Turn Back the Clock (1933)

 

Studio: MGM. Runtime: 80 minutes. Production Number 689. Release Date: August 25, 1933. Director: Edgar Selwyn. Screenplay: Edgar Selwyn, Ben Hecht. Cast: Lee Tracy (Joe), Mae Clarke (Mary), Otto Kruger (Ted), Geo. Barbier (Evans), Peggy Shannon (Elvins), C. Henry Gordon (Mr. Holmes), Clara Blandick (Joe's Mother), Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard (Wedding Singers). Art Director: Stanwood Rogers. Gowns: Adrian. Cinematographer: Harold Rosson. Editor: Frank Sullivan. Interior Decorator: Edwin B. Willis. Mixer: Fred R. Morgan. Associate Producer: Harry Rapf. Assistant Director: Fred Wilcox Recording Director: Douglas Shearer. 

By the time this 1933 fantasy came out, Lee Tracey (born April 14, 1898; passed away October 18, 1968) and Mae Clarke (born August 16, 1910; passed away April 29, 1992) had already become a popular screen team having appeared in the early talkie Big Time (1929), which marked the first credited screen appearance for both stars. Since then, Lee had appeared in such films as Doctor X (1932) and Dinner at Eight (1933). Mae Clarke had built up and even more impressive filmography by this time appearing in such as The Front Page (1931), The Public Enemy (1931) Frankenstein (1931) and Three Wise Girls (1931). Though she never became the major star she should have been her acting career including quite a few roles in classic movie and TV shows. 

In this movie a man (Lee Tracey) is struggling with money. He begins to wish that instead of marrying his wife (Mae Clarke), he had married a woman he didn't love (Peggy Shannon) but who marrying would have helped make him rich. After an accident, he gets a chance to see what his life would have been like if he had pursued money instead of love. 

This overlooked gem is a true minor classic. The story may be basic but it not without depth. It speaks to the basic desire for both money and love and how the purist of money can hinder the want for love and companionship. Because of this anyone can relate to and feel an emotional connection to the main character. Also, fulfilling the one of the basic needs for this type of fantasy film, this movie provides basic wish fulfillment. At the same time showing that perhaps what one wishes for more not be as great as it initially seems. At only 80 minutes this movie moves at a fast pace and never gets dull for a second. Yet (with the exception of the ending) it doesn't feel rushed. The acting is excellent. Lee Tracey is wonderful in the main role. He brings a real humanity and likability to this role, even when his character is behaving selfishly. Mae Clarke is excellent as always in her role as the true love of his life. The two have great chemistry together and even though they don't share a lot of scenes, we truly believe they are in love. Peggy Shannon is also excellent in the role of the woman he marries for money. The character herself is great as well. She may be the wrong woman for our main character; however, she is not the unlikable stereotype that she would have been in lesser hands. She is actually surprisingly quite likable and sympathetic. She is just as much trapped in a cold loveless marriage as he is, and the film makes us understand this part of her. 

The co-writer of this film was Ben Hecht (born February 28, 1894; passed away April 18, 1964). Hecht was an extremely successful novelist, playwright and screenwriter. Hect's plays include The Front Page, The Great Magoo and Twentieth Century. The Front Page had already given him a connection to the two main stars. Lee Tracy had starred in the original Broadway version of the play, while Mae Clarke had acted in the 1932 film version. His screenwriting credits include such classics as Scarface (1932), Hallelujah, I'm a Bum (1933), Nothing Sacred (1937), Wuthering Heights (1939), The Black Swan (1942), Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945) and Hitchcock's Notorious (1946). 

The film's director Edgar Selwyn (born October 20, 1875, passed away February 13, 1944) only directed a handful of films. Included in these handful of films was The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931), for which Helen Hayes received an Academy Award. He was also a quite prolific playwright and quite a few movies were based off of his plays. These movies include The Arab (1924), Dancing Mothers (1926), Possessed (1931), Baby Face Harrigan (1935) and Pierre of the Plains (1942).     

One of the most notable names attached to this movie for film buffs, is cinematographer Harold Rosson (born April 6, 1895; passed away September 6, 1988). With a career that lasted from the 1910's through the 1960's, Rosson was one of the most prominent and respected cinematographers of his day. His work includes such classics as Oliver Twist (1916), The Docks of New York (1928), Treasure Island (1934), The Wizard of Oz (1939), Johnny Eager (1941),Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944), The Stratton Story (1949), On the Town (1949), The Asphalt Jungle (1950), The Red Badge of Courage (1951), Singin' in the Rain (1952), The Bad Seed (1956) and El Dorado (1966). 

The Stooges have very minor roles in this film. They appear briefly in a wedding scene as wedding singers. They don't really have comedic moments in their brief scenes, playing the roles straight instead. Moe and Larry's hair are even slicked back making them look completely normal. Despite this not being a true Stooge film, it does mark a couple firsts from the comedy team. This is the first time that they appeared without Ted Healy. It is also Curly's first time appearing in a feature length movie. 

When released this movie received positive reviews from critics though some felt it was too similar to John L. Balderston's play Berkeley Square. Berkely Square premiered on stage in 1926. The play received a movie adaption the same year this movie was released (Berkeley Square (1933)). 

