Who?
Wheeler & Woolsey were a celebrated American comedy duo during the early sound era of Hollywood, consisting of Bert Wheeler (left) and Robert Woolsey (right). They rose to fame in the late 1920s and throughout the 1930s, largely through their work with RKO Radio Pictures.

Character Dynamics
Bert Wheeler was known for his youthful, innocent, and somewhat naive character, while Robert Woolsey portrayed the more urbane, cigar-chomping, and snarky counterpart, often sporting glasses reminiscent of George Burns. This dynamic created a delightful contrast that added depth to their comedic performances.

Comedic Style and Impact
Their comedic style was marked by witty wordplay, slapstick humor, and musical interludes, which resonated well with Depression-era audiences seeking escapism. The duo starred together in over 20 films, becoming one of the top comedy teams at the box office, second only to Laurel and Hardy. Many of their films featured catchy songs, contributing to their popularity and showcasing their versatility as performers.

Why Aren't They Well Remembered?
Tragically, their partnership ended with Woolsey's untimely death in 1938, which also marked the beginning of their relative obscurity in the history of comedy duos. They did not get the TV time in the 60s and 70s that the likes of Laurel & Hardy and the Three Stooges got. Their films are also noted for their pre-code humor, with many of their gags and double entendres being a hallmark of their pre-1934 work, after which censorship significantly altered the nature of film comedy.

Cultural Significance
Wheeler & Woolsey's contributions to the entertainment landscape laid the groundwork for future comedy duos, influencing the comedic styles of later generations. Their ability to blend music and dancing with comedy provided a template that many later performers would follow. Though they may not be as widely remembered today, their work remains an important part of film history, reflecting the cultural context of their time and the evolution of comedic cinema.

Purpose of this Thread
The duo are personal favorites of mine, and I recently decided that I should watch their movies in chronological order. I will provide short reviews and hopefully an AI-cleaned-up screen capture or two from the films. And, mainly for my own benefit, I will note certain of my favorite routines and where they appear so that I can locate them more easily in the future. I own all of their available movies on DVD, including one that has not been professionally released. Some are in Public Domain, and Warner Brothers has two DVD collections available that cover most everything. They also make some occasional late-night appearances on various classic movie channels.

01. Rio Rita (September 15, 1929)
Rio Rita is a 1929 pre-Code RKO musical comedy adapted from a 1927 stage musical by Florenz Ziegfeld, starring Bebe Daniels and John Boles, alongside Wheeler & Woolsey in their first on-screen pairing.

The main story centers on Rita Ferguson (Bebe Daniels), caught in a love triangle between Texas Ranger Jim Stewart (John Boles) and warlord General Ravinoff (Georges Renavent). Jim believes Rita's brother, Roberto (Don Alvarado), is the bandit Kinkajou but he hesitates to accuse him openly. Ravinoff manipulates Rita into agreeing to marry him to protect Roberto from capture. The film transitions to Technicolor during the wedding scene on Ravinoff's barge, which Jim prevents as the barge drifts into U.S. territory. Ultimately, Rita marries Jim, and Roberto takes Ravinoff back to Mexico for trial.

The Wheeler & Woolsey subplot follows Chick Bean (Bert Wheeler), a New York bootlegger who seeks a divorce in San Lucas so that he can marry Dolly (Dorothy Lee), only to discover afterwards that the Mexican divorce was invalid. Eventually, Chick's first wife, Katie (Helen Kaiser), arrives to confront him about bigamy but, since she recently inherited three million dollars, Ned Lovett (Robert Woolsey) makes a play for her to marry him instead.


Picture: Dorothy Lee (Dolly Bean), Bert Wheeler (Chic Bean), Robert Woolsey (Ned Lovett), Helen Kaiser (Katie Bean)

The duo would be teamed up many times with Dorothy Lee, and she is always a pleasure. The scene above with the four actors seated on the railing of the river barge is a fun scene as the two boys take turns pinching and slapping each other, and each time getting more serious. It ends with them kissing or nearly kissing as they all fall backwards into the river.

Before co-starring in the movie "Rio Rita," Wheeler & Woolsey had established careers in vaudeville and on Broadway.

