what they think he is. Perhaps most intriguing is Jay, who thinks he's a monkey, and climbs all over everything and everybody. The cop that the Gang brings to arrest the professor is also a victim of the hypnosis, spending much of the film thinking he's a bratty little boy, and not being of much help to anybody. The first part of the film places the action out on the streets of their town, but the second part brings them to a party to which the parents and children of the neighborhood are invited, and this provides the necessary formal setting for the resulting chaos.
Miss Droopleberry. I don't know who plays this role, but with a name like that, it'd be worthwhile to find out. She sings a song called "Whispering Winds Of The Desert" at the party, which mostly makes Joe howl.

[RJH]

The First Round-Up (1934) - Inspired by a poster, the big kids, mainly Wally, Stymie, and Tommy in that order, decide to go camping. Wally's mother is worried, but his father says let them go, and they'll be back by nightfall. Spanky and Scotty want to come along, but the big kids declare they're not grown up enough. The big kids pack a lot of stuff for the two mile trip to Cherry Creek, which is mostly uphill, especially near the end. They're exhuasted, and note that they never would have made if it they had to bring the little kids along, but Spanky and Scotty beat them there by hitchhiking. They get hungry, but the only big kid who remembered to bring food was Stymie, and that was all eaten by his little sister Buckwheat who stowed away hiding in a blanket. Spanky and Scotty are much better prepared, wtih bread and jelly, and a lantern. When it gets dark, several things scare them and prevent sleep. Pete finds a skunk, and distributes fleas to everyone. Buckwheat causes a scare roaming around with only her eyes visible, and then the big kids are scared of shadows Spanky makes. Then a lightning storm devleops and the big kids decide to run home. Spanky and Scotty stay until a turtle carries their lantern underwater. With no light except form the lightning, they eventually run home too.

This is a classic episode, with many elements of what made the series great and a few flaws. The big kids decide to show how manly they are by following the poster's instructions, but are much less prepared than they think they are and are constantly outsmarted by the little kids Spanky and Scotty. Those two make a great team, and most of the humor revolves about them, especially Spanky suffering at the hands of Scotty's innocent actions. After Spanky shows Scotty how to open the door to Wally's yard, on two occasions the door slams on Spanky, smushing his jelly sandwich on his face, and then flattening the barrel of his rifle lengthwise into a snake shape. I hope that was a cheap toy. Spanky also gets his jelly sandwich at the campsite ruined after Scotty agrees to share with the big kids. It's a shame Scotty left the series after such a short time, this features the combination of him and Spanky at their best. (It would also have been nice if Wally lasted longer.)

As for the flaws, typically I don't notice fake backgrounds, but the back screen at the creek is glaringly obvious, especially when Spanky and Scotty make shadows against a surface that shouldn't be there. The Buckwheat eyes gag is overused and not funny. At the end Spanky and Scotty suddenly get stupid as they let the slow moving turtle walk away with their lantern. Also, it's strange topography to have the creek at what seems to be the highest point in town. The ending is a bit odd, with Pete's eyes rolling at the halfway point home, perhaps because of Spanky and Scotty running in their torn sleeping bag vaguely resembles a ghost. The strong points do outweigh the flaws by quite a bit.

[ymymeatemup]

THE FIRST SEVEN YEARS (1930)

Things I like:
Jackie Cooper. He had joined the Gang very recently, but with this film, he played his first starring role and established himself as the most gifted actor in the troupe. His ability to handle dialogue with natural ease was a godsend to the series, and the mix of toughness and sweetness in his personality makes it easy to see why he had such a bright future.
Edgar Kennedy. I've never been a huge Kennedy fan, but I like him in this film, not only because of the touching way in which he concerns himself with the daily lives of the kids on his beat, but because of his reaction to Jack's failed attempt to win Mary.
Mary Ann. Her looks of contempt for both Jack and Spud are quite priceless, and her ability to 'man-handle' caveman Jack is also a highlight.
Wheezer. He's featured in an amusing early scene rolling down the road in a large piece of piping. His dizziness following this is one of the more comical moments in the short. He also gets in a couple of good one-liners as he hopes for Jack's early demise.
The General Atmosphere. During an era when the series sorely needed incidental music, most of this short actually seems to benefit from its barren soundtrack. The Gang's neighborhood seems to be on the edge of town, where life is almost as rural as it is suburban. It seems that nothing much ever happens in this tranquil setting, to the extent that the neighborhood cop spends a good portion of his shift lounging on a park bench. Adding music would only have disrupted the mood.

