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A Fool and His Honey (1952) - Wally Vernon & Eddie Quillan

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Offline Paul Pain

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https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0174643/

Wally Vernon & Eddie Quillan were one of Columbia's last teams to be dissolved, lasting through 1956.  They were a favorite of Jules White because the two were able to do stunts and take pratfalls that the other Columbia teams couldn't take.  In short, they were known as some of the most violent shorts Columbia shorts ever produced, with the lost short DOGGIE IN THE BEDROOM being considered by some to be some of Columbia Shorts's most violent content.  I don't see this in their available shorts.  They only made 16 shorts in total (6 of which were stock jobs of earlier efforts), and of those only 5 exist to this day.

Wally Vernon was best known for his dancing skills and never really had any major roles in pictures.  He sadly was run over and killed in Hollywood in 1970.

Eddie Quillan was a workhorse whose career started with Sennett silent shorts in 1922, when he was just 15 years old!  Like Vernon, Quillan was best known for his dancing skills and made frequent appearances as a secondary or tertiary character in some significant films, often as comic relief or where some talented feet were needed.  Eddie was a frequent TV guest actor (usually in small roles) and continued making appearances until 1987.  He died of cancer in 1990.

A FOOL AND HIS HONEY is a simple enough premise: guy thinks his wife is fooling with his best friend.  The results are expected with a wild chase, slapstick, and a hasty explanation at the end that resolves everything.  This is all well and good, but it is what happens along the way that's interesting.

We get to see Vernon & Quillan's excellent dance skills... and they really are excellent!  Really, most of the first reel is just to let them dance and do some verbal jabber, and we even see what happens when you spike the fish bowl!  During the bedroom scenes, we get some good shorts of Quillan getting crushed by the mattress and doing the usual routines associated with the man hiding from the jealous husband by crawling under his bed.

But that chase scene is something else!  Either it's really Vernon and Quillan doing those acrobatics (given their background, it may be), or it is some astounding choreography and camera work.  It's hard to tell with the poor quality.  The scene isn't too funny really, but it's fun to watch regardless.

Yes, we get some cringe worthy moments, including the previously mentioned mattress scene (including that mattress falling with Wally still on it multiple times).  Wally gets mad and puts his hand in a bowl of hot oatmeal, so he washes it off by pouring hot coffee over it.  Likewise, the closing bit with the weight room is another moment where some might wince.  We even get to see some naughty lobster butt pinching.

The supporting cast is all good, but the highlight has to be none other than Johnny Kascier.  Johnny reprises his most famous role here: the waiter who, while bearing a silver tray full of ceramics, keeps getting run down during the chase scene.  What makes this so funny is not just how well Johnny takes it yet again, but how he breaks the fourth-wall in complaining about how this always happens to him and therefore finally smashing the dishes himself.  Green Canaries, this scene is for you.

Another flawed short that provides some fascinating yucks if only because of the skills and talents of those involved.

8/10 [poke] [poke] [poke] [poke] [poke] [poke] [poke] [poke]
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Offline Tony Bensley



https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0174643/

Wally Vernon & Eddie Quillan were one of Columbia's last teams to be dissolved, lasting through 1956.  They were a favorite of Jules White because the two were able to do stunts and take pratfalls that the other Columbia teams couldn't take.  In short, they were known as some of the most violent shorts Columbia shorts ever produced, with the lost short DOGGIE IN THE BEDROOM being considered by some to be some of Columbia Shorts's most violent content.  I don't see this in their available shorts.  They only made 16 shorts in total (6 of which were stock jobs of earlier efforts), and of those only 5 exist to this day.
Well, a "lost" short can't be expected to be available (Assuming "lost" isn't a typo for "last" short!).  What a shame that most of Vernon & Eddie's shorts no longer exist! :(


Offline Paul Pain

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Well, a "lost" short can't be expected to be available (Assuming "lost" isn't a typo for "last" short!).  What a shame that most of Vernon & Eddie's shorts no longer exist! :(

Poor wording on my part.  I meant that DOGGIE IN THE BEDROOM is lost, but I don't see such violence in the two shorts that ARE available for us to discuss.  In fact, I think I will make a special thread just for listing the statuses of all of Columbia's shorts.
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Offline metaldams

I meant that DOGGIE IN THE BEDROOM is lost,

...and here I was thinking some of those early fifties Stooge titles didn’t age well.
- Doug Sarnecky


Offline Tony Bensley

...and here I was thinking some of those early fifties Stooge titles didn’t age well.
It just occurred to me that the DOGGIE IN THE BEDROOM (1952) title is a spoof of Patti Page's song "Doggie In The Window," which would have been a hit around that time! What a shame it's a lost film! :(


Offline Paul Pain

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...and here I was thinking some of those early fifties Stooge titles didn’t age well.

I... don't... even...  ;D
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Offline metaldams

Frank Sully’s girl is credited as Diana Mumby on IMDb.  Looks more like Diana Darrin to me.  Anyone else have thoughts on this?

Life isn’t fair.  47 year old Wally Vernon gets to go out with a bunch of young girls and come home to his wife - Jean Willes.  Meanwhile, Emil Sitka, age 38, plays an old Dad to a pretty young girl.  Amazing how Emil usually played older than he was.

Another domestic confusion short, but what’s interesting about this one is that the two comedians are the rivals here.  These two are energetic enough and carry this thing, and I agree with Paul the dancing was quite funny at the beginning.  The stunts at the end though - no way that was them.  Too many long shots.  The problem here is a good portion of the climatic physical comedy involved stunt doubles - never a good thing.

Crazy watching Jean Willes take a straight punch from Vernon and yes, some more Johnny Kaschier action in this one.  That guy deserves a plaque at Columbia.  Not too much to say about the short itself other than it’s better than it has a right to be, a testament to the energy the comedians bring forth.

As far as Eddie Quillan at Sennett - when Harry Langdon left Sennett, Quillian was used as a Langdon impersonator the way Billy West and others did for Chaplin.  Straight forward Langdon shorts without Harry Langdon.  I guess Quillian had the right face and Sennett tried to continue what he had with Langdon.
- Doug Sarnecky


Offline Paul Pain

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Offline metaldams

Diana Mumby


And...

Diana Darrin


I guess it is Ms. Mumby, who has darker hair in this short.  The Columbia Comedy Shorts book lists her and I remember Diana Darrin was only seventeen when HE COOKED HIS GOOSE was filmed.  This short was filmed even before that.  Really had me fooled, though.
- Doug Sarnecky


Offline HomokHarcos

The first reel I was thinking that it seems pretty subtle for a Columbia comedy, then the second reel went the slapstick route. The acrobatics part was impressive, if not necessarily funny (I haven't watched any Lupino Lane, but I heard it could be the same for him). I doubt that was actually them jumping around. It actually went the opposite way of what I was expecting, right before the note arrives it is Eddie's wife that is complaining to him, so I thought she would find the letter, but then it instead involves him finding the letter. Funny that he goes out with other woman while wanting to kill his friend for thinking she is doing the same.