Bert Wheeler had a background in vaudeville, where he honed his skills as a performer. His career took him to Broadway before he was cast in "Rio Rita," which became a significant hit, running for 494 performances. This exposure on Broadway was pivotal in launching his career into films.

Robert Woolsey, on the other hand, had an interesting start as he initially tried to become a jockey but switched to show business after an injury. He joined a stock company and later performed with a Gilbert & Sullivan troupe. In the 1920s, he appeared in various Broadway shows, including "The Right Girl" and W.C. Fields' hit "Poppy." His comedic talent was recognized when he was paired with Wheeler for the Broadway production of "Rio Rita" in 1927, which was a huge success and led to their transition to the screen.

And while Rio Rita was primarily a vehicle for Bebe Daniels—and the antics of Wheeler & Woolsey are definitely the "B" story in this movie, it quite obvious that the public noticed them as RKO immediately went to work finding a film for the comedy duo to star in (The Cuckoos) released in 1930. W&W would also return to secondary role in their 3rd film together (Dixiana), but this time, only Bebe Daniels' name would be listed above theirs in the credits.

Some quotes from Rio Rita:
_ _ _ _ _

Chick Bean: And today I'm starting 50 years of billing and cooing.
Ned Lovett (his lawyer): Listen, my boy, and let me set you straight. The cooing stops when the honeymoon is over, but the billing goes on forever.
Ned Lovett: Well, when did you get married?
Chick Bean: About 15 minutes ago, and I'm still happy.
_ _ _ _ _

Ned Lovett: How would you like it if I told you your Mexican divorce is no good.
Chick Bean: Yesterday you told me it was good.
Ned Lovett: Yeh, but that was yesterday. Today's Friday. Here's a wire that I just received from your first wife's lawyer in New York. Scan it, my boy, scan it.
Chick Bean: "Please arrest the bigamist." Oh, now, wait, look. Now, you know that isn't right. Now, she calls me a bigamist.
Ned Lovett: Yes now and that's what you are a bigamist. You married twice didn't you?
Chick Bean: Yeh.
Ned Lovett: Well, that proves it. For of all the fools, you are the bigamist.
_ _ _ _ _

Gonzales: [thug threatening Chick] What would you do with a big fist like this?
Chick Bean: Wash it.
_ _ _ _ _

Chick Bean: Ain't she a peach?
Ned Lovett: She who? What are you talking about?
Chick Bean: The blonde that just passed!
Ned Lovett: The blonde?
Chick Bean: Yeah.
Ned Lovett: No blonde passed me, boy, you ought to know better than that.
Chick Bean: Hey, you mean to say there isn't a girl standing over there?
Ned Lovett: Certainly there's no girl standing over there.
Chick Bean: Don't tell me its just that drink.
Ned Lovett: Yeah, you're drunk.
Ned Lovett: Oh, you're silly.
Ned Lovett: Oh, are you drunk.
Chick Bean: Oh, you make me mad, you do. Of course there's a girl there. But, Ned, hey, she shouldn't take off her clothes, not here.
Ned Lovett: Give me a drink of that stuff.

02. The Cuckoos (May 4, 1930)

The Cuckoos is a 1930 comedy-musical film directed by Paul Sloane, featuring the comedic team of Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey. The story revolves around two phony fortune tellers, Professor Cunningham (Woolsey) and his assistant Sparrow (Wheeler), who find themselves at a resort on the California/Mexico border.

The plot thickens when gypsies, led by Julius, kidnap Ruth Chester (June Clyde), the niece of the wealthy Fannie Furst (Jobyna Howland), who disapproves of Ruth's pilot boyfriend, Billy Shannon (Hugh Trevor). The kidnapping is orchestrated by the villainous Baron de Camp (Ivan Linow). Cunningham and Sparrow, although initially there for a vacation, get entangled in the chaos, teaming up with Billy to rescue Ruth.

Amidst the main storyline, there's a subplot involving Sparrow and Anita (Dorothy Lee), an American girl raised by gypsies, who falls for Sparrow. The gypsy leader Julius (Mitchell Lewis) is also in love with Anita, and it’s his uncontrollable fury at the idea of Sparrow and Anita together that ruins many of the villainous plots. The film is noted for its humor, with the duo employing various comedic gags, including a woman asking for their quarters so that she can play the gambling machines, a hotel room scene where the boys’ sleep keeps getting interrupted, Wheeler dressing in drag to lure gypsy men into the room where Woolsey clobbers them with a wooden leg, and Woolsey's flirtations with Jobyna Howland, who towers over him.

