Too Many Cooks (1931)

When RKO Radio decided to split up the studio's moneymaking comedy team of Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey, in hopes of earning twice as much at the box-office, the results were sad indeed. Bert Wheeler's solo venture, Too Many Cooks, is marginally better than Bob Woolsey's Everything's Rosie but was still nothing to write home about. Based on a play by Frank Craven (previously filmed with Douglas McLean in 1920), the story details the trials and tribulations faced by newlywed couple Wheeler and Dorothy Lee when they decide to build a house in the wilds of Long Island. Before long, Lee's obnoxious relatives have descended on the couple en masse, making life miserable for poor, bumbling Bert. Coming to the rescue is Wheeler's wealthy, irascible uncle Edward McWade, who plays Santa Claus for the couple and puts the other relatives in their place. Bert Wheeler and Dorothy Lee play together beautifully as always, but their characters aren't terribly compelling nor is their dialogue terribly funny. The film's rare good moments belong to Sharon Lynn, as Dorothy's man-hating best friend. As a result of the poor showing of Too Many Cooks and Everything's Rosie, Wheeler and Woolsey were permanently reunited in 1931's Caught Plastered. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi