Topic: You Dear Boy! (1943) - Vera Vague

[Paul Pain]

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0153991/

Required reading: THE WRONG MISS WRIGHT with Charley Chase

Barbara Jo Allen, aka Vera Vague, made her fame in radio, even co-starring on Bob Hope's show.  She joined Columbia in 1943 and made a fantastic series of shorts, two of which were nominated for an Academy Award!

YOU DEAR BOY!, based on Vera's famous catchphrase, is 100% complete remake of Charley Chase's THE WRONG MISS WRIGHT. This would be typical enough of Columbia, but all the major gender roles are reversed.  Instead of guy getting coached by his butler and tormenting his father-in-law, it's a girl getting coached by her maid and tormenting her mother-in-law.

This short is just as good as Charley's, but Charley's had sad romantic background music on a boat while Vera is just on a train.  That opening is bizarre though...

SPOILER ALERT
Vera is complaining about her situation to the maid and asks in frustration, "What do I get?!" and holds her arm out off camera... when she pulls back she has this crow-like big black bird on her arm that then says "The... Bird..." before she throws it away.  In 1943, Columbia Shorts got away with so blatantly insinuating the f-bomb.  She also tells a cab driver to kill himself by driving off the Golden Gate Bridge. 

Vera carries her role every bit as well as Charley did.  Her timing is great, and she does her own stunts.  Her delivery is amazing, and she manages to pull off the craziness with a unique pizazz that makes her somehow stand out from Charlie.  Vera is everything you could want.  I actually laughed more in this one than in the Charley Chase short.

The supporting cast, particularly Minerva Urecal (THEY STOOGE TO CONGA), was perfect as well.  For a short subject debut in 1943, this is an amazing introduction to Vera's talents.  Enjoy this one, folks.

10/10

[HomokHarcos]

I haven't seen Charley Chase's short, but I noticed is that this comedy relied much more on situations for humor than slapstick gags. Actually the situation is a lot like I Love Lucy where she comes up with a scheme that of course backfires, causing her much embarrassment. I actually like seeing how the remakes play differently with different cast members. Much better than remaking the same short with the same leads.

I too noticed the bird was supposed to a reference to the f-bomb. A similar joke is in the Woody Woodpecker cartoon The Barber of Seville. Also another joke like that in a Tweety cartoon. I'm guessing the censors didn't pay as much attention to these short subjects as they did with the features.

[Paul Pain]

I haven't seen Charley Chase's short, but I noticed is that this comedy relied much more on situations for humor than slapstick gags. Actually the situation is a lot like I Love Lucy where she comes up with a scheme that of course backfires, causing her much embarrassment. I actually like seeing how the remakes play differently with different cast members. Much better than remaking the same short with the same leads.

I too noticed the bird was supposed to a reference to the f-bomb. A similar joke is in the Woody Woodpecker cartoon The Barber of Seville. Also another joke like that in a Tweety cartoon. I'm guessing the censors didn't pay as much attention to these short subjects as they did with the features.

Well, the thing about this is that there is a blend of slapstick even if it isn't heavy.  Fact of the matter is that Vera was funny here.  I wonder: does it mean that Vera and Charley are just that good, or is this script that good?  My eyes are poor, but I thought Vera herself did the dive into the pool.  I guess we'll find out as this series moves along!

[Umbrella Sam]

Even though I’m a big fan of classic radio, I do have to admit I’m not that familiar with Allen’s radio work (the only times I ever listen to Hope’s radio program are for Jerry Colonna, and even then I don’t listen often). I am familiar with her voice work for Disney, though. She voiced one of the fairies in SLEEPING BEAUTY and had a minor role in THE SWORD IN THE STONE (which in my opinion is one of the more underrated Disney films). In both films she does very well with her roles and you can tell she was a natural fit for radio and verbal comedy.

As for this short, it’s just as good as the Chase version. I think the reason this works so well for both Allen and Chase is because it’s not a typical Columbia comedy; there are some physical gags, but this one is more based off of how someone can deliver lines and Allen does it very well. Keep in mind, Allen was known for her work in radio, where line delivery is even more important, so she knew how to say things funny. Highlights include Vera pushing Symona Boniface into the pool (twice!), her interactions with Heinie Conklin (the Golden Gate Bridge comment had me cracking up), the Napoleon hat gags and when she insults the guy with the beard (on a side note, is the guy with the beard the same guy who played the doctor in Harold Lloyd’s DR. JACK? He’s not listed on IMDb). The only real problem I have with this short is the same problem I had with the Chase version: the aspirin gags, which weren’t funny there and aren’t funny here. Otherwise, this was once again a very funny short. Hopefully other Vera Vague shorts stress line delivery as much as this one, because she’s clearly very good at it.

9 out of 10

[metaldams]

Trivia: The picture of the male lead as a kid in the picture is Spec O’Donnell.  He played a kid in a bunch of later silent Hal Roach shorts, including Max Davidson’s CALL OF THE CUCKOO, which has Chase, Stan and Ollie as guests.

Speaking of Roach and Chase, the CRAZY LIKE A FOX script is used again!  It’s a good script, though and Vera, like Charley, does a fine job with it.  I can see how she’d be a voice actor, that energetic New Yawk accent is really distinctive and suites the role well.  This is my introduction to her, so I’m really curious to see what other roles she is given, but she just made a good first impression with me.

Looking forward to seeing what else is available.