Musically, "The Cuckoos" features an expansive score by Harry Ruby and Bert Kalmar, including hits like "I Love You So Much (It's a Wonder You Don't Feel It)" sung by Wheeler and Lee. The film includes three sequences shot in two-strip Technicolor, which were restorations of musical numbers like "Dancing the Devil Away", adding a visual flair to the production (and an chance to show scantily-dressed women). Wheeler & Woolsey also sing “Kiss Me, Goodbye,” as they are leaving to help save the kidnapped Ruth. The number seems to be an excuse just for them to kiss a lot of the beautiful women in the scene. And though it’s not really the same as the Marx Brothers’ song, "Hello, I Must Be Going" sung by Groucho Marx, released a few months earlier in “Animal Crackers,” it had sort of that same feel for me at the beginning. (Your own mileage may vary.)

The movie's setting near the border introduces a mix of cultural elements, with the plot not to be taken too seriously, reflecting the comedic and somewhat chaotic spirit of the era's musical comedies. Apparently, the film's reception over the years has been mixed, with some appreciating the humor and musical performances of Wheeler and Woolsey, while others find it dated and a little racist, but still enjoyable for its historical value and comedic bits.

Picture: The Villains: gypsy leader Julius (Mitchell Lewis) and Baron de Camp (Ivan Linow).


Picture: Fannie Furst (Jobyna Howland), Professor Cunningham (Robert Woolsey) and Sparrow (Bert Wheeler) singing “Kiss Me, Goodbye."


Picture: Anita (Dorothy Lee) "Dancing the Devil Away"

Some quotes from The Cuckoos:
_ _ _ _ _

Woman at table: You're Americans, aren't you?
Professor Cunningham: Yes, yes, but we can't lend you any money.
_ _ _ _ _

Professor Cunningham: Do you know why I love you?
Fannie Furst: No...
Professor Cunningham: It's because you smell so sweet.
Fannie Furst: That's because I always have violets in my bath. You should, too.
Professor Cunningham: I would, but I don't know Violet!
_ _ _ _ _

03. Dixiana (July 22, 1930)
Set against the opulent backdrop of antebellum New Orleans, Dixiana offers a melodramatic tale wrapped in the charm of early cinema. Directed by Luther Reed, the film benefits from his experience in balancing drama with comedy. Dixiana reflects the transition in film-making, with its use of music and dialogue still finding its footing in the early sound era.

The film stars Bebe Daniels as Dixiana, a charismatic songstress and circus performer whose life takes a romantic turn when she meets and falls in love with the affluent Carl Van Horn, played by Everett Marshall. Their love story, however, is fraught with class conflict, as Carl's stepmother, Birdie (played with flamboyant disdain by Jobyna Howland), vehemently opposes the match due to Dixiana's humble circus origins. Carl's father, Cornelius Van Horn (Joseph Cawthorn), sides with Dixana and leads her out of the house with at least some digny intack. Mr. Van Horn plays well with the antics of Wheeler and Woosley, and it’s his uncommon sense that later helps convince his son Carl to not give up on Dixianna.

Dixiana, now heartbroken, must perform in a less savory venue—the gambling hall of the film’s villain Royal Montague (Joseph Cawthorn), who arranged that the circus owner would not take her back.

Parallel to this central romance, the film injects humor through the antics of circus comedians Peewee (Bert Wheeler) and Ginger Dandy (Robert Woolsey). Their subplot adds a light-hearted contrast to the melodrama, involving a comedic rivalry over another performer, Nanny (Dorothy Lee), providing comic relief and showcasing the physical comedy style popular in the era.

The climax of the film is set during the vibrant celebration of Mardi Gras, where Dixiana is chosen as the queen, her selection having been influenced by Royal Montague, who wishes to marry her. However, the plot thickens with deceit, as Royal rigs a duel against Carl, which serves as both a literal and metaphorical battle for love and honor. The resolution brings Dixiana and Carl back together.

