Ivan's post at TDOY about Wheeler and Woolsey a few weeks ago reminded me that it's been a while since I saw their "Hold 'Em Jail," and I've been meaning to write a few words about that little picture. I intend to do that tomorrow, but first a few words about Wheeler and Woolsey.
My dad and I have a complex relationship with "The Boys," as we recently started calling them. We figure Laurel and Hardy needn't be the only comedy team with that appellation. Anyway, it started a few years back when we watched one of their flicks on Turner Classic Movies. There was an oddball appeal about them that struck us--Bert Wheeler with his singing AND his sing-songy speaking voice, Robert Woolsey with his ever-present cigar. Maybe most importantly, they weren't always all that funny. We love watching old movies, even when they make us wonder what the hell is going on--sometimes ESPECIALLY when we wonder what the hell is going on--and no one gives us more "What the..." moments than these two guys.
Punchlines that don't go anywhere, situations that make no sense--it adds up to a surreal viewing experience at times, especially when you're watching them after midnight. Some of their material just hasn't aged well, perhaps, but much of it probably wasn't all that ripe at the time, either--or at least not on the big screen, as opposed to the Vaudeville stage.
Sure, our enjoyment is on some level ironic, but The Boys often provide genuinely funny moments, and besides, we have a genuine affection for old-timey comic conventions and cliches, and that's a big part of what makes these movies so much fun. We still make sure to remind each other whenever one of their films is run. Fortunately, TCM, despite not ever really hyping them with a festival or anything--not that I remember since I've had the network, at least--has to have shown a dozen or so different ones since we started seeking them out
We've managed to clear many a room by screening one of their movies, as the womenfolk in the family just don't "get" The Boys. Moreover, they don't get what WE get about them, since we appear to be mocking them on occasion. It's unexplainable. Either you appreciate them, or you don't.
Some of their movies are pretty lame, but some of them are legitimately solid comedy flicks. Discovering which ones fall into which category is a great shared experience. Sometimes from scene to scene, it can change. It doesn't get much better than sitting down late at night after everyone else is in bed, cranking up a W&W movie on the DVR, and proceeding to do all of the following: Laugh, repeat Woolsey's catchphrase, "WHOA-oh!" and sometimes just look at each other and go, "What was THAT supposed to mean?" Good times. Good times.
Tomorrow, I'll talk about "Hold 'Em Jail," possibly the best W&W movie I've seen yet, one that can be enjoyed on just about any level.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
1 comment:
Wheeler and Woolsey are awesome. I first got into them during the early 90s when W & W were on AMC all the time (I am assuming RKO stuff was cheap to rent).
Hold Em Jail I believe is a bizarre play on "hold em Yale" which was a phrase. It's a good one, but not quite absolute top level W & W ironically due to a lack of music.
Comparisons to the Marxes are exceedingly unfair, since they are 3-4 guys and W & W are a duo.
The best ones are movies like Peach-O-Reno, Diplomaniacs, Hips Hips Hooray, Cockeyed Cavaliers, etc.
My brother and I have had a similar fest recently and he was utterly baffled by Cracked Nuts. I am amazed that W & W were never discovered by the 60s stoner generation.
Post a Comment