In one of his funnier early films, Joe E. Brown plays the chaperon to William Collier, a playboy whose wealthy father has asked Brown to watch over him on a trip. What the father doesn't realize is that the seemingly staid Brown is actually just as much of a wild boy as Collier is, and together, they stir up trouble everywhere they go. They create an instant enemy in Brazilian lothario Bela Lugosi (!) whose strawberry shortcake is covered in ink by one of the men. Then, Lugosi thinks that they are after his girl (Thelma Todd) and begins chasing them all over the hotel they are all staying at. This is a loony farce in which one character says that Lugosi comes from the COUNTRY of South America. The only problem is with a script by the songwriting team of Kalmar and Ruby (whose life story was told in the musical bio "Three Little Words") is that there seems to be lots of moments where a song or musical number should appear. That is very apparent in the opening party sequence where all of the participants are dressed in baby clothes. But this was at the time where musicals were box office poison, so if there were songs filmed for the film, they ended up on the cutting room floor.
This was one of Joe E. Brown's last films which paired him with a straight romantic leading man which made his films seem very much like RKO's Wheeler and Woolsey. Brown, Collier and Lugosi are surrounded by several lovely ladies-Ona Munson, Marjorie White (another Winnie Lightner act-alike), Margaret Livingston and Thelma Todd. White is the overly boisterous Penny Packer, who of course, goes after big mouthed Brown, just like Lightner and equally vivacious "Top Speed" co-star Laura Lee did. Lugosi proves he is adept at comedy and is quite the lothario here even at 50. It's funny to see the Hungarian actor attempting a Brazilian accent. He uses his eyes to great comic effect. What was scary in the same year's "Dracula" is funny here.
This was one of Joe E. Brown's last films which paired him with a straight romantic leading man which made his films seem very much like RKO's Wheeler and Woolsey. Brown, Collier and Lugosi are surrounded by several lovely ladies-Ona Munson, Marjorie White (another Winnie Lightner act-alike), Margaret Livingston and Thelma Todd. White is the overly boisterous Penny Packer, who of course, goes after big mouthed Brown, just like Lightner and equally vivacious "Top Speed" co-star Laura Lee did. Lugosi proves he is adept at comedy and is quite the lothario here even at 50. It's funny to see the Hungarian actor attempting a Brazilian accent. He uses his eyes to great comic effect. What was scary in the same year's "Dracula" is funny here.