Here Comes the Groom: A Piccolo Player's Bad Idea

Wait, what was that?

If you're looking for a tight, logical comedy, keep walking. Here Comes the Groom is basically a collection of bizarre choices glued together by a guy who really needs to find a better hobby than piccolo playing.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Here Comes the Groom (1934) through its definitive frames.

Is it worth your time? If you have a soft spot for movies that stumble into their own plot holes with a grin, sure. If you want a story that makes sense, you're gonna hate this one.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Here Comes the Groom (1934) through its definitive frames.

It’s got that specific mid-century frantic energy where everyone is talking way too fast and nobody is actually listening to anyone else. It reminded me a bit of the chaos in The Hot Heiress, though this one has way more masks.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Here Comes the Groom (1934) through its definitive frames.

The Piccolo Problem

Mike Scanlon is the lead, and honestly, playing the piccolo is a bold choice for a protagonist. It’s hard to make that cool, and the movie doesn’t really try. He just seems like a guy who’s tired of being the butt of the joke.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Here Comes the Groom (1934) through its definitive frames.

The robbery scene is where the whole thing falls apart, but in a way that’s actually kinda fun to watch. Everything goes wrong, and suddenly we’re in a chase movie. The pacing is all over the place. One minute he’s failing at life, the next he’s a masked celebrity.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Here Comes the Groom (1934) through its definitive frames.

Odd Details

• The mask looks like something you’d find in a dusty costume shop bin.
• Some of the background extras look like they’re waiting for a bus rather than reacting to a crime.
• The dialogue is snappy, but it feels like it was written on a napkin during a lunch break.

There’s a moment about halfway through where I realized I hadn't thought about the piccolo in twenty minutes. The movie just completely abandons its own setup. It’s weirdly refreshing, like when The Birthday decides to take a hard turn into absurdity.

The performances? Well, they’re loud. Jack Haley is in there, and he’s doing his best to keep the energy up, even when the script is clearly running on fumes. There's a scene near the end that lingers for about thirty seconds too long, and you can practically see the actors wondering if they can go home yet.

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s not even a particularly good movie. But it’s got a weird, frantic pulse to it that I found kinda charming. It’s one of those films that just exists, and that's okay. 🎭