Things I don't like:
The Swordfight. For a sequence that alternates between a few funny bits and a bunch of not-so-funny bits, this takes up too much of the film. Also, the lack of incidental music, while not a problem elsewhere in the short, is glaringly problematic during this latter part, which could have greatly benefited from it. Honorable mention in this category goes to the fist-fighting, which sometimes looks fairly convincing, but just as often doesn't.

Grade: B+

[RJH]

According to the first page, "The First Seven Years" was supposed to be reviewed the week after "The First Round-Up," not the same week.

---

The First Seven Years (1930) - Jackie Cooper is smitten with Mary Ann, who reacts to his attention by making faces. Unsure of how to proceed, Jackie consults Officer Kennedy, who advises him to act like a caveman and take what he wants. This fails spectacularly as Mary Ann promptly beats him up. The next round of advice has Jackie dressing up and acting nice, and Granny comes to the rescue with an old suit since Jackie's mother won't let him wear his Sunday clothes. When Jackie returns, Speck is pushing Mary Ann in his toy car, despite her also making faces at him. When the boys talk about fighting, Mary Ann declares that they should fight a proper duel and the winner can have her. The boys prepare their makeshift armor while she goes in and out of her house to provide the swords. Jackie has no luck in trying to get out of the fight, and there follows a long swordfight which features swords running through a car tire and radiator grill before several lines of laundry are slashed. Eventually the two resort to fistfighting, and Jackie wins. A remark by Mary Ann to Speck induces him to push her down to the ground, and Jackie fights Speck again. Speck calls for his father in a nearby yard for help, and he holds Jackie so Speck can punch him. Granny then comes to the rescue and knocks the brute of a father down, and kicks him several times as the gang except for Speck cheer.

This is pretty good, with Jackie Cooper being excellent throughout this film. There are some good interactions with Wheezer. At the beginning, Wheezer shoots Jackie with a BB gun, and after a chase, Jackie sends Wheezer and Pete rolling downhill in a ten-foot length of pipe. Then there are these exchanges before and after the duel:
Wheezer: "If you're gonna get killed, will you let me have your knife?"
Jackie: "Yeah, you can have it. Hey if I don't get killed, I want that knife back."
W: "Well, I hope you get killed."
...
J: "Give me back my knife. I didn't get killed."
W: "Aw gee, I never get a break."

Farina plays house briefly with a girl at the beginning and then declares he's had enough with women. He and Chubby want to see the duel take place and don't cooperate with Jackie when he tries to get it canceled, like by informing Kennedy. Jackie even tries to find a chore to do, but his mother doesn't need him. One thing I didn't care for was when Farina and Chubby are sitting nearby, Speck only asks Chubby what a duel is, as if Farina is a lot dumber and would never know. Chubby gives a wrong answer, confusing it with a football goal, while Farina pantomimes fencing as Mary comes with the swords. Then Farina acts as Speck's second while Chubby assists Jackie. Farina's pigtails get scalped by a practice swing. The other thing is that Farina, Chubby, and Mary Ann run into the midst of the torn sheets and repeatedly get stabbed and whacked. This seems like an artificial way to get them into the action; any normal kids would watch the duel from a safe distance. Speck's father is a total jerk and it's good to see him get whupped by Jackie's granny.

[RJH]

High Society (1924) - Mickey is living happily with his very Irish Uncle Pat in a poor neighborhood in which the gang resides. Then one day Mickey's wealthy Aunt Kate wins custody of him, and he has to move after a tearful good-bye. Aunt Kate lives in a mansion with some servants and her bratty son Percy (Jackie Condon), who welcomes Mickey by stomping on his foot and sticking him with a hatpin through the back of a chair. When the gang visits lonely Uncle Pat, he shows them Mickey's desperate letter asking him to come with the gang and corned beef and cabbage. Mickey is miserable thanks to Percy, daily baths, and several spankings. Pat and the gang come over when Kate is out, and quickly trash the place. The butler gets his head caught between leaves of a table, and Percy in put in the ice box. The gang rides a dumbwaiter, Joe, Sing Joy, and Andy pour liquid soap on a floor and slide all over, Farina gives a parrot a hard time and evenutally makes it and some fish drunk, and Mary plays dress-up with Aunt Kate's stylish clothes. There is something of a pillow fight and the desperate butler, once free, calls the police on a dial built into a wall. Farins sees the dial turning and summons the fire department and ambulance team as well. Aunt Kate returns home just as all the emergency services arrive. Aghast at what has happened to her house, she admits adopting Mickey was a mistake and tells Pat to take him away for a happy ending.

This is rather predictable, but still fun. The message that one doesn't have to be rich to be happy comes through strong. There is a lot of energy in the non-stop action. The one thing I'm not crazy about is the early scene in which the gang steals fruit with a clever technique. Joe drops fruit into a funnel and the fruit rolls through chutes around a corner where other gangsters collect it. A cop sees this, and the gang takes refuge in Uncle Pat's house, and the issue is resolved when the cop is invited to a corned beef dinner. Still, I don't like the gang as thieves. The perfromance by Mickey and Uncle Pat are excellent. Jackie is great as long as he lasts; he's out of the picture soon after the gang arrives, only emerging at the end when rescued from the ice box.

[ymymeatemup]

HIGH SOCIETY (1924)

Things I like:
Mickey Daniels. As usual, he handles his duties as the lead player quite well, being alternately comical and sympathetic. Particularly charming is his relationship with his sweetheart Mary, especially in the scene where she plays dress-up.  Mickey himself, of course, is also dressed up (rather embarrassingly), but only because wealthy Aunt Kate keeps him that way at all times.
Jackie Condon. Every once in a while, he was given something different to do in this series, and this short is one of those occasions. And when he was given something different to do, he usually made the most of it, as he does playing the spoiled and obnoxious Percy. He's very amusing throughout the film, but never as much as when he smiles at Mickey and you can practically see the daggers shooting out of his eyes. THAT'S my nominee for greatest ever Jackie Condon moment.
Pat Kelly. As a man of limited funds, he's obviously more relatable (for most people) than Aunt Kate. There's a load of charm that emerges through the rough edges and Irish stereotyping.
The Opening Sequence. I almost always enjoy the establishing portions of these early silents, as we just sort of visit with the Gang for a few minutes. The stealing of the fruit, and the escaping from the cop, and the way everybody remains friends through all of it, makes for a pleasant diversion before the plot really takes over.
The Chaos. Even though the poor butler doesn't deserve the abuse he suffers, Aunt Kate and Cousin Percy DO, so it's fun to see just how big of a mess the Gang can make in such a large house.

Things I don't like:
Not much. A few small things here and there. Squirting grapefruit doesn't make me laugh, nor do drunk parrots and small black children covered in molasses and feathers. But generally speaking, these don't take up much time in the film, so they have very little effect on my opinion of it.

Grade: A-

[RJH]

Fish Hooky (1933) - Not much more to add. My earliest memory of any scene from the series is the chase with Mickey and Stymie, and that was long before I knew who Mickey was. My next favorite scene is Mickey describing reform school to the kids. Nice expressions when told about the treats of spinach on Sunday and new sledgehammers at Christmas, leading to Stymie's refusal to play the game where you swing a hammer and see how high you can make a metal disk rise.