The film is notable for its elaborate costumes and set designs, capturing the essence of 19th-century New Orleans with its lavish balls and street parades. Dixiana's performances reflecting both her character's depth and the era's love for spectacle. Unfortunately, Dixiana isn't widely known for its humorous dialog.


Picture: explaining the Three Cigar Game to Cornelius Van Horn (Joseph Cawthorn).

Some quotes from Dixianna:
_ _ _ _ _

Peewee: "I’m so hungry I could eat a horse—and I’d start with the mane course!"
_ _ _ _ _

Ginger Dandy, while trying to impress a woman: "I'm a walking encyclopedia of love, dear. I've got all the answers... and most of them are wrong!"
_ _ _ _ _

Cornelius Van Horn: Say, you know my slaves sing better than any other slaves around here.
Carl Van Horn: It's because they love you. You're always freeing some one of them.
Cornelius Van Horn - Carl's Father: Yeah. I think I'll go down and free a couple of those tenors right now.
_ _ _ _ _

Peewee: You know, I'd love to marry myself into a bed like this.
_ _ _ _ _

Peewee: Madame, do you know the cigar game?
(Note: this is betting game where the player has to bend over and pick up three cigars one at a time without saying “Ouch!”
It involves being kicked in the ass during the last attempt.)
Ginger Dandy: It's an old Indian game.
Mrs. Birdie Van Horn: Indian?
Mr. Van Horn: Yeah, the Kick-a-poos
Mrs. Birdie Van Horn: Kick-a-what?
Mr. Van Horn: Kick-a-poos.
Peewee: Come on, let's you and I play Indian, will ya.
_ _ _ _ _

Ginger Dandy: I love ya.
Nanny: Ah, you don't love me any more than Peewee does!
Ginger Dandy: [disparagingly] Peewee. Nanny, when you're sitting next to a great, big, handsome animal, like your's truly, why refer to an insignificant little ninny, Nanny?
_ _ _ _ _

Peewee: You're the first girl I ever wanted to be my first wife.
_ _ _ _ _

Peewee: You're trying to take her away from me, you, low-down, so-and-so, and this-and-that.
Ginger Dandy: Sir, I reckon you are not aware, Sir, that you cannot speak that way to an old Southern gentleman.
Nanny: Southern gentleman?
Peewee: Ha! From south Brooklyn.
_ _ _ _ _

Nanny: How come you're a southern gentleman?
Ginger Dandy: My grandfather. My grandfather was an old southern planter.
Peewee: A southern planter?
Ginger Dandy: Yes. He was an undertaker in Alabama.
_ _ _ _ _

Ginger Dandy: I got that medal for fighting Indians.
Mardi Gras Girl: Fighting Indians?
Ginger Dandy: Yes, I stood there one Sunday morning, when up the hill came 10,000 Indians!
Mardi Gras Girl: How many Indians?
Ginger Dandy: Ah, there was a 1,000 Indians coming up the hill.
Mardi Gras Girl: How many?
Ginger Dandy: I studied that old squaw coming up the hill. I said to her, I said, "Look here, Gladys." But, you know, she didn't pay any attention to me. So, I took old Gladys with a tommiehawk and I led her back to headquarters where the government gave me this medal and a dishonorable discharge.

04. Half Shot at Sunrise (October 4, 1930)

"Half Shot at Sunrise" is a pre-Code comedy film starring the comedy duo Wheeler & Woolsey, along with Dorothy Lee. In the movie, set in Paris during World War I, two American soldiers, Tommy Turner (Bert Wheeler) and Gilbert Simpson (Robert Woolsey) who have been AWOL for the last ten days and avoiding military police. Their primary interest is in chasing women rather than fulfilling military duties. They readily impersonate officers to impress the ladies and evade military police.

Picture: Wheeler and Woolsey pausing to add Major and Aviator markings to their uniforms.

The film includes a romantic subplot where Tommy falls for Annette (Dorothy Lee), the daughter of their commanding officer General Marshall (George MacFarlane), while Gilbert tries to charm another woman, Ogal (Leni Stengel), who has been sending perfumed love notes to the Colonel, which the Colonel tries to hide from his wife (played by Edna May Oliver). The plot, such as it is, is just an excuse for comedy, with the duo engaging in slapstick humor, puns, and musical numbers. The film ends with the boys traveling to the front lines to carry a urgent message to General Hale (should be heard as “going to Hell”). The message, however, turns out to be another love message from Olga, so the boys have some leverage over the Colonel once they are brought back by guards.

