Topic: Nothing But Pleasure (1940) - Buster Keaton

[Paul Pain]

Watch NOTHING BUT PLEASUREin the box above and get the Damfino's note here:
http://www.busterkeaton.com/Films/F03_Nothing_But_Pleasure.html

It is debatable whether this one or THE TAMING OF THE SNOOD is the one in which Buster gets to be himself the most, but this one is definitely the better of the two.  The plot here is about the simplest of any of the Buster Columbia shorts: Buster wants to be cheap in buying a new car and causes a world of trouble for himself and his wife.

Buster and Dorothy Appleby, as well as all the co-stars, do fabulous here.  We have some great Columbia supporters with John Tyrell, Lyndon Brent, Richard Fiske, Eddie Laughton, and Bud Jamison all appearing.  Without these figures, this short wouldn't be very good at all.

The scenes with Buster driving could only be done as well by Shemp or Curly.

Putting the drunk woman to bed was a great physical bit as was the soup routine.  The entire sequence of events with Keaton in the bungalow is, really, quite fantastic and shows that he still had it.  I seriously enjoyed this part of the short.

The drag is the end.  We have the bizarre ending with Buster's wife chucking rocks at him, and we have the odd tire scene which, for clear reasons, has an obvious dummy.  But, for me, this is still the best short we have seen thus far.

9/10

[Umbrella Sam]

Well, so far the Keaton Columbia shorts have turned out to be a lot better than I was expecting. Not that I think NOTHING BUT PLEASURE is a great short (as a matter of fact, I personally consider it to be the weakest of the three shorts we’ve seen so far), but it still does have some pretty entertaining moments.

Once again, we have a large supporting cast of great Columbia stock players, with Bud Jamison being the highlight (Vernon Dent also appears, but is wasted in a background role on the bus). Jamison really is the one that sells the scene outside the car shop, with his confused responses to Keaton being hilarious. Also, I seem to recall that the line, “One of us is crazy and it can’t be you” was used in a few Three Stooges shorts.

Keaton recycles a routine from SPITE MARRIAGE where he has to carry a drunk woman and it’s still pretty good here, especially when the bed falls over and he doesn’t realize she’s under it. Another highlight is Keaton’s overacting when he thinks that the cops are after him.

Probably my biggest problem with the short is the lack of focus outside of having bought a new car. Unlike the previous shorts, it really feels like they just decided to throw random routines in there rather than actually coming up with stuff that related to the topic at hand. Even the ending doesn’t feel all that well thought out; it reminds me of many of the bad Three Stooges endings which basically end with them running away...and that’s it. Not a whole lot of closure, it just kind of ends (Keaton stops the robbers, but there’s no indication that the cops will repay him for his service). To put it another way, it’s good comedy, but not really a good short.

7 out of 10

[Big Chief Apumtagribonitz]

This is O K, perfectly watchable, fairly funny and not slipshod or idiotic in any way.  This is also the first time I've seen any version of putting the drunk woman to bed.  That actress is a very good sport besides being a good and athletic comedy performer.  I can imagine the laughs Keaton and his wife would get doing this bit live...I bet the audience was in stitches.
     Too damn many cops in this one.

[metaldams]

      A fine Columbia short that has the benefit of having Buster Keaton.  There are truncated versions of two gags more famous from being in other films, namely the putting the drunk woman to bed from SPITE MARRIAGE and the parallel parking gag from W.C. Field's MAN ON THE FLYING TRAPEZE, the latter of which Clyde Bruckman also had a hand in.  The former shows Keaton still has his physical gifts, as it takes great skill for both participants to pull off.  Love the added bit where he has to take the woman out a window, again, really great physical work.  The parked car gag is fun, and Buster and Bud Jamison work very well together.  Buster plays oblivious to Jamison's frustration well and love the subtle offered handshakes that absent midedly get taken away - subtle comedy n Keaton's part.  Jamison almost blowing up like a volcano is always fun to watch.

      Keaton is in his mid 40's here.  I'll be 40 myself later this year and I ache, so mad props to a guy five years older than me pulling off some of the physical bits, like the aforementioned putting a drunk woman to bed gag, diving out the window into a water trough, or the way he latches onto the back of a moving truck to hop onto it.  No stunt doubles this time!

      Also want to point out the putting in everything to make a soup gag, which show up in a zillion Stooge shorts.  Very different style for Keaton.  Curly would be barking away and acting frustrated, Shemp would be throwing carny like wisecracks, and Keaton?  Well, he plays it straight and lets the material take over.  All three methods work.

[Dr. Mabuse]

One of the best Keaton shorts directed by Jules White and a helluva lot better than "Mooching Through Georgia." The ending falls flat, but the rest is solid Buster.

7.5/10

[Kopfy2013]

This was OK ... good supporting cast ... I will give it a 6