Mixed Nuts (1934) is a weird, fast-paced relic that barely makes sense

You should probably watch Mixed Nuts if you have twenty minutes to kill and you really miss the era where movies felt like they were written on the back of a napkin. If you want a deep plot or something that makes logical sense, you are going to hate this one. It's mostly for people who like old-school variety acts and girls doing high-kicks in a way that feels very pre-Code.

The whole thing starts with a politician giving away two million dollars. In 1934! That’s like a billion dollars today, right? 💰

He gives it to a finishing school for young dancers. It feels like a very specific tax write-off or something. I’m not sure the movie cares about the why as much as the what.

The girls are all very high-energy. It’s that specific kind of 1930s energy where everyone looks like they just had four cups of coffee. ☕

Thelma Hill is in this, and she’s always great at looking slightly overwhelmed. She has this way of reacting to the chaos that feels like the only normal person in the room. Mostly.

There is this one scene where they are supposed to be getting an "education." But the education is just more dancing and comedy bits. I think the movie is making a joke about how these schools didn't really teach anything? Or maybe it’s just an excuse for Billy Nelson to fall over.

The pacing is totally unhinged. One second they are talking about money, and the next, there’s a full musical number happening in a room that looks way too big for a school. 💃

I noticed one of the background dancers almost trips during the big group shot. It’s about 12 minutes in. They kept it in! I love stuff like that. It makes the movie feel like it was filmed in a single afternoon.

Don Barclay does some business with his face that I didn't quite get. It’s that loud, Vaudeville style of acting. It feels a bit like The Speed Hound where everything is just fast and loud for no reason.

The dialogue is pretty snappy, though. Some of the jokes are actually funny if you like puns that are eighty years old. I found myself smiling at a few of the insults thrown at the politician.

Speaking of politicians, the guy in this movie is such a caricature. He’s got that big chest and the booming voice that you see in movies like Without a Wife. It’s like there was a factory in Hollywood that just churned out "Old Loud Men" actors.

The movie is called Mixed Nuts, which fits because the characters are all a bit crazy. But it’s also a very lazy title. It feels like they couldn't think of anything else, so they just picked a snack food.

There’s a moment with a grant check that looks like it was drawn with a crayon. I love the low-budget feel of these shorts. They aren't trying to be A Free Soul. They just want you to laugh for a second.

Some of the cuts are really jarring. Like, a character will be standing on the left, and then suddenly they are on the right. 🎞️

I think the editor might have been in a hurry to get to lunch. Or maybe some of the film was lost? It doesn't really matter because the plot is just a clothesline for the gags anyway.

Is it a good movie? Not really. It’s more like a time capsule of what people thought was funny before the world got really serious.

If you've seen things like The Rocket Bus, you know the vibe. It’s short, it’s sweet, and it doesn’t ask anything of you.

The ending just kind of happens. There’s no big wrap-up. It just stops. I respect that, honestly. Don't overstay your welcome.

Anyway, watch it if you like seeing how they used to do comedy when the cameras were the size of refrigerators. Just don't expect to learn anything about finishing schools. 🏫