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The Cuckoos (1930) - Wheeler and Woolsey

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metaldams:
      (Bert) Wheeler and (Robert) Woolsey.  Say the names to anyone but the most dedicated old film comedy aficionado and you’ll be met with a blank stare.  However, in their day, they were RKO’s big comedy team and were serious box office competitors with Laurel and Hardy and The Marx Brothers. The start of their film career can also draw some parallels to Abbott and Costello.  Both teams first film appearance were as comedy relief in a film they did not star in.  1929’s RIO RITA was to Bert and Bob what ONE NIGHT IN THE TROPICS was to Bud and Lou.  In RIO RITA’s case, it happened to be RKO’s biggest box office hit ever until KING KONG topped it four years later in 1933.  So after a lot of red tape and delays, Bert and Bob, both solo stage comedians who teamed up for one previous play and film, were now an official comedy team and would remain so for 21 films.  THE CUCKOOS is their first film where they get star billing and like with Bud and Lou in BUCK PRIVATES, elements of what would make Bert and Bob work are there, but are not used in full confidence.

      The romantic couple.  The bane of many a comedy feature.  Yes folks, they’re here too.  They do get a couple of big musical numbers together and yeah, Wheeler and Woolsey do help them in their plight.  The Marx Brothers did it, Abbott and Costello did it, Laurel and Hardy did it - it became a part of film comedy when silent cinema died and the stage and music became more an influence.  The thing with Wheeler and Woolsey is it was possible to have the romance and music without having to resort to bland romantic couples.  Both comedians are more than capable of doing unique song and dance numbers and in the case of Bert Wheeler, being a romantic leading man himself.  In fact, his regular leading lady, Dorothy Lee is also in this film and Bert and Dorothy do get a few delightful scenes together.  The musical number by the apple tree is great fun to watch as is their first kiss scene and beats the heck out of the humorless couples we get most of the time in scenes like this.  Dorothy Lee was petite and gorgeous with a high pitched voice reminiscent of Betty Boop.  A total cutie who would go on to make many Wheeler and Woolsey films more enjoyable.  As petite as Ms. Lee was, Bert Wheeler was about the same size.  Wheeler had an athletic build and was a good physical comedian, the two displayed a pleasant innocence together that doesn’t work as well when the glamorous types try it.  So yeah, that outside romantic couple is completely unnecessary and in future Wheeler and Woolsey films, we’ll be seeing less of their type. Bert and Dottie will do just fine.

      Robert Woolsey usually gets a more over the top comic romantic partner.  Another diminutive comedian, he’s a cigar chomper and master wisecracker - think a mix of Groucho Marx with the look of an older George Burns.  In THE CUCKOOS, his romantic partner is played by the much taller Jobyna Howland.  Woolsey only falls for her when he finds out she is loaded with money.  A marriage proposal to Howland from Woolsey consists of him asking to marry him so he won’t have to work anymore!  Familiar concept?  Yeah, speaking of Groucho, very Groucho and Margaret Dumont like.  The big difference is Dumont’s contribution to the comedy is keeping her dignity and acting appalled at the mischief surrounding her.  Ms. Howland joins in on the fun, eventually aggressively kissing Woolsey after he asks a couple of times and even manages to lift him high in the air - with the aid of a hook and wire, of course!  Not better or worse than the way Dumont handles this kind of thing, but different and all in good fun.

