Way Up Thar (1935) Review - Weird 30s Hillbilly Slapstick

If you have twenty minutes to spare and want to see what passed for peak comedy in 1935, Way Up Thar is absolutely worth a quick look. 🌽

People who love early slapstick and vintage country music will have a blast, but if you hate screeching voices and corny hillbilly stereotypes, you should run far away.

Honestly, the plot is a total mess.

The description says Hillbilly Jenny loves some guy whose dad wants him to marry a rich girl, but mostly it's just people yelling and falling over.

Joan Davis plays Jenny and she is a complete force of nature here. Her face moves in ways that don't seem physically possible, and she spends half her screentime making these bizarre grunting noises.

It is hilarious but also slightly terrifying if you watch it in a dark room.

Then we get the Sons of the Pioneers showing up, including a super young Roy Rogers before he became a massive star.

They just start singing harmonized cowboy songs right in the middle of this chaotic cabin.

It makes no sense why they are there, but thier music is actually the best part of the whole thing.

It is a weird contrast to the violent physical comedy happening around them.

Like, one second Joan is throwing things, and the next second these guys are singing like angels.

If you are expecting a real plot or a sweet romance like Beyond the Rocks, you're going to be very disappointed.

This is much closer to the cheap, fast-paced silliness of The Rustlin' Kid, just with more screaming.

I noticed Buster Keaton's mom, Myra Keaton, has a tiny role in this too.

She doesn't do much, but just knowing she is there adds to the weird history-nerd appeal of these old shorts.

The dad, played by Richard Cramer, has this incredibly loud, angry voice that sounds like he is trying to shout over a thunderstorm.

He stares directly at the camera once and it made me jump a little.

There is a scene where someone gets hit with a broom and the sound effect is delayed by a full second.

It is these little technical mistakes that make me love these old prints so much.

They did not care about making a masterpiece, they just wanted to get some laughs and sell some popcorn.

In the end, it's just a silly, noisy relic of a different era.

Give it a spin if you want a quick laugh at how weird the 1930s could be. 📻