Topic: Flat Feat (1948) - Sterling Holloway

[Paul Pain]

IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0146757/

FLAT FEAT was Sterling Holloway's final Columbia short, and it may be one of the most interesting of the short series.  Plot-wise, this one is definitely the best as far as original plots go for the set.

Sterling, as usual, plays the inept, timid role here, but this time he is a cop.  Here, however, the character is more inept than timid, though, as opposed to the previous entries, and in fact Sterling grows out of his timidness to be a brazen hero.

The plot is simple enough: Sterling Smith is a rookie cop, whose father is the most famous cop the city has ever seen.  Sterling, however, flunked his exams and is assigned to mundane patrols more-or-less to keep himself out of trouble.  In spite of this, he keeps running into the city's top criminal and fumbling the opportunity to get the guy.  Finally, after an awkward scene at home, Sterling hatches a clever plan and catches an entire gang by himself.

This short is different from typical Columbia fare in that the bumbling, cowardly star actually gets courage and gets a good idea to save the day.  Thus, while the middle parts of the short are a bit slow, the ending is quite satisfying.

The other actors all do fine here.  Cliff Clark is yet another typecast cop player seen in Columbia's shorts over the years; Patricia Barry is one of the most accomplished and most famous actresses to ever appear in a Columbia short.  The villains are all played by Columbia's typical tough guy cast.

The one gag I will spoil concerns Sterling Smith's late father, who is photographed and displayed on the wall in the central room of the station.  The father, who is obviously Sterling with a mustache and helmet, is seen throughout the short; each time the photo is seen, the father is in a different position to express his feelings about Sterling.

Now to decide whom I will review next.

9/10

[HomokHarcos]

The structure here reminded me of what MGM liked to do with their comedies (such as the Marx Brothers and Laurel and Hardy). The protagonist starts out as a bumbling fool making a mess out of things, reaches a low point and then becomes the hero. Most of the time in Columbia comedies the villain is caught by luck, here Sterling becomes a courageous competent officer. Fortunately, being a short film it doesn't have the side romantic couple or musical scenes for padding that MGM used. I'm happy to see a workplace comedy again, and being a police officer is a situation that is great for comedy. My favorite part is when he calls the telephone and the criminal uses his fake hand.

If it wasn't you mentioning Patricia Barry in your post, I wouldn't have noticed it was the same actress I saw in the Twilight Zone. Her hair is different and I remembered her voice sounding lower and raspier.

[metaldams]

Fantastic short and one of the best we’ve looked at in this non Stooge Columbia journey.  The first two thirds of the short were pretty good, but when Sterling Holloway morphed into “String Bean Smith,” this became a classic in my eyes.  The way he reprimands Cy Schindell when Schindell complained about the cut the gangsters were going to get was priceless.  Holloway really showed range and talent in this part, I’m impressed.

Once again an interesting plot instead of the cliched bedroom comedy.  Lots of scenery changes, variety, a good cast and just funny overall.  Three thumbs up.

[Paul Pain]

Fantastic short and one of the best we’ve looked at in this non Stooge Columbia journey.  The first two thirds of the short were pretty good, but when Sterling Holloway morphed into “String Bean Smith,” this became a classic in my eyes.  The way he reprimands Cy Schindell when Schindell complained about the cut the gangsters were going to get was priceless.  Holloway really showed range and talent in this part, I’m impressed.

Once again an interesting plot instead of the cliched bedroom comedy.  Lots of scenery changes, variety, a good cast and just funny overall.  Three thumbs up.

Three thumbs, eh?  I knew there was something strange about you.

[Umbrella Sam]

Easily the best short in the Holloway series. I pretty much agree entirely with metaldams. The first two-thirds are fun, but it’s the last third where Holloway pretends to be String Bean Smith where he really gets to show off. It’s actually pretty clever and I love how he just sits there acting casual while these guys nearby are beating each other up. Even when Wessel returns in the end, the method he comes up with to defeat him is really clever. Holloway does an occasional physical gag, but this short for the most part is clearly made with him in mind. A really fun short overall.