https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022259/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_2_nm_0_in_0_q_peach%2520o%2520renoIn a previous review my major complaint was that the comedy duo were mostly working honorably to help out a grandma with her business; I thought that more shady jobs were a better comedic fit for them. In this movie I was pleasantly surprised that they back into their more chaotic selves.
Reno, Nevada had lenient divorce laws, which made it a common topic for comedy from this time period. With the Code being more strictly enforced in just a few years divorce was made to be treated as very serious and undesirable, here it is more humorous. The line that made me laugh the most was Bob Woolsey welcoming the "happily divorced couples." This movie is full of pre-Code goodness. Bert and Bob play divorce lawyers who are representing a divorcing couple on opposite ends and colluding with each other. Conflict of interest of course, but it works wonderfully. Not only are they divorce lawyers, they also happen to run a gambling ring during the night.
There's another subplot about a man from Arizona that is angry about his wife getting a divorce, so Bert dons drag to keep him occupied. Usually, I don't have too much interest in drag comedy, but Bert gives possibly the most convincing drag performance of any male comedian I've seen yet from this era. The looks and the voice are done very well. He even gets a dance duet with Bob Woolsey, and it's my favorite musical scene of the movie (it's set to the tune of "I'm Just Wild About Harry", a song I like). There's another subplot where Dorothy Lee and Zelma O'Neal travel to Nevada to prevent their parents getting a divorce, This is all to set up Dorothy and Bert as a couple again, but it feels forced this time. They get a nice musical scene out of it, however.
Most of the movie is quite good, but I feel the ending court scene is a disappointment. It might be because of just how great Disorder in the Court is, but it just doesn't feel like it lives up to the potential. Unfortunate, because the movie up until that point has been very good, and one of their best. I'm thinking it might have worked out best if they finished with story with the couple reconciling before they went into court.
A fun movie, though Cracked Nuts is still my favorite.
