Douglas MacLean Movies

Douglas MacLean, who starred in the original 1919 version of this World War I comedy, produced this remake starring James Ellison as Sgt. Gray. One day at training camp, Gray bets his buddies that he'll be having breakfast with the General (Paul Harvey) the next morning. Through a series of comic episodes, Gray accomplishes his goal, surprising his fellow soldiers. Arthur Lake (Dagwood in the Blondie series) co-stars in this average comedy, which is bolstered by some okay songs from Sammy Stept and Ted Koehler. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

No relation to the 1951 Cary Grant film of the same name, People Will Talk was another of Paramount's moneymaking comedies starring Charles Ruggles and Mary Boland. This time the middle-aged pair try to patch up the marriage of their daughter (Leila Hyams) and son-in-law (Dean Jagger, with hair). They do this to quell the local gossip mongers, who have been set abuzz by the fact that daughter has come home alone. Ruggles and Boland stage a fake fight, hoping to shame their daughter into returning to her husband--and, as expected, the phony quarrel turns into the genuine article. People Will Talk was coscripted by Broadwayite Herbert Fields, the son of famed 1890s comedian Lew Fields and brother of lyricist Dorothy Fields. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Based on Samson Raphaelson's stage play, Accent on Youth focuses on a May-December romance. Herbert Marshall (46 years old at the time) is a successful middle-aged playwright; Constance Cummings is his young secretary, who prefers the company of mature men. She sets her cap on marrying the playwright, while he fends off her attentions. By the time Marshall has grown fond enough of Constance to propose, she has changed her mind and fallen for a man her own age. Accent on Youth was remade as Mr. Music (50) and But Not For Me (59), with, respectively, 49-year-old Bing Crosby and 58-year-old Clark Gable as the "elderly" hero. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The "six" are Charlie Ruggles, Mary Boland, George Burns, Gracie Allen, W.C. Fields, and Alison Skipworth, who star in this cross-country comedy. Planning a motor vacation to California, J. Pinkham Whinney (Ruggles) and Flora Whinney (Boland) advertise for a couple to help drive and share expenses. That couple turns out to be George Edwards (Burns) and Gracie De Vore (Allen), accompanied by Allen's surly Great Dane. Whinney is driven to near-insanity by Edwards' intrusiveness and stupidity, but the worst is yet to come: thanks to a crooked co-worker, Whinney has been accused of stealing bank funds and is now an unwitting fugitive from justice. Sheriff Hoxley (W.C. Fields, who spends a priceless ten minutes explaining why he's called "Honest John") joins forces with hotel proprietor Mrs. "Duchess" K. Rumford (Alison Skipworth) in hopes of capturing Whinney and claiming the reward. After a zany night of everybody in the cast running in and out of hotel rooms, the real crook is captured and Whinney and Flora prepare to enjoy what's left of their vacation. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Radio tenor Lanny Ross made a game but unsuccessful bid for film stardom in Paramount's Melody in Spring. Though Ross, cast as one John Craddock, is given top billing, the picture belongs to the delightful screen team of Charlie Ruggles and Mary Boland as Warren and Mary Blodgett, sponsors of a popular network radio program. On vacation in Switzerland, the Blodgetts make the acquaintance of Craddock, who falls in love with the couple's pretty daughter Jane (Ann Sothern). The main plot concerns Blodgett's quest for a rare Swiss antique clock, which results in chaos for all concerned. Everything turns out all right, as Jane throws over her stuffy fiancé in favor of Craddock, who finds success as the star of the Blodgett's weekly radio tunefest. The inimitable Hermann Bing and the three Gale sisters --Joan, Jane and June -- dominate the supporting cast. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Alison Skipworth and W.C. Fields play Tillie and Augustus Winterbottom, a husband-and-wife team of con artists. The larcenous couple is summoned to a small town by their niece (Jacqueline Wells) and her husband (Clifford Jones) when the niece's father dies. Hoping for a sizeable inheritance, Tillie and Gus discover that the legacy consists of one rundown ferry boat. When they notice that a local lawyer (Clarence Wilson) seems unusually interested in obtaining this seemingly worthless vessel, T and G decide to help their niece restore the boat and keep the ferry line running. The climax occurs during a boat race between Tillie & Gus and the duplicitous lawyer; the prize is a large cash settlement from a major ferry franchise. Disappointingly restrained for a W.C. Fields film, Tillie and Gus is still good for a few quiet chuckles. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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