While not a particularly great W&W film, it is a more typical W&W film than the first three as the boys are definitely the stars of the movie playing both their comedy role and that of the love interests as well. A little less music and dancing in this one, and a bit shorter, as the focus is now mostly on comedy. The trouble is, though, that the evasion routines from the MPs are merely okay, the scenes with Dorothy Lee are pretty fun, but the restaurant scene where the boys pretend to be french waiters and speak "French" isn't that good, at least in my opinion.

Some quotes from Half Shot at Sunrise:
_ _ _ _ _

Stengel: “Why did you take up aviation?”
Woolsey: “They told me I was no good on earth.”
_ _ _ _ _

Lee to Wheeler: “Are you married?”
Wheeler: “No, I just naturally look worried.”
_ _ _ _ _

Lee: “This for you (snaps her fingers at Wheeler), and that for you (staps her fingers at Woolsey),
and this (raises the back of her coat and skirt) for your Papa.”
Woolsey: “Papa gets the best of everything.”
_ _ _ _ _

Lee: “You drive, don’t you, Four Eyes?”
Wheeler: “What he doesn’t know about driving would fill a hospital.”

05. Hook, Line and Sinker (December 26, 1930)
“Hook, Line and Sinker” opens with a motorcycle cop chasing down conmen Wilbur Boswell (Wheeler) and Addington Ganzy, who are riding a tandem bicycle. The boys end up avoiding getting a ticket by fast talking and selling the man insurance. Having been pulled over onto a side road, the boy’s bicycle-built-for-two and the cop’s motorbike serve to block Mary March’s (Dorothy Lee) car. Mary is “running away from home”—away from her widowed mother (played by Jobyna Howland), who wants her to marry their attorney, John Blackwell (Ralf Harolde).

Wilbur and Mary are initially attracted to each other, and, as Wilbur tries to sell Mary insurance, it sounds to her like he is proposing marriage to her. It turns out that Mary’s uncle has given her a hotel, and that’s where she is heading, hoping that she can prove herself to be independent by successfully running it. The boys decide to help her, but the hotel ends up being a run-down, dust-covered dump, complete with ancient bell hop (George F. Marion) and strange, mostly unqualified Hotel Detective (Hugh Herbert).

Addington decides to contact the newspapers and convinces them that the hotel is some sort of society hot spot/happening place, with an excellent safe to protect the guests' valuables. This attracts a variety of wealthy clients, groups of gangsters hoping to crack the safe, and Mary’s mother and the attorney she wants Mary to wed. But it turns out this lawyer is actually a shady gent and has been using the basement of the hotel as a storage location for his crooked gang, which is why he allowed it to get so run down looking.

There’s no indication of how the hotel is fixed up as we just sort of move on from there to some cut scenes and newspaper clippings and then having the people show up. One of the criminals pretends she is Dutchess Bessie von Essie (Natalie Moorhead) who has a funny registration scene where she asks how to spell “Bessie.” There is also a running gag where certain words are used in front of them that the boys don’t know, so they get busy looking them up in various dictionaries.

Lots of not-too-particularly funny gags in this one getting more air time then they deserve (perhaps even some pauses afterwards for the audience to laugh), but I’m starting to recognize some of the boys’ tell-tale mannerisms being established, like certain noises that Woolsey later routinely makes. Not a lot of overall plot and what story there is seems a little too much like the Marx Brother’s Cocoanuts. Also, no musical numbers in this one.

During a late night dance party, a storm occurs and the power goes out. The party is delayed until tomorrow night, and all of the guests put their jewels into the safe. While the power is out, the Duchess, and two competing gangs try to get the jewels, which leads to a lengthy dark shootout in the hotel. In one scene, Wheeler and Woolsey stumble upon and accidentally set a Gatling gun to firing. The boys end up heroes and get the reward money for capturing all of the crooks.

