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6.6/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Alum and Eve remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you're a fan of 1930s shorts and the specific brand of frantic energy Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts brought to the screen, sure. Give it a watch. If you hate old-school slapstick or films that feel like they were written on the back of a napkin in five minutes, maybe skip it.
The whole thing kicks off with a simple traffic stop. Thelma is behind the wheel, probably going faster than the car really wants to go, and a cop pulls them over. Instead of just taking the ticket, they decide to invent a hospital emergency. Classic, right?
Watching Thelma Todd try to sell this lie is almost painful. She’s leaning into it, fluttering her eyes, while Zasu Pitts is just sort of standing there looking bewildered. It’s the kind of physical comedy that doesn't really rely on the script so much as it relies on how much sweat the actors are willing to break.
There's a moment where the cop just stares at them, and honestly, you can almost hear the gears grinding in his head. He knows they’re lying, they know he knows, but the scene keeps going anyway. It’s weirdly charming, even if the pacing is all over the place.
It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in Should Married Men Go Home?, though that one had a lot more golf-related chaos. This one is tighter, more focused on the sheer absurdity of the lie.
The sound quality is exactly what you expect for a film of this vintage—a little bit of crackle, a little bit of echo. Everything feels a bit dusty, but that’s part of the fun. You aren't watching this for the production value.
Zasu Pitts is the real MVP here. She has this way of looking at the camera like she’s just realized she left the stove on back home. It’s a very specific brand of confusion that I really appreciate.
Was it a masterpiece? No. Was it fun to spend ten minutes with them? Definitely. Sometimes you don't need a three-act structure. You just need two people digging a hole for themselves and then trying to climb out with a shovel made of bad excuses. 🚗💨