Ostensibly a "team" vehicle for Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey, Cracked Nuts is half over before Bert and Bob even get together! The first scenes belong to Wheeler, cast as spendthrift millionaire Wendell Graham, who is in love with Betty Harrington (Dorothy Lee). Betty's aunt Minnie (Edna May Oliver) considers Wendell to be an irresponsible jerk, so our hero decides to prove his worth by financing a revolution in the mythical country of El Dorania, thereby becoming ruler of the postage-stamp kingdom. Meanwhile, Zander U. Parkhurst (Woolsey), aka Zup, has won the crown of El Dorania in a crap game with King Oscar (Harvey Clark) -- who is glad to be rid of the country, inasmuch as he's been targeted for assassination. Unaware that he's been set up as a dead duck, Zup quickly assumes command of El Dorania, wearing a variety of outlandish "official" costumes. When Wendell shows up to stake his claim to the country, he is greeted effusively by his old pal Zup, but the reunion turns sour when scheming General Bogardus (Stanley Fields) orders Wendell to kill Zup. The day of the assassination is a gala event for the El Doranians, who set up concession stands and provide a team of cheerleaders for the occasion. Not wishing to do his pal harm, Wendell arranges for "cockeyed Ben" (Ben Turpin) to fly the plane that is to drop the fatal bombs on Zup and further sees to it that the bombs are disarmed. Alas, the explosions surrounding Zup are all too real, and soon both he and Wendell are fleeing for their lives. Fortunately, one of the bombs brings forth an oil gusher, which has the salutary effect of bringing the revolution to an end -- and also makes Wendell a worthy bridegroom for Betty (remember her?) In recent years, Cracked Nuts has taken on near-legendary status because of its pre-Duck Soup political satire, its Abbott-and-Costello style comedy patter, and the presence of Boris Karloff as one of the revolutionaries. But in the cold light of day, the film doesn't live up to its reputation; though laughs are plentiful, Cracked Nuts must be ranked as a disappointment for all but Wheeler and Woolsey's most fervent fans. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This spoof of Doug Fairbanks' Thief of Bagdad amusingly combines traditional Arabian Nights melodrama with up-to-date "Roaring 20s" irreverence. Douglas MacLean stars as The Young Thief, who falls in love with The Girl, played by Sue Carol (later a powerful talent agent, as well as the wife of actor Alan Ladd). Alas, the Girl has been sold into the harem of The Wazir (Albert Prisco), forcing the Thief to sneak into the palace to rescue her. The film's highlight occurs when the Girl, fetchingly garbed in a brief harem costume, performs the "Black Bottom" at the behest of the Wazir to save the Thief from losing his head. Sporting a heavy black beard and a baleful expression, Boris Karloff shows up in the supporting cast as "The Chief Conspirator." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Likeable Douglas MacLean breezes his way through the tailor-made vehicle That's My Baby. Jilted on his wedding day, Alan Boyd (MacLean) vows never to get involved with a woman ever again. But a promise to oneself is the easiest kind to break, as Boyd discovers when he falls in love with Helen Raynor (Margaret Morris), his boss' daughter. The lion's share of the footage concerns the hero's misadventures when a baby is entrusted to his care. The tot causes no end of trouble for Boyd, culminating in a Harold Lloyd-like sequence in which our hero tries to rescue the kid from the wing of an airplane in flight. Rather than endanger a real baby in this sequence, the producers secured the services of midget-actor Harry Earles, best known for his work in Tod Browning's The Unholy Three and Freaks. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Once he was established as a star, light comedian Douglas MacLean began producing his own films. This was one of a string of entertaining, successful pictures. Jimmy Clark (MacLean) and his pal, Algy Baker (Robert Ober), are American tourists traveling through Europe. Jimmy instantly falls in love with another American visitor, Betty Perry (Anne Cornwall), but because he accidentally hands her father (E.J. Ratcliffe) a trick cigar, he gets himself in hot water. Nevertheless he manages to meet Betty, except he is mistaken for J.K. Roberts, famed American mountain climber. The real Roberts (Lee Shumway) allows the ruse to go on, just to teach Jimmy a lesson. Thus Jimmy -- who has never climbed a hill -- is forced to scale the Alps. After many near-death experiences -- including a hilarious encounter with a bear -- Jimmy makes it to the top but then he falls, gathering snow until he becomes a human snowball. Betty gets caught up in the snowball as it rolls down the mountain, creating an avalanche. When the snowball finally comes to a stop at the foot of the mountain, it breaks open to reveal the couple embracing. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi