Not So Dumb (1930) - Marion Davies is actually pretty funny

If you have about seventy minutes and want to see a movie that feels like a chaotic dinner party you can't escape, Not So Dumb is worth a look. It is definitely for people who like screwball comedies before they got really polished and fast.

If you hate characters who talk over everyone else, you will probably want to throw your remote at the screen. Dulcy is a lot to handle.

I went into this thinking it was just another stage play caught on film, which it kind of is. But Marion Davies has this energy that keeps it from falling over.

She plays Dulcy Parker. Dulcy is one of those people who thinks she is helping when she is actually setting the house on fire metaphorically. 🏠

The whole thing takes place during a weekend party. Dulcy wants to help her husband, Gordon, land a big jewelry merger.

She invites the boss, his grumpy daughter, and a bunch of other random people who don't really like each other. It’s the classic setup for a disaster.

There is this one guy, Leach, played by John Miljan. He is supposed to be this serious scenarist, but he just looks like he’s smelling something bad the whole time.

One of my favorite weird parts is Franklin Pangborn. He plays a guy named Blair Patterson who just wants to play the piano.

He sits there and plays this dramatic, moody music while everyone else is arguing about business. It’s actually hilarious how much he ignores the plot.

The movie is based on a play by George S. Kaufman, and you can really tell. People enter and exit rooms like they are waiting for their cues in the wings.

Sometimes the camera just stays still for five minutes while four people stand in a semi-circle. It’s very 1930. 🎥

Marion Davies does this thing with her eyes where she looks completely blank but also very intense. It’s hard to explain, but it works for the character.

She keeps saying these "proverbs" that are totally wrong. Like, she’ll mix up two different sayings and act like she just said something profound.

It reminds me a bit of the vibe in Three Women, where the social dynamics are just a little bit off-kilter. But this is much louder.

The sound quality is a bit crunchy. You can hear the actors hitting their 'T's and 'P's really hard because they were probably terrified of the microphones.

There is a scene where they are all playing bridge. The way they hold the cards is so stiff, it made me wonder if they actually knew how to play.

And let’s talk about William Holden. No, not that one. Not the guy from Sunset Boulevard.

This is an older actor with the same name. I kept waiting for him to look like the famous Holden, and he just... didn't. He’s fine, though.

The movie gets way better once the guests start losing their minds. The grumpy boss, Mr. Forbes, looks like he’s about to have a heart attack every time Dulcy opens her mouth.

There is a bit about a fake kidnapping that feels like it belongs in a different movie. It’s a bit messy and the pacing just stops dead for a minute.

I noticed the wallpaper in the living room set is incredibly busy. It’s actually distracting during the serious bits.

King Vidor directed this, which is wild because he usually did these massive, serious films. Here, he’s just trying to keep the actors from bumping into the furniture.

It’s not as sentimental as something like Smilin' Through. It stays pretty cynical about how dumb people can be.

The ending happens really fast. Everything gets solved because of a mistake Dulcy makes, which I guess is the point of the title.

I liked that the movie didn't try to make her "learn a lesson." She is just as annoying at the end as she was at the start. 🤡

It’s a good example of why Marion Davies was a star. She didn't mind looking silly or being the butt of the joke.

The dialogue is fast, but sometimes it feels like the actors are just waiting for the other person to finish so they can bark their next line. There isn't much listening happening.

One reaction shot of the butler lingers for way too long. He just looks tired of everyone's nonsense.

I felt that. By the end of the party, I felt like I needed a nap too.

Is it a masterpiece? No. But it’s got a weird, frantic charm that you don't see in modern stuff.

It feels like a real record of a specific time when movies were still trying to figure out how to talk. Sometimes they talked too much.

But hey, at least it isn't boring. It’s just... a lot.

Random notes from my notepad:

• The hats in this movie are huge. How did they see anything?
• The piano music literally never stops in the background of some scenes. It’s like a fever dream.
• Dulcy’s husband is incredibly patient. Like, suspiciously patient.
• The golf scene is mentioned but we never see it. Probably for the best.

If you’re into the history of comedy, give it a watch. Just don't expect it to be quiet.