Crazy House (1930) Review: Early Sound Weirdness at Its Peak

If you are looking for a deep story with a beginning, middle, and end, you should probly just skip Crazy House right now. It is barely a movie. It is more like a collection of people doing weird stuff in front of a camera that barely moves.

Who is this for? People who love the crackle of early sound films and Vaudeville weirdos. Who will hate it? Anyone who needs a plot or gets annoyed by high-pitched 1930s acting. 😵‍💫

So, the whole thing takes place at the Lame Brain Sanitarium. Benny Rubin is our guide, and he is doing this fast-talking bit that was popular back then but feels a little exhausting today. He is taking a tour, but really, he is just an excuse to show off the performers.

I honestly think the movie gets better once the dancing starts. Before that, it is just a lot of yelling and "crazy" tropes that haven't aged all that well. Some of the jokes are so old they have dust on them.

But then you get to Earl 'Snake Hips' Tucker. Oh man. This guy is incredible. 🕺

He moves like he does not have any bones in his legs. I had to rewind his part twice just to see how he was sliding across the floor. It is easily the best part of the whole short film. It makes the rest of the stuff look kind of boring by comparison.

Then there is Cliff Edwards, also known as Ukulele Ike. He sits there and plays his uke and does his signature singing. It is charming in a very specific way. If you have seen The Royal Rider, you know the vibe of these early talkies where everyone is just happy the microphones are actually working.

The Albertina Rasch Dancers show up too. They do this very stiff, very synchronized ballet thing. It feels like they wandered in from a much more expensive movie next door. The costumes are intense and a little bit spooky if you look at them too long.

I noticed the sound is really hit or miss. Sometimes someone is talking and they sound like they are underwater. Other times, the uke is so loud it drowns out the singing. That is just how 1930 was, I guess.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Crazy House (1930) through its definitive frames.

Polly Moran is in this for a bit too. She has such a loud face. Like, every expression she makes is for the people in the very back row of a theater that doesn't exist anymore.

There is a scene with a guy in a bed that goes on way too long. I think he is supposed to be funny because he is acting wild, but it just feels awkward. I found myself looking at the background sets instead. They look like they were painted about five minutes before the cameras started rolling. 🎨

It is not as snappy as Alice Cuts the Ice, which came out around the same time. That one has a bit more energy in the editing. Crazy House just kind of sits there and lets the acts happen to you.

One thing that really stuck out was how empty the "Sanitarium" felt. There are these big rooms but only like three people in them. It gives the whole movie this ghostly, weird feeling. Like a dream you have when you have a fever.

Karl Dane is also in this. It is kind of sad seeing him in these little shorts if you know what happened to his career later. He doesn't have much to do here except look confused.

I think I liked it more than I expected to, mostly because it is so short. It doesn't overstay its welcome. It's like a 20-minute blast from a past that feels totally alien now.

It is definitely more of a historical curiosity than a "good" movie. But if you like seeing how they used to entertain people before television, it is a neat little time capsule. Just don't expect it to make any sense.

The ending is very abrupt. Like, they just ran out of film and decided to stop. It fits the "crazy" theme, I suppose. 🤡

Didja notice?

• The sign for the hospital looks like it was written by a child.
• Snake Hips Tucker’s tassel on his hat has a life of its own.
• The way Benny Rubin looks at the camera when a joke lands—or doesn't.
• The weirdly high heels on the dancers while they try to do acrobatics.
• That one patient who just stares into the soul of the lens for no reason.
• The uke playing is actually really impressive if you ignore the scratchy audio.
• The whole "lame brain" thing is used as a pun like fifty times.

Anyway, it is worth a look if you are already deep into a 1930s movie marathon. If you are just starting out, maybe try The Naughty Flirt instead. It is a bit more accessible for normal humans.

I'm glad I watched it, but I don't think I need to see it again for another ten years. Unless I want to try and learn how to do that snake hips dance. Which I won't, because I would break my knees. 🦵