What Price Taxi: A Headache on Wheels

Is this worth your time?

Honestly? Only if you have a weird itch for 1930s slapstick and absolutely nothing else to do for twenty minutes. It’s for the folks who find comfort in the sound of old-timey bickering and guys in newsboy caps getting shoved around. If you hate low-stakes chaos or people shouting over each other, stay far, far away.

Watching What Price Taxi is a lot like being stuck in traffic, only with more hats. Billy Gilbert is playing the kind of guy who makes you want to lock your doors, and he does a great job at it. He’s just loud, irritable, and constantly tripping over his own bad attitude.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of What Price Taxi (1932) through its definitive frames.

The whole thing feels like it was put together on a lunch break. Franklin Pangborn shows up, and you just know he’s going to be the most annoyed person in the room. His face was practically built for showing pure, unadulterated frustration.

Odd little things I noticed:

• There is a moment where the blocking feels so cramped I thought someone was going to get a bruise for real.
• The way they handle the taxis is less 'transportation' and more 'prop that gets in the way of the yelling.'
• I swear one of the extras in the back is just waiting for his shift to end.

It’s nowhere near the chaotic energy of Village Cutups, but it shares that same DNA of people being mildly inconvenienced by life. It’s not trying to be a masterpiece, and that’s probably for the best. It’s just noise and movement. 🚕

Sometimes, the editing just cuts away mid-scuffle, which is honestly the highlight. It leaves you wondering if they just ran out of film or if the director just gave up. It’s charming in a 'we made this in an afternoon' kind of way. If you’re looking for high art, you’re lost. If you’re looking for a distraction while you eat a sandwich, you’re in the right place.