      There are a few other good comedy scenes.  One thing about Wheeler and Woolsey films are they are very pre code.  There is a scene at a slot machine where a very attractive woman, played by Lita Chevret, manages to get lucky with winnings at said machine and keeps her earnings in her stocking.  She has no problem exposing her shapely leg, yet when Bert and Bob find ways to pay attention to it, she’ll do what she can to hide it.  The fun continues when jealous of her ability to get money out of the machine, Bert and Bob both wrestle her to the ground trying to get as many quarters for themselves as they can.  There is also a fun scene where Bert and Bob are in bed trying to get some sleep and get interrupted by a wide variety of people, including some non PC caricatures like a Mexican Bandolero and a knife wielding Chinese man, the latter of which they wonder if they forgot to pay the laundry bill.  Earlier in the film they have a trippy discussion with a couple of young ladies at the breakfast table where Wheeler informs them he’s wearing poison ivy on his suit in honor of mother in law’s day.  They then go into the musical number, “Oh! How We Love our Alma Mater,” a number which would have fit in fine in any Marx Brothers Paramount film and shows how entertaining both comedians are working in a comic music and dance environment. Really good stuff.  There is also a scene where Bert is trying to sneak a beer barrel in his jacket across the border.  When asked about it, Robert Woolsey’s reply is, “goiter.”  BEER BARREL POLECATS, anyone?

      While there is plenty to recommend about THE CUCKOOS it works better as an introduction to Wheeler and Woolsey if you also happen to like very early talkies with straight, non comic musical numbers.  If not, you may want to start with other films.  THE CUCKOOS clocks in at 97 minutes versus the comfort zone of 60 - 80 minutes that usually works for films of this type and yes, there are a lot of musical numbers not involving the comedians where your mileage may vary.  Some of them are even shot in technicolor.  One such scene shows a score of scantily clad women in devil outfits managing to show lots of hip, leg, and fire and brimstone.  Thank God Joseph Breen saved us from such things a few years later!   [pie] Oh yeah, there’s also Bert Wheeler’s big finale cross dressing and attracting other men as a trick, not a favorite comic device of mine.  Again, your mileage may vary.  But yeah, if pre code, music and comedy are your thing, check this one out right away.  I will link below the DVD collection it is available.  If just comedy is your thing, start with other Wheeler and Woolsey films first, but you’ll enjoy this one once you work your way into it.

      A few more things.  Though uncredited, Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle did direct some scenes in this one and Bert Wheeler, years later, had nothing but nice things to say about the man.  Also, from Edward Watz, the same author of THE COLUMBIA COMEDY SHORTS book, is the definitive Wheeler and Woolsey book, which I will also link to below.  A lot of information in this and future Wheeler and Woolsey reviews will be from that book, which I can’t recommend enough.

      Since I don’t think many people have seen this one, my question is what have you seen from or know about Wheeler and Woolsey? 

https://www.amazon.com/Wheeler-Woolsey-Vaudeville-1929-1937-McFarland/dp/0786411414/ref=sr_1_2?crid=23FLMGTQ0DDH5&keywords=wheeler+and+woolsey&qid=1579229899&s=books&sprefix=Wheeler+%2Caps%2C173&sr=1-2

Edward Watz Wheeler and Woolsey book link

https://www.amazon.com/Wheeler-Woolsey-Comedy-Classics-Collection/dp/B01LTHLW8Q/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=wheeler+and+woolsey&qid=1579229962&s=movies-tv&sr=1-5

Buy THE CUCKOOS plus five other films here

Umbrella Sam:
I really should check out more of Wheeler and Woolsey’s films because I have liked all the ones I’ve seen so far. As you know metaldams, I really like COCKEYED CAVALIERS and, though I didn’t think it was great, I still enjoyed MUMMY’S BOYS (having read the Watz book, I was expecting that one to be really terrible). While THE CUCKOOS isn’t perfect, it does still show that these two had good chemistry together this early on.

Alright, I’ll start with the musical numbers. I like some of them, particularly OH! HOW WE LOVE OUR ALMA MATER, I’M A GYPSY, and, yes, even one of the numbers by the romantic couple: ALL ALONE MONDAY. None of them are as memorable as the songs in COCKEYED CAVALIERS (I swear, I’ll have AND THE BIG BAD WOLF WAS DEAD stuck in my head for the rest of my life), but they’re still nice and there’s a lot of energy in the dance routines. The other numbers aren’t necessarily terrible, but there are so many of them and a lot of them really feel like filler (seriously, what was the point of DANCING THE DEVIL AWAY?)