There are so many good things about this mentioned above that I don't want to make the negatives sound too bad. The biggest negative is that Jackie Condon isn't in this. He was a few months younger than Joe and would have fit in easily in the fishing scene, and it would be nice hearing how he sounded after being in 78 silents. It would have been nice to see Ernie, but it's more understandable that he might have been unavaiable. It's disturbing that 12-year-old Farina is not going to school, and 15-year-old Joe, who forgot all his attempts at playing hooky were spectacular failures. From a realistic perspective, with Stymie and Dickie running off in one direction and Wheezer and Uh-huh in the other, Mickey shouldn't have been able to be in two places at once. Less significant is Cotton disappearing for a bit when Spanky delivers Mickey's response and the kids return to the school.

Back to the positive, everything about the seaside amusement park is pleasant to watch. It would have been nice to see that more often in the later films. Spanky telling Mary to kiddss Mickey is among the best closing lines in the series.

[ymymeatemup]

Jul 7, 2014 22:11:16 GMT -5 RJH said:

Spanky telling Mary to kidd Mickey is among the best closing lines in the series.

Is this a typo, or has the censorship gone totally off the charts?

[myhomeo]

If it has, they can kidd my add....

[RJH]

Jul 8, 2014 14:34:07 GMT -5 ymymeatemup said:

Is this a typo, or has the censorship gone totally off the charts?

Ugh. Typo. Yet possibly among the more entertaining things I write.

[RJH]

Fishy Tales (1937) - Buckwheat comes to the Wise Owl clubhouse having caught a long fish just in time to see Alfalf'a's William Tell shooting exhibition. However, Porky keeps eating all the apples placed on his head, so Spanky hires Buckwheat to replace him. Alfalfa then shoots a rubber dart onto the apple. For his next trick, he tries it shooting backwards over his shoulder looking in a mirror, but his aim is off and he hits Butch, who just entered through the door, in the nose. Alfalfa talks his way out of a pounding by Butch by claiming it was an accident, but when Butch turns to leave, Junior takes the dart gun and shoots Butch in the back of the head. Alfalfa grabs the gun from Junior, and only by fainting, or pretedning to, gets out of another pounding. Woim tells Butch his mother wants him, postponing the showdown until Alfalfa comes to. While Butch is away, Spanky concocts a plan. Buckwheat takes the message to Butch, saying Alfalfa can't fight because he dislocated his leg. Butch doesn't believe it, and sends a return message threatening to dislocate all of their necks if Alfalfa isn't really injured.

Spanky's plan involves cutting a hole in a bed for Alfalfa's leg to go through and make it look like the fish Buckwheat caught is Alfalfa's broken shin. Before Butch and Woim arrive, Buckwheat and Porky let Junior in, who lets some cats in who are after the fish. They throw the cats out just before Butch does get there. Spanky demonstates by pounding the fish with a hammer, showing that there is no feeling in it. When Butch tries it, he becomes convinced the injury is for real, and Spanky tells a story how Alfalfa got the leg broken in a fight standing up for Butch. But Junior tickles Alfalfa's bare foot under the bed, and then knocks over a bucket a crabs, one of which bites Alfalfa's toe. Then more cats come, and Alfalfa can't stand it, the fish falls to the side, and then run throughs a wall with Butch and Woim chasing him. Spanky advises Alfalfa to run.

This is one of the best. One thing that sets this apart from other films is the camera work: first the dart being fired from Buckwheat's point of view filling the field of view of the camera, and second showing the mirror panning from Buckwheat with the apple on his head over to Butch with the dart stuck on his nose. Buckwheat's facial expressions are terrific, form the shock and fear when he realizes Alfalfa is shooting at him to the relief when the first shot is successful. I like the exchange with the messages, Butch asking increduously, "Does Spanky expect me to belive this?" and Buckwheat nodding and exclaiming, "Yes!" The performances are all excellent, and not a moment is wasted in this highly entertaining one-reeler.

