Orders Is Orders (1933) - A messy but surprisingly fun vintage comedy

If you have a soft spot for dusty 1930s comedies where Americans talk like machine guns and the British act like they have a broom up their spine, Orders Is Orders is a fun little afternoon watch. 🍿

But if you hate crackly old audio or stagey setups where people just stand in a line and talk, you should probably skip this one.

The plot is pretty simple. An American movie producer named Ed Wrench—played by James Gleason, who is basically shouting all his lines—wants to use a British army barracks to shoot his new movie.

The British commander, Colonel Langley, says absolutely not.

So, of course, the producer and his secretary cook up a scheme to trick the officer anyway.

What follows is just a lot of culture-clash silliness.

The Fast-Talking Americans

James Gleason is easily the best part of this. He has this incredibly fast, nasal delivery that makes you feel like you are watching a precursor to The Whole Town's Talking.

His secretary, played by Charlotte Greenwood, is also great. She has these wildly long legs and does some physical comedy that feels totally out of place for a stiff British movie, but in a good way.

There is this one scene where they try to shoot a romantic scene with a real soldier as an extra.

The poor soldier looks so incredibly confused, just staring at the camera like he's about to be executed.

I had to rewind that part twice because his face was just so blank. 😂

The movie does get a bit messy in the middle, though.

It feels like the writers ran out of jokes about movie-making and just started having people run in and out of rooms to fill the time.

Also, the lighting in some of the indoor scenes is pretty bad.

You can barely see the actors' faces when they stand near the back wall, almost like the crew forgot to turn on the side lights that day.

Odd Little Details I Noticed

• Cedric Hardwicke looks like he wants to slide under a table during the dance scene.
• The sound of the director's megaphone is way too loud and distorts the audio badly.
• A very young Ray Milland is hiding in the background as an officer if you squint.

But honestly, it’s short. It doesn't overstay its welcome like many comedies from this era do.

If you have watched other early talkies like The First 100 Years, you know how dry and boring these things can get when they lack energy.

This one actually has some bite to it.

It is definitely not a masterpiece, but it’s a cozy watch if you like old stuff.