With his various collaborators one is never sure just how much of George S. Kaufman gets into any of his work. Especially here since the original story is one of Edna Ferber's lesser works. But I think that Kaufman might have been projecting ahead to his own senior years in the lead character that Chic Sale plays here and O.P. Heggie did originally on the Broadway stage.
By all accounts Kaufman was an irascible old codger, a cross between Gabby Hayes and Monty Woolley. This being Hollywood wit was sacrificed for sentiment. My guess is the original work is a lot more witty than what we have here.
That being said the biggest strength The Expert has is the good chemistry between Sale and little Dickie Moore who was apparently understudying Jackie Cooper. Sale is Earle Foxe's father and he's come to live with Foxe and his wife Lois Wilson. But he forms a bond with young Moore who sells papers and does a little stealing on the side to support his guardians Ralf Harolde and Adrienne Dore.
Two scenes stand out the first being Sale's intrusion into Wilson's women's club meeting, on the order of Elwood Dowd and Harvey's intrusion on his sister's afternoon tea. The second is the final confrontation of Harold and Sale where Sale shows Harolde he's got some moves on the order of Nature Boy Ric Flair.
Don't expect any sparkling wit here going by the authors, but The Expert is a nice sentimental film.
By all accounts Kaufman was an irascible old codger, a cross between Gabby Hayes and Monty Woolley. This being Hollywood wit was sacrificed for sentiment. My guess is the original work is a lot more witty than what we have here.
That being said the biggest strength The Expert has is the good chemistry between Sale and little Dickie Moore who was apparently understudying Jackie Cooper. Sale is Earle Foxe's father and he's come to live with Foxe and his wife Lois Wilson. But he forms a bond with young Moore who sells papers and does a little stealing on the side to support his guardians Ralf Harolde and Adrienne Dore.
Two scenes stand out the first being Sale's intrusion into Wilson's women's club meeting, on the order of Elwood Dowd and Harvey's intrusion on his sister's afternoon tea. The second is the final confrontation of Harold and Sale where Sale shows Harolde he's got some moves on the order of Nature Boy Ric Flair.
Don't expect any sparkling wit here going by the authors, but The Expert is a nice sentimental film.