Not a dreadful W&W flick, certainly setting the scene for better ones to come. Also, I think Jobyna Howland is a good pairing for Woolsey. There's sort of a Groucho Marx and Margaret Dumont dynamic between Howland and Woolsey, except that instead of just being bigger than him, she quite literally towers over Woolsey. There is one nice scene at the dance where she has Woolsey (like a child) standing on her feet as she dances with him. And, unlike Dumont, who often seemed to have no idea of what was being said, Howland can deliver outright insults and is also good at delivering smart-ass lines.


Picture: Mary (Dorothy Lee) about to have a gun drawn upon her by Wilbur (Bert Wheeler), who forces her to "make love" to him.


Picture: Mary (Dorothy Lee) hits “No Sale” on the cash register when Wilbur suggests they have ten kids.


Picture: Wilbur and Addington stumble across a Gatling gun during the late-night, power-out shooting scene.

Some quotes from Hook, Line and Sinker:
_ _ _ _ _

Motorcycle Cop: You broke a traffic law!
Addington Ganzy: Can't you make another one?
_ _ _ _ _

Addington Ganzy: Why, do you realize that since nineteen-hundred-and-ten, they have discovered 52 new ways of dying?
Wilbur Boswell: Oh, and you don't look well.
Addington Ganzy: Yes, why, uh, uh... People are dying this year that have never died before!
_ _ _ _ _

Mrs. Rebecca Marsh: Mr. Pansy?
Addington Ganzy: "Ga-," "Ga-."
Mrs. Rebecca Marsh: Mr. Gaga?

Actually, she calls Woolsey a "pansy" three times in the film, which is pretty funny as Woolsey doesn't appreciate it one bit.
I read once that W&W often used the same joke writers as The Marx Brothers, but The Marx Brothers got first dibs on the jokes, which is probably why a lot of these jokes just aren't that good.

Something I remember from these early W&W films is that Woolsey would often repeat his lines twice. It was probably a holdover from his stage performances,to make sure the folks in the theater didn't miss anything.He dropped that in the later movies.

It was probably a holdover from his stage performances, to make sure the folks in the theater didn't miss anything.He dropped that in the later movies.

That makes sense as a hold over from stage work. I only really noticed once maybe twice what I thought was a "pause for audience
laughter to end" in that Hook, Line and Sinker movie.

I also read another online comment yesterday about how Woolsey was similar to Clark from the team of Clark & McCullough. I was
not familiar with them, so I watch a clip of one of their performances on YouTube. Kind of interesting, I think I might like them.

True, but sometimes that would result in something that wasn't particularly funny being said twice.

Surely just the repetition itself provides a little bit of comedy.

Yes.

06. The Stolen Jools (April 4, 1931)

Produced by the Masquers Club of Hollywood (a private social clud of actors who had left Broadway to work in movies), “The Stolen Jools” is a star-studded charity movie short created to raise money for The National Vaudeville Artists Tuberculosis Sanitarium. Umm… sponsored by Chesterfield Cigarettes.

It features Wallace Berry, Buster Keaton, Edward G. Robinson, Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Gary Cooper, Irene Dunne, Loretta Young, Barbara Stanwyck, Fay Wray, and many other stars of the silent and early sound movie era from Paramount, Warner Bros., RKO, MGM, and Hal Roach Studios. When shown in theaters, the audience members would be asked afterwards to make donations.

The plot is essentially this: Norma Shearer's jewels are stolen while she attended the Screen Stars Annual Ball. The police (primarily Eddie Kane) must find them and return them to her. It runs just over 19 minutes (and appears to be missing a musical number) and is just an excuse for actors and actresses to be funny or to recycle some of their more famous routines. The best line of the short, I feel, is delivered by Oliver Hardy after he and Stan Laurel drive Eddie Kane to the scene of the crime. Their car falls completely to pieces when then stop, and Ollie says, “I told you not to make that last payment.”


Picture: Wheeler & Woolsey’s scene in the feature has them seated at a diner.

