Topic: Rolling Down to Reno (1947) - Harry von Zell

[Paul Pain]

ROLLING DOWN TO RENO starts at 15:45 in the above video. 

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0171703/

Emil Sitka's diary entry: http://www.emilsitka.com/rollingdowntoreno1947.html

ROLLING DOWN TO RENO is a remake/reworking, with stock footage, of Buster Keaton's PARDON MY BERTH MARKS, as such, I now direct you to the thread for PARDON MY BERTH MARKS.  There, you will see what we said then, and frankly in most regards this short is the exact same.

https://moronika.com/forums/index.php/topic,5947.0.html

The lead-up to the train adventure is slightly different in this one, as Harry boldly announces on the radio that he has dirt on a gangster that he will soon turn over to the district attorney, but he is actually lying and just making big talk.  From here on out, it is a scene-by-scene remake of the original.  Now, it's different indeed as Harry von Zell has a very different approach than Buster Keaton does, but both try their best with what they have.

Like the original, the supporting cast is made up of Columbia's best: Kenneth MacDonald, Christine McIntyre, Symona Boniface, Heinie Conklin, Emil Sitka, Dudley Dickerson, etc.  Kenneth MacDonald, we all know by now, is in my opinion the best supporting actor Columbia pictures ever had, and he knocks it out of the park again in this one.  Christine McIntyre was never just a dish and always had charm.  Symona and Heinie always deliver no matter what they're given.  Emil Sitka plays a grouch on the train who just keeps getting his head bashed, and he always delivers with relish.

But how did Kenneth MacDonald board a moving train?  Did I miss something explaining how he got on when he said he was going to be waiting for it in Reno?

But, again, we see the voyeurism seen in the original short, and it does make much of this short difficult to enjoy.  Especially when it's revealed in the first reel that Harry and Christine are NOT married.  Other than this, it's just a solid comfort food Columbia short, and I realize now that I was much too harsh on the original.

It's always fun for me to come across these remakes.  When I watch a short to review it, I always avoid reading plot summaries and others reviews until after I have viewed the short so that I am seeing it for the first time much like a movie-goer in the 1930s-1950s would have seen it.  In this short's case, I recognized it as a remake well before the end, but doing it this way makes it much easier to enjoy what turns out to be a stock job.

7/10

[HomokHarcos]

Another one of these train comedies. The first bit seems quite random, but it's really an excuse to get him onto a train. Harry makes a broadcast, but then it turns out that what he was faking was actually real! I find I'm liking Harry much more when is in his radio persona than his more scared personality when he's embarrassed. I don't the material fit him too well, although I did like the beginning and end.

[metaldams]

Paul did a good job summing this up.  Definitely a remake of PARDON MY BERTH MARKS, which is arguably my favorite Keaton Columbia - or at least pretty darn close.

Just want to add the silent moments of Keaton in the aisle near the berths as well as the pantomime Keaton does when the female lead is airing out her arm - the comic interpreting as a come hither/go away gesture, is much stronger with Keaton.  Von Zell is an energetic radio type who is able to carry material like this, but Keaton, even when doing roles he was not into, lends a certain artistry and awe for me that most can’t pull off.  Certainly not Harry Von Zell.

It was fun seeing Emil, Symona, Christine, Kenneth and crew.  All the familiar faces definitely added to the fun of this short.

[Paul Pain]

This short and the Schilling & Lane short TRAINING FOR TROUBLE were released just months apart.  I wonder if they were filmed about the same time? 

Interestingly, this Sunday (7/11) would have been Harry's 115th birthday!

[Umbrella Sam]

I was in the minority for PARDON MY BERTH MARKS and it looks like I’m in the minority again. I really hated this short. The majority of it is just people laughing at Harry Von Zell over the stupid “Just Married” misunderstanding. Yeah, Kenneth MacDonald fits the gangster role fine, but what was the whole purpose of setting him up to go after Harry? He just comes across Harry randomly later on and it’s not like he recognizes him or anything; it’s just a dumb coincidence that they met, kind of like the scenes with the judge in PICK A PECK OF PLUMBERS. There were two moments in this short I laughed at: the guy punching Harry, and Emil yelling “I love you” to the bird, but even then, I actually found Emil quite annoying otherwise, which is not a good sign considering I usually enjoy his performances. Sorry, I know people really like this and the Keaton version, but I found very little enjoyment in either version.