Bud and Lou’s 1942 comedy Who Done It? does
occupy a place in this blog’s purview—it’s a mystery-comedy set against the
background of a fictional radio network. The head (Thomas Gomez) of the General
Broadcasting System is murdered during the network’s popular mystery program
“Murder at Midnight” (no
relation to the 1946-47 series of the same
name), and the boys are two mystery-writer-wannabees who masquerade as
detectives in an effort to solve the murder. I think it’s one of their best
vehicles—it’s certainly a favorite of mine—with some uproariously funny
sequences including a reworking of the old burlesque chestnut “Alexander-2222”;
Lou is attempting to win a radio giveaway show’s prize of $10,000 but can’t get
the operator to put him through even though he’s calling from a drugstore
located across the street from the broadcast. My favorite bit features William Bendix
(The Life of Riley) as a cop
who’s even dumber than Costello, who lets Lou trick him into his own
handcuffs. Other old-time radio pros in the film include Mary Wickes, William
Gargan (who was in Keep ‘Em Flying),
Paul DuBov and Walter Tetley (The
Great Gildersleeve), who has a great bit with Lou where he bets him a
nickel he can drink orange juice faster than Costello can set ‘em up (keep in
mind that a glass of orange juice costs Lou fifty cents).
Others in the supporting cast include Patric Knowles (who would also
appear in A&C’s Hit the Ice),
Louise Albritton, Don Porter (Gidget’s
dad and Ann Sothern’s romantic interest in both Private Secretary and The
Ann Sothern Show), Jerome Cowan, Ludwig Stossel and an uncredited
Norman Lloyd at the organ. Who Done It? was directed by Erle C. Kenton,
who also directed A&C’s Pardon My Sarong and It Ain’t Hay; he was a very
underrated comedy director who was at the helm of classics like W.C. Fields’ You’re Telling Me!
(1934) and the Joan Davis/Leon Errol vehicle She Gets Her Man
(1945).
I finished up with Pardon My Sarong
(1942)—I used to love this one, but the romance has kind of soured somewhat. I
still think it’s a worthwhile A&C entry; with Bud and Lou as Chicago bus drivers who
wind up matching wits with evildoer Lionel Atwill on an island in which Atwill
is stealing precious jewels from the natives. Most of the best stuff is in the
film’s first thirty minutes—including songs by the Ink Spots (“Do I Worry?”)
and an eye-popping tap routine from Tip, Tap and Toe. The boys also have
several amusing encounters with filmdom’s lovably cranky William Demarest
(including a bit where they masquerade as magicians), but the comedy comes to a
screeching halt once they set sail for sea and are shipwrecked. The comedy
routines do rebound (including the famous “Tree of Truth” sequence) but you
have to sit through an indeterminable number of musical numbers from the
island’s inhabitants before the film nicely wraps up with a zany chase
sequence.
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