The romantic couple isn’t particularly memorable, and for that matter the main villain, the baron, isn’t all that interesting either. Thankfully, though, as the film goes along the focus becomes less and less on them and more on Wheeler and Woolsey. You make a really good point about the comparison between Jobyna Howland and Margaret Dumont. It’s an interesting take on that formula and it works very well. I also really like the scene that Wheeler has with her; it goes to show that Wheeler and Woolsey were great not just as a team but also as individual performers.

Mitchell Lewis makes for an intimidating secondary villain and Dorothy Lee is also good in her role. Like Wheeler, she has a bit of a childish approach to her performances, but she can also some add in funny lines. I particularly like the beginning when she tells Julius to not kill Wheeler, yet also tells him she’s totally OK with him killing Woolsey.

The comedic highlights for me include the scene where Wheeler pretends to be in a trance and the “Crazy House” like scene at the hotel. The scene with them and the beer is also good in that it wasn’t what I was expecting. It wasn’t just the officer coming back to catch them; they actually did throw in a funny, suspenseful twist with the other guy who wants to cross the border. Just about all of Wheeler and Woolsey’s routines hit the mark comedically, now that I think about it.

So, yeah, this is another good Wheeler and Woolsey film, even if there are a lot of filler musical numbers. It really is a shame that these guys are so forgotten compared to the other big comedy teams.

8 out of 10

metaldams:

--- Quote from: Umbrella Sam on January 23, 2020, 06:03:31 PM ---I really should check out more of Wheeler and Woolsey’s films because I have liked all the ones I’ve seen so far. As you know metaldams, I really like COCKEYED CAVALIERS and, though I didn’t think it was great, I still enjoyed MUMMY’S BOYS (having read the Watz book, I was expecting that one to be really terrible). While THE CUCKOOS isn’t perfect, it does still show that these two had good chemistry together this early on.

Alright, I’ll start with the musical numbers. I like some of them, particularly OH! HOW WE LOVE OUR ALMA MATER, I’M A GYPSY, and, yes, even one of the numbers by the romantic couple: ALL ALONE MONDAY. None of them are as memorable as the songs in COCKEYED CAVALIERS (I swear, I’ll have AND THE BIG BAD WOLF WAS DEAD stuck in my head for the rest of my life), but they’re still nice and there’s a lot of energy in the dance routines. The other numbers aren’t necessarily terrible, but there are so many of them and a lot of them really feel like filler (seriously, what was the point of DANCING THE DEVIL AWAY?)

The romantic couple isn’t particularly memorable, and for that matter the main villain, the baron, isn’t all that interesting either. Thankfully, though, as the film goes along the focus becomes less and less on them and more on Wheeler and Woolsey. You make a really good point about the comparison between Jobyna Howland and Margaret Dumont. It’s an interesting take on that formula and it works very well. I also really like the scene that Wheeler has with her; it goes to show that Wheeler and Woolsey were great not just as a team but also as individual performers.

Mitchell Lewis makes for an intimidating secondary villain and Dorothy Lee is also good in her role. Like Wheeler, she has a bit of a childish approach to her performances, but she can also some add in funny lines. I particularly like the beginning when she tells Julius to not kill Wheeler, yet also tells him she’s totally OK with him killing Woolsey.

The comedic highlights for me include the scene where Wheeler pretends to be in a trance and the “Crazy House” like scene at the hotel. The scene with them and the beer is also good in that it wasn’t what I was expecting. It wasn’t just the officer coming back to catch them; they actually did throw in a funny, suspenseful twist with the other guy who wants to cross the border. Just about all of Wheeler and Woolsey’s routines hit the mark comedically, now that I think about it.

So, yeah, this is another good Wheeler and Woolsey film, even if there are a lot of filler musical numbers. It really is a shame that these guys are so forgotten compared to the other big comedy teams.

