Topic: Wife to Spare (1947) - Andy Clyde

[Paul Pain]

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039992/

Emil Sitka's entry: http://www.emilsitka.com/wifetospare1947.html

For the record, Andy Clyde was a large influence behind Emil's own "grumpy old man" character.  Needless to say, these non-Stooge Columbias pack an equal amount of history in them.

The first reel of WIFE TO SPARE is absolute garbage.  More abusive in-laws, an un-funny setup... it's not much beyond some verbal jousting between Dick Wessel and Andy.

Reel 2 is great stuff.  We get some crazy characters, a good chase scene, a nice thrill set-up, and a fire extinguisher.

Not much more to say here.  It's like some of the middling Shemp remakes: not much to say at all.

4/10

[HomokHarcos]

Both reviews on IMDB say these Andy Clyde domestic comedies are similar to Edgar Kennedy's shorts at RKO. I've been curious about those shorts because I haven't seen any. This is a typical Columbia domestic comedy. Andy gets in a predicament, and his wife gets angry. Sometimes it's a complete misunderstanding , here it is intentional blackmail.

[metaldams]

This one was pretty bad.  A small part of that may again be the print.  Blurry faces, to the point where I thought Clyde’s wife was Christine McIntyre until the actual Christine showed up.  They even showed a picture of Christine beforehand and I couldn’t tell it was her.  Speaking of which, her few moments of being flirtatious were the only good moments in this short.  It looked like THREE PESTS IN A MESS level potential for her, but the scene wasn’t allowed to develop as it should.

Dick Wessel gets his most obnoxious role ever.  Kind of reminds of the over the top sadism that McHugh guy (I forget which one and I’m too lazy to look it up, I got the olds right now), did to Keaton in one of those Columbia shorts.  The plot moves at a pace of a 1913 Keystone yet without the great knockabout slapstick or Ford Sterling like glances that make those entertaining.

Not one of Columbia’s finest hours.

[Paul Pain]

This one was pretty bad.  A small part of that may again be the print.  Blurry faces, to the point where I thought Clyde’s wife was Christine McIntyre until the actual Christine showed up.  They even showed a picture of Christine beforehand and I couldn’t tell it was her.  Speaking of which, her few moments of being flirtatious were the only good moments in this short.  It looked like THREE PESTS IN A MESS level potential for her, but the scene wasn’t allowed to develop as it should.

Dick Wessel gets his most obnoxious role ever.  Kind of reminds of the over the top sadism that McHugh guy (I forget which one and I’m too lazy to look it up, I got the olds right now), did to Keaton in one of those Columbia shorts.  The plot moves at a pace of a 1913 Keystone yet without the great knockabout slapstick or Ford Sterling like glances that make those entertaining.

Not one of Columbia’s finest hours.

You're thinking of Matt McHugh.  Frank never shows up in any Columbia shorts that I know of, and of course their sister Kitty is known as the lady to whom Curly speaks the memorable line "Why don't you cut yourself a slice of throat?" in HOI POLLOI.  Kitty was married to Ned Glass, who got many small roles at Columbia Shorts due to his friendship with Moe in spite of being black listed as one of Hollywood's more prominent and confirmed Communists.  Small world!