Sailor's Holiday (1929) is a weird, fast-paced trip

If you're looking for something to put on while you're folding laundry or maybe just want to see what 1929 thought was peak comedy, Sailor's Holiday is a decent pick. It’s definitely for people who like that old-school slapstick where everyone moves like they’ve had six cups of coffee. If you hate movies where the plot depends on people being *unbelievably* stupid, you’re gonna have a bad time with this one.

It starts out with these two sailors, Adam and Shorty. Alan Hale plays Adam, and man, he is just loud. You can tell he’s having the time of his life just being a big, goofy guy on screen. ⚓

They meet this girl, Mary, who is just trying to find her brother. For some reason, these two geniuses decide she’s a con artist. Why? Who knows. The movie doesn't really explain it well, they just decide she's bad news.

So, what do they do? They frame her for stealing a watch. They actually put the watch in her bag! It’s honestly kind of mean-spirited for a comedy, but the movie treats it like a harmless prank.

I found myself wondering if people in 1929 were just more okay with casual life-ruining. It reminded me a little bit of the vibe in Exit Smiling, but way less sweet. 🎡

Then, of course, Adam falls for her. Because nothing says 'romance' like getting someone arrested for a crime they didn't do. The shift from "she's a criminal" to "I love her" happens in about two seconds.

There is this one scene at a carnival that feels like it goes on forever. There’s a guy in the background of one shot just leaning against a pole, looking bored out of his mind. I honestly related to him for a second.

The pacing is really bursty. It’ll be slow and then suddenly everyone is running and yelling. It’s a lot like Sally, Irene and Mary in that way, just constant energy. 🏃‍♂️

I noticed the sets look pretty flimsy. Like, if someone leaned too hard on a wall, the whole harbor would probably fall over. It’s got that charm of early talkies where everything feels a bit like a stage play.

Natalie Joyce plays the girl, Mary, and she’s actually pretty good. She has to spend half the movie looking worried or sad because these two sailors are wrecking her life. I felt bad for her, honestly.

The brother subplot is... weird. They spend all this time looking for him and when he shows up, it's just *there*. No big emotional payoff, just "oh, there he is."

It’s kind of like Papa's Boy where the family stuff feels like an afterthought. The writers were clearly more interested in the sailors getting into trouble.

There is a tiny role for Randolph Scott here. If you blink, you'll miss him. He’s just a young guy here, way before he became a big western star. 🤠

One thing that really stuck out was a close-up of a bowl of soup. I don't know why the director liked that soup so much. It stayed on screen for a long time, and it didn't even look like good soup.

The dialogue is pretty simple, which makes sense for 1929. They were still figuring out how to make people talk on screen without it sounding like a robot. Some of the jokes land, but a lot of them are just people falling over or making funny faces.

If you’ve seen The Road to Love, you know how these old romances go. It’s all about the misunderstanding. Everything is a misunderstanding.

The ending is so abrupt it made me laugh. It’s like they ran out of film and just said "okay, everyone is happy now, stop filming."

Is it a masterpiece? No way. Is it better than watching the news? Yeah, probably.

It’s got that weird, grainy 1920s charm that makes even the boring parts feel like a history lesson. Plus, Alan Hale is just fun to watch, even when he's being a jerk to the lead actress.

I'd say give it a watch if you're into the transition period of movies. Just don't expect it to make a whole lot of sense. 📽️

Oh, and look out for the scene with the parrot. It's probably the smartest character in the whole movie.