8 out of 10

--- End quote ---

As far as DANCING THE DEVIL AWAY, I think it was an excuse to show off the technicolor, give Dorothy Lee a little something extra to do and to put a bunch of chorus girls to work.  In 1930, I think audiences were still beyond enthralled with musical numbers for their own sake. To me it’s a  fascinating look at a bygone age, yet if the scene were cut - I’d live.  But hey, as a window of pre code film, it works.  Girls would have to wear more 1934 - 1968 and could wear much less after.  That’s an example of what makes pre code so fascinating to me, it’s this in between envelope pushing world that only existed for a few years.  Wheeler and Wolsey in general were a big part of that world.

As far as Wheeler and Woolsey being forgotten, I almost wanted to say it’s because they never made shorts to air to baby boomers, but then again, neither did The Marx Brothers.  There really is a lot of old school music and dance involved with Wheeler and Woolsey, same with The Ritz Brothers.  It’s almost like one has to be weened into them.

metaldams:
....and speaking of pre code and envelope pushing, I’m thinking of reviewing TROUBLE IN PARADISE soon. A very adult film. Curious to see how people on this site react to screwball comedies.

GenoCuddy:

--- Quote from: Umbrella Sam on January 23, 2020, 06:03:31 PM ---I really should check out more of Wheeler and Woolsey’s films because I have liked all the ones I’ve seen so far. As you know metaldams, I really like COCKEYED CAVALIERS and, though I didn’t think it was great, I still enjoyed MUMMY’S BOYS (having read the Watz book, I was expecting that one to be really terrible). While THE CUCKOOS isn’t perfect, it does still show that these two had good chemistry together this early on.

Alright, I’ll start with the musical numbers. I like some of them, particularly OH! HOW WE LOVE OUR ALMA MATER, I’M A GYPSY, and, yes, even one of the numbers by the romantic couple: ALL ALONE MONDAY. None of them are as memorable as the songs in COCKEYED CAVALIERS (I swear, I’ll have AND THE BIG BAD WOLF WAS DEAD stuck in my head for the rest of my life), but they’re still nice and there’s a lot of energy in the dance routines. The other numbers aren’t necessarily terrible, but there are so many of them and a lot of them really feel like filler (seriously, what was the point of DANCING THE DEVIL AWAY?)

The romantic couple isn’t particularly memorable, and for that matter the main villain, the baron, isn’t all that interesting either. Thankfully, though, as the film goes along the focus becomes less and less on them and more on Wheeler and Woolsey. You make a really good point about the comparison between Jobyna Howland and Margaret Dumont. It’s an interesting take on that formula and it works very well. I also really like the scene that Wheeler has with her; it goes to show that Wheeler and Woolsey were great not just as a team but also as individual performers.

Mitchell Lewis makes for an intimidating secondary villain and Dorothy Lee is also good in her role. Like Wheeler, she has a bit of a childish approach to her performances, but she can also some add in funny lines. I particularly like the beginning when she tells Julius to not kill Wheeler, yet also tells him she’s totally OK with him killing Woolsey.

The comedic highlights for me include the scene where Wheeler pretends to be in a trance and the “Crazy House” like scene at the hotel. The scene with them and the beer is also good in that it wasn’t what I was expecting. It wasn’t just the officer coming back to catch them; they actually did throw in a funny, suspenseful twist with the other guy who wants to cross the border. Just about all of Wheeler and Woolsey’s routines hit the mark comedically, now that I think about it.

So, yeah, this is another good Wheeler and Woolsey film, even if there are a lot of filler musical numbers. It really is a shame that these guys are so forgotten compared to the other big comedy teams.

8 out of 10

--- End quote ---

While I love Wheeler and Woolsey, I must admit to not seeing the appeal of Cockeyed Cavaliers. I have watched the film numerous times and, while it has its moments, was a disappointment to me. To me, Wheeler and Woolsey's finest work will always be the surreal Diplomaniacs, which I prefer over the more polished Duck Soup released that same year. I realize the preceding comment is sacrilege, but I am sticking to it and to let the record show, I love Duck Soup as well. As far as my favorite W&W musical number, it has to be "Ood-Gay Eye-Bay" from Diplomaniacs. "Paul Whiteman, that's the right man!"

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