Wheeler (seated before a pile of empty saucers and cups): “You know I'm still nervous .”
Woosley: “What you need is a cup of coffee. Boy!”
Wheeler: “Hey, waiter, bring me a cup of coffee.”
Waiter: “Just as soon as I can get to you.”
Wheeler: “I don't like that guy. I don't think he's a waiter. At least he don't act like one.”
Woolsey: “Oh yes, he does.”
Wheeler: “I think he's a crook.”
Woolsey: “Yeah? Wait a minute, I’ll ask him. Son, are you a crook? I mean… what is your business?”
Waiter (shows badge): “I’m inspector Kane.”
Wheeler: “What’d I tell you?”
Waiter: “What do you mean?”
Woolsey: “Well, if you're an inspector what are you doing here?”
Waiter: “Shhhhh! I’m looking for pearls.”
Wheeler: “Why don't you try the oysters?”
Waiter: “Now wait a minute!”
Woolsey (smiling and pointing at Wheeler): “That’s good.”
Waiter: “Listen, let me tell you something. This is serious. There was a ball given last night.”
Woolsey: “Yeah it's still on the menu.”
Waiter: “What's on the menu?”
Woolsey: “Cod fish ball, right—“
Waiter: “Listen, this is serious. This ball was given for ladies and gentlemen.”
Wheeler: “We weren't there then.”
Woolsey: “No, we weren't there.”

This soon degenerates into the Wheeler & Woolsey back and forth pinching and slapping of faces from Rio Rita.

I think my dad had a Super 8mm copy of this in the late 1970s sold by Blackhawk, which seems funny to me now because
"The Stolen Jools" was listed afterwards as a missing piece of film history. And we (and probably more than one or two others)
probably still had the Blackhawk Films copy. Ours would have been in our attic and only recently thrown out when Brother Jim
cleaned out the attic to better insulate it.

07. Cracked Nuts (April 18, 1931)

The plot follows Wendell Graham (Bert Wheeler), an irresponsible half-millionaire who has already lost $400,000 of his inheritance. He is in love with Betty Harrington (Dorothy Lee), but Betty's overprotective aunt, Minnie Van Varden (Edna May Oliver), disapproves of Wendell and believes he will never amount to anything and is incapable of generating any wealth. This leads Wendell to take out an advertisement in the paper asking for a good place to invest his remaining $100,000. Wendell is approached by a couple of revolutionaries from the country of El Dorania (one of which is played by Boris Karloff), who wish Wendell to use his money to back a revolution in their country. The result of which would certainly lead to Wendell being crowned as the new king.

Meanwhile, King Oscar (Harvey Clark) deliberately loses the royal crown and kingship in a game of craps to Zander Ulysses Parkhurst (Robert Woolsey). Oscar even slipped ZUP a pair of loaded dice to make sure that he won, and then he fakes his own assassination to avoid a real assassination attempt on his life. He leaves behind a widow, Queen Carlotta (Leni Stengel), who immediately chums up to ZUP.

This leads to a pretty good line by Woolsey:
Carlotta: "Your Royal Highness is so cute."
Zup: "Well, yours is not so bad, either."

It turns out that Betty and her Aunt Minnie are traveling by ship to El Dorania. Minnie is a wealthy property and agricultural land owner in El Dorania. Minnie is sick the whole voyage, so she and Betty never leave their cabin. Otherwise, they might have encountered Wendell earlier, as he is traveling aboard the same ship with the revolutionaries.

Once in El Dorania, Wendell and Zup (old friends) discover that each other is claiming to be king. There is also General Bogardus (Stanley Fields), who wants them to fight, and he explains where each of their forces is located and waiting. The exchanges here, with nearby towns of "What" and "Which," is much like an undeveloped "Who's on First" routine by Abbott and Costello about seven years beforehand. But other Vaudeville had done similar routines a year or so earlier than the release of Cracked Nuts.


Picture: Zup, Bogardus, and Wendell, close to doing “Who’s On First?”

The film ends with King Zup to be executed by being bombed from an airplane, but the pilot is cross-eyed Ben Turpin, so the bombs don't manage to kill anyone. However, oil is discovered at the bomb site, and the new Republic of El Dorania is suddenly wealthy, and Zup becomes the first President. But apparently, some of the wealth also goes to Wendell, who married Betty.

Despite the weak plot, the film also suffers quite a bit, I believe, from Wheeler & Woolsey not having as many scenes together. The film was meant to serve as a test for whether Wheeler and Woolsey could carry scenes separately. They did okay. RKO hoped to separate the duo so that they could make twice as many features (and profit) at one time. This results in The Boys getting one solo film each before RKO puts them back together again.