It's a Bear (1924) - The gang has hunting fever. Joe practices with a new air gun, but has to pull up his pants every times he stands up, Jackie pretends to hunt another kid who apparently is Dick Henchen, a midget (or the censor objects, fidget or small person), with antlers strapped on his back, and Ernie shoots anything he can, like a shoe, with a bow and arrow, with Farina carrying a huge amount of equipment. Mickey uses his dog to help deliver milk bottles, but is interrupted in his job by Mary. Soon Joe and the rest of the gang are riding the wobbly wagon to what Mickey describes as his farm. There they harass the farm workers, lassoing one around the neck and shooting another with arrows in the butt and leg. The gang also chases and lassos some other animals like pigs and a duck. Joes sees a worker rolling a cigarette and attempts to do likewise when he sees a pack of tobacco dropped on the ground. Farina chases some chickens, then gets chased by bigger animals, climbs a fence to get away, and then falls into a barrel getting away from one more, and a horse kicks the barrel across the farm and down a hill. After the gang reaches him (or her), they get excited over seeing animals in the wild and go after them, except for Joe, who is determined to roll a cigarette, and then swallows some tobacco and gets sick when he is startled by a bear cub overhead.. While at a tree with wild honey, Ernie actually lassos a bear on the other side between two branches, with the other end tied around his waist. The bear climbs over the fork in the tree and chases the gang through the wood and a drain pipe. Ernie eventually gets free after he's through the pipe, and the bear appears stuck. But Farina sees the loose end of the rope and helps pull the bear out, which leads to another chase. When the gang gets to Joe, he is hard to convince until he sees the bear himself, and then runs away with the rest of the gang, losing his pants along the way.

This is a mixed bag. There are some clever gags, like Mickey's well trained dog delivering the milk. Ernie is a good shot with the bow and arrow, knocking a weather vane of the farm roof. Dick wearing antliers and being a willing hunting target is unique. Everything is set outdoors, which is good. Ernie is great with his acrobatics and expressions when dealing with the bear. But there are things I don't care for. The pace seems very slow. Joe takes many shots at the beginning, and there is some guy hammering on an anvil that is never explained. Farina's barrel rolling is very unconvincing; in all the other cases where a rascal rolls downhill in something there is a camera shot of him while the object is rolling, but nothing here, only the closed end of the barrel until Farina crawls out after it's stopped, and consequently the long scene of him dizzy and walking in slow motion seems overly drawn out. There is some animal abuse with the lassoing, and Joe's pants falling down every time he is onscreen is overdoing it. Couldn't Jackie lend him one suspender strap? One was enough for Buckwheat. Not much of a plot, and overall kind of in the middle for silents.

[ymymeatemup]

FISH HOOKY (1933)

Things I like:
The Boys. I speak, of course, of Dickie, Stymie, Wheezer and Uh-Huh (who only has two lines, both of which are "Uh huhhhhh....," and yet is still one of the standouts among the cast). There's something that's just plain likable about these four boys, not only because of how relatable they are in their hatred of school and love of amusement parks, but because of their ingenuity in coming up with clever disguises to get past the truant officer.
The Pier. With the possible exception of "Tire Trouble," this is the most generous helping of vintage Venice Pier footage to be found in an Our Gang comedy. Even if the film stunk (which it most clearly doesn't), the scenery alone would make it worth watching.
Spanky. He isn't on screen that much in this short, but he makes every moment count. We find the series at an interesting crossroads here, since both Spanky and Stymie have snappy dialogue. Soon, Stymie would essentially be a straight man, with few career highlights left in him, even though he'd remain with the series for a few more years.
The Phony Notes. Or at least the one about the fancy broken arm.

Things I don't like:
The Reunion. Not that I mind the idea of a reunion, but it would have been better if we had gotten stronger performances out of the old-timers. Of the four of them, only Mickey comes across well in this film, and even he has his shortcomings, such as his barely-hidden amusement as he describes the reform school to the boys. Mary might have been better if they hadn't turned her into a dunce once Spanky walks up with the phony notes. Not only are the notes hilariously fake, but Spanky ANNOUNCES that they're phony from the get-go! And yet, he has to tell her a second time before she realizes they're not authentic. Joe never handled dialogue well (except, for some reason, in "Pay As You Exit"), so it's not surprising that he's not very good in this film, but it IS surprising that Farina is kinda off his game. His whole demeanor is that of an older kid saying hello to his first grade teacher after a number of years. He was probably quite happy to see "Uncle Bob" McGowan again, but it got in the way of the acting.

Grade: A-