Peach-o-Reno (1931)

You'll get twice the bang for your buck with the law firm of Wattles and Swift (Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey) who not only will make sure you get a great alimony settlement, but some unforgettable entertainment as well. It doesn't matter that the husband of the woman they are representing is after them with a gun (Wheeler disguises himself in drag for that issue) or that the daughter is interested in him romantically as well. Wise-cracking Woolsey gets the dance of his life when he is whirled around by Wheeler in a fury and at one point seems to be a saw-dust dummy. The law office they work in closes for business and re-opens with the push of a button by book cases turning into liquor shelves, desks turning into roulette wheels and a whole bar coming out of the wall, already stocked with drinkers. The ultimate pre-code comedy with lots of sexual innuendo, "Peach O'Reno" may not be an accurate depiction of divorce, and with Wheeler and Woolsey, you may have a hangover afterwards, but it will certainly be fun filing for it.

I guess humor, like beauty, is in the eye (ear) of the beholder. Wheeler and Woolsey are two of my favorite funnymen but Peach-O-Reno contains some of the oldest and stalest jokes ever put on film. I'll bet they were funnier in 1932, but here it is 2011 and some of the material fell flatter than a pancake despite their best efforts and that of the supporting cast.Joseph Cawthorn and Cora Witherspoon are the old married couple trying to get a divorce, after a hilarious scene at their 25th wedding anniversary party which turns into an argument and a trip to Reno. They are excellent and very funny when on screen - maybe they should have given these two old pros more screen time. Bert Wheeler and Dorothy Lee have a good song and dance number and Wheeler himself is quite good impersonating a floozy to aid Cawthorn's cause for divorce. There is some good fun here and there and I have a hard time knocking Wheeler and Woolsey in any case, but maybe "Peach-O-Reno" should have been seen in 1932 and then stored in a vault somewhere. It came as a two-fer with "Girl Crazy" - maybe I'll have better luck with that one.

Lots of clever jokes, chuckles, men in drag. Sight gags and the usual fare for Wheeler and Woolsey, even some filthy one liners in here if you pay attention. A couple of those jokes would have been snipped right out when the film code started being enforced just a couple years later. This one is all about going to Reno for a quick divorce, with the two men cast as Wattles and Swift, divorce lawyers, with some surprises thrown in. At one point, the two "attorneys" represent opposing sides in one divorce case, but it's really all about getting their jokes out as fast as they can. Watch for Cora Witherspoon, who was in Bank Dick with W.C. Fields. I thought this was a riot, even if it's extra short at just 63 minutes. The jokes and timing in this one hold up better than some of their other oldies. Directed by William Seiter, who had made tons of comedies with ALL the Hollywood greats. I recommend it - its a fun one!

Just as sure as you can tell your left sock from the right after you wear them for a week, I'm sure you will like this movie, which is filled with laughs and song and dance numbers. The court room scene is a blast and the high light of the film is the song Niagara Falls To Reno performed by Bert Wheeler and Dorothy Lee.