Rubber Heels (1927)

Following the example of his Ziegfeld Follies cohorts Eddie Cantor and W.C. Fields, Ed Wynn tried his luck with the movies in 1927's Rubber Heels. Wynn is cast as would-be detective Amos Wart, bound and determined to retrieve the stolen crown jewels of the beautiful Princess Aline (Thelma Todd). This requires our hero to pose as a crook, enabling him to join a gang of gem thieves. The plot stumbles from one incredible incident to the next, culminating with a wild scene in which Amos, locked in a chest, goes over Niagara Falls. Paid $125,000 for his participation in Rubber Heels, Ed Wynn was so disappointed with the results that he offered to give the money back to Paramount if they'd shelve the film (They didn't, but Wynn knew whereof he spoke: Rubber Heels was a bomb, and Wynn wisely stayed away from films until 1930). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi