Six of a Kind: A Road Trip Comedy That Actually Holds Up

Is it worth your time?

If you like old-school screwball comedy, watch this immediately. If you need explosions or high-stakes drama, look elsewhere. Honestly, this is for people who miss when actors actually knew how to time a joke.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Six of a Kind (1934) through its definitive frames.

There is this moment about halfway through where W.C. Fields just stares at a piece of hotel furniture like it insulted his ancestors. It lasts way too long. I think I laughed for a full minute while he just... stood there. It’s glorious.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Six of a Kind (1934) through its definitive frames.

The whole premise of sharing a car with strangers sounds like a modern nightmare, doesn't it? It feels like the 1930s version of a bad rideshare experience, just with more hats and fewer smartphones.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Six of a Kind (1934) through its definitive frames.

The comedy here is frantic. Sometimes it hits, sometimes it misses, but when it lands? Forget about it. George Burns and Gracie Allen are doing their usual thing, and if you haven't seen them before, it might feel a bit weird at first. But stay with it.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Six of a Kind (1934) through its definitive frames.

Random Observations:

• The embezzled money plot is honestly the least interesting part of the movie. You’ll forget about it for twenty minutes at a time. Nobody cares about the cash when there's a dog involved.
• The dialogue is fast. Like, really fast. You have to pay attention or you'll miss half the insults.
• I kept thinking about The Tenderfoot while watching this, mainly because they both share that weird, desperate energy of people trying to make a buck in a broken world.
• The hotel scenes are pure chaos. I don't know who was in charge of the blocking, but it feels like a wrestling match.

There’s a scene in a tourist cabin that is just pure, unadulterated madness. I’m pretty sure someone ad-libbed a line that made the other actors break character for a split second. You can see it in their eyes! It’s those little cracks in the polish that make these old movies feel alive.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Six of a Kind (1934) through its definitive frames.

Is it perfect? No. The editing is choppy, and some of the side characters are clearly just there to fill space. But it has this weird, warm heart that most modern comedies completely lack. It’s not trying to teach you a lesson or change the world. It’s just trying to make you laugh until your sides ache.

Don't expect a masterpiece. Just sit back, ignore the shaky logic of the crime subplot, and watch Fields deal with that furniture. It’s worth the price of admission alone. 🚗💨