Boy, Oh Boy: Bert Lahr Being Bert Lahr

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, only if you have a soft spot for 1930s slapstick and Bert Lahr’s specific brand of wide-eyed panic. If you’re looking for a tight script or anything that resembles logical human behavior, skip this. It’s a messy, breezy little thing that probably won't stay with you for more than ten minutes after the credits roll.

Lahr is doing his usual routine as the nervous, put-upon butler. He spends half the movie looking like he’s about to cry or explode, which is honestly the only reason to sit through the plot. When he gets his hands on that winning sweepstakes ticket, you just know it’s going to vanish. And it does. Immediately.

The whole thing feels like a collection of sketches glued together with some very thin scotch tape. The cook gives the ticket to the chauffeur—who is clearly up to no good—and the movie just sort of pivots to this gold mine scheme. It’s like the writers forgot the sweepstakes plot for a while, then remembered it again when they needed to wrap things up. Very sloppy, but also kind of charming in how little it cares about making sense.

Some random notes

• There’s a moment where Lahr is trying to explain the ticket situation, and he talks for about forty seconds straight without stopping for air. I swear he turned bright red.
• The chauffeur character is so obviously a villain he might as well be twirling a mustache, even if he doesn't have one.
• The gold mine scam feels like a leftover idea from The Money Mill, just recycled for a shorter runtime.

It reminds me a bit of the chaotic energy in Restless Knights, though with significantly less swordplay and more shouting about money. The dialogue is snappy, if a bit desperate. Every character seems to be shouting over one another, which I suppose is the point, but it gets exhausting after a while. 😅

The pacing is all over the place. One second we’re in the kitchen, the next we’re at some fancy desk listening to nonsense about gold. It moves fast, though, so at least it doesn't overstay its welcome. It's a slight film. Maybe a bit too slight. But for a quick hit of old-school comedy, you could do worse.

Don't look for deep meaning here. It’s just people running around in suits, losing things, and getting mad. It’s not exactly The Life of Moses in terms of scope, and it certainly doesn't try to be. It’s just Lahr, being Lahr, for better or worse. Mostly better, if you like that sort of thing.