All in all, this is a true underrated gem that needs more attention from classic movie loves. 

Resources Used

The Three Stooges Scrapbook by Jeff Lenburg, Joan Howard Maurer and Greg Lenburg

https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/1959/turn-back-the-clock#articles-reviews?articleId=1008303

Africa Screams (1949)

 

Fans of both Abbott and Costello and The Three Stooges know that two Stooges sometimes appeared with the comedy team. Shemp Howard had appeared in some of Abbott and Costello's earliest movies. Joe Besser had would be a regular on the first season of the duo's TV series. There was however one Abbott and Costello movie where these two Stooges crossed paths and that was Africa Screams. 

In this film, Abbott and Costello play two men working in a bookstore. Stanley (Lou Costello's character) has read a book that has a map that leads to a diamond mine. When treasure hunters cannot find this book, they enlist the help of the two book salesmen. 

This is an often intermittently funny comedy. There are moments here that are truly hilarious but then often long gaps between real laughs with a lot falling flat in-between. Highlights include Lou Costello impersonating Joe Besser, every scene with Shemp (he plays a gunman who can barely see his hand in front of his face) is very funny (he even at times steals the show from Abbott and Costello) and the perfect ending. However, it is hard to make a feature length comedy because it is hard to remain funny for that long of a time. Because of this there are scenes where it feels like the gag men are trying too hard to fit a gag into every scene. This leads to a lot of comedic moments that feel forced and tend to fall flat. The scene with Lou Costello locked in a cage with a loin should have been a surefire comedy set piece but somehow falls flat. This movie also benefits from a great supporting cast. As mentioned before Shemp is the scene stealer and is very funny here. Joe Besser also gets some good chances to shine. I love the gag where he is putting out the fire.

Hillary Brooke (who would later become a regular on the Abbott and Costello TV show) is one of Abbott and Costello's best female leads and she works very well with the comedy duo. She later recalled how nervous she was to work with the popular comedy team. "I can't do it, Ed [producer Edward Nassour]. I can't keep up with them. I'm a nervous wreck. I never get a cue! Ed said, 'Stay with it, Hillary, you're going to have a wonderful time.' And of course he was absolutely right. I loved working with Abbott and Costello. Lou and I had a very unusual, wonderful friendship.... He taught me more about comedy than anyone I ever worked with. I was not a comedienne by any means, but he taught me timing and how to handle a joke...And I must say that Bud was one of the greatest straight men that ever existed, and he never got the credit for it" 

This film’s cast would also feature a pair of real-life big game hunters, Clyde Beatty and Frank Buck. The two were already very familiar to movie goers as they had starred in their own series of short films that would showcase their hunting exploits (personally I can’t understand how someone killing innocent animals could be considered entertainment to anyone). Still, they were not actors and are easily the weak links of the cast. Frank Buck’s acting ability is especially lacking. 

Unlike most of Abbott and Costello's films that were made for big name studios like Universal (where they made the majority (and the best of) their movies), Warner Brothers and MGM, this movie was made for the low budget Nassour Studios run by brothers Edward and William Nassour. This would in fact be the Nassour Brothers' first commercial feature. However the studio had produced a short film called 10,000 Kids and a Cop (1947), which would feature Lou Costello and be used to promote the Lou Costello Jr. Youth Center. It was shot in sixteen days on a budget of less than $500,000. One usual expense for Bud and Lou was objected to by the brothers Nassour. They understandably objected to spending $3,500 on pies that would be thrown in between filming. Bud and Lou often did this to relieve tension and keep the comedic momentum going. Writer Martin Ragaway remembered, "There seemed to be a friendly feud between the Abbotts and the Costellos. Different people on the set had been enlisted on different sides. Somebody would blow a whistle and suddenly, on this jungle set, people began throwing pies at one another. There was a pie war!...I remember saying to myself, well, this is how pictures are made. Apparently, they had to have something to relieve the tension, and this was it." Cinematographer Charles Van Enger remembered, "Eddie Nassour had the studio painted and charged it to our production. Lou refused to pay it. They had a hell of a fight. Eddie came down to the set with a gun, looking to kill Lou. Really! I took the gun away from him." Bud and Lou would file suit against the Nassour brothers for supposed production costs. This case would be settled to no one's satisfaction. 

This film's director would be Charles Barton, one of the duo's best directors (who directed their most popular film Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)). He would direct Abbott and Costello in a total of nine films. Barton would go on to direct two live-action feature films for the Disney studio, The Shaggy Dog (1959) and Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with a Circus (1960). Fans of TV series of the 1950's and 60's will be familiar with his work. He directed episodes of The Amos 'n Andy Show (for which he directed all 78 episodes), The Great Gildersleeve, Disney's Zorro, Dennis the Menace (for which he directed a total of 90 episodes), McHale's Navy, Hazel, Petticoat Junction and Family Affair (for which he directed 106 episodes). 

Filming of this movie was briefly paused because Shemp got seasick floating in a raft in a studio tank, which was only a few feet deep. Bud Abbott's nephew Norman Abbott was the dialogue coach on this film.   

   

Resources Used

The Abbott and Costello Story: Sixty Years of Who's on First by Stephen Cox and John Lofflin

https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/19050/africa-screams#articles-reviews?articleId=92545