A hat trick of Hal Roach comedies packed into one DVD from VCI. They specialize in classic films and those are of interest to me.
Turnabout is the 1940 adaptation of Thorne Smith's 1931 novel of the same name.The screenplay was by Mickell Novack, Berne Giler and John McClain, with additional dialog by Rian James, the director was Hal Roach. Sadly, Thorne Smith died in 1934, at age 42, but he did leave a nice bunch of novels. This film is the first of his novels being adapted to film, it was followed by the first two Topper films and last was the adaptation of The Passionate Witch for René Clair's 1942 film I Married A Witch. The film and the stage play of Bell, Book And Candle were the inspirations for the TV show Bewitched.
I first encountered Thorne Smith in the 70s, I used to read out of the humor section a lot back then, and over the years read all of his dozen novels except Dream's End. That was one of two serious novels, the other was an entertaining mystery called Did She Fall?, the rest were all comedies like Turnabout. He had some short stories and poetry published in the teens but it wasn't until 1926 when he had his first novel published. That was Topper and it was a pretty good success. That was followed by Dream's End in 1927 and The Stray Lamb in 1929. That last book was about a guy who changes into random animals for comedic effect. There's a good element of fantasy found in his work. In The Nightlife Of The Gods Roman gods come back to life in 1930s New York. They like the bars, carousing and NYC. Most of the characters in the books like a lot of the drink.
In Turnabout John Hubbard and Carole Landis are a couple, he's head of an advertising firm and she's a society wife. A statue in their bedroom, tired of their complaining, grants them their bedtime wish. The couple were telling each other that they could do their partner's jobs without any problems. They go to sleep agreeing they wished they could change places.
Next morning they're in each other's bodies, there's some adaptation to that, especially once they try to go out and about. John's body goes to work with Carole's mind, that really gets everyone thinking, "Has he gone nuts?" Carole has the same sort of trouble but at home and shopping with the other partner's wives.
That's the main cast, John and Carole in the middle, Adolphe Menjou and Mary Astor on the right, with William Gargan and Joyce Compton on the left. They play the other two advertising agency heads and their wives.
Donald Meek, Marjorie Main and Yolande Donlan play John and Carole's servants. Plenty of characters to bounce around, there's also a great Dane and a bear cub in the apartment. Not all the jokes hit home but most of them do quite well. I have a few laughs out loud and I've seen the film 3 or 4 times now. This set upgraded the crappy copy I had recorded from Turner Classic Movies some time back.
Road Show is a 1941 film based on the 1934 Eric Hatch novel of the same name. Eric also wrote My Man Godfrey and a bunch of novel, none of which I've read. The screenplay is by Arnold Belgard, Harry Langdon and Mickell Novack. Hall Roach is the director.
Most of the movie takes place in a small travelling circus. John Hubbard plays a rich guy who winds up in a sanitarium after faking a nervous breakdown. He escapes with Adolphe Menjou on a raft. They hook up with Carole Landis and her traveling show. Patsy Kelly and Willie Best add some comedy to the proceedings and The Charioteers add a few songs. John and Carole have a series of scraps with the law and some ruffians. There's plenty of gags and some of them made me laugh out loud. Things work out well for most everyone by the end of the movie. I'd certainly watch it again.
The Housekeeper's Daughter is a 1939 mystery that was adapted from the 1938 novel of the same name by Donald Henderson Clarke. Rian James and Gordon Douglas wrote the screenplay with the uncredited help of Jack Jevne and Claude Martin. Hal Roach is once again the director.
John Hubbard is in this picture too, that him with co-star Joan Bennett. She's a gangster's moll, Marc Lawrence plays the gangster, she helps him work his crimes but she's tired of the life and leaves to go home to mother. John Hubbard plays a archeologist who lives with his parents in a big old mansion, the same house where Joan's mother is the housekeeper.
That's Joan and Peggy Wood playing Joan's mother. Joan's gangster pal is involved with the murder of a showgirl, he didn't kill her, he just dumped her body off a houseboat into the river. A sad mentally challenged guy, played by George E Stone, did the killing, he didn't mean to, he meant the poisoned coffee for Marc. John would like to be a reporter and he talks newspaper editor Donald Meek into an assignment, Donald hooks John up with veteran mooch reporter Adolphe Menjou and his sidekick photographer William Gargan while they go off to investigate the showgirl's murder. At the police station George confesses to the police but they don't believe he did it and send him home. Instead he tags along with John and Adolphe while they hit the bars. John gets George's story from him while drunk and turns it into the paper. He passes out at home without knowing what storm he's created in the gangster's life.
That's George E Stone on the left, the guy in the middle is a 26 year old Victor Mature making his screen debut as the gangster Lefty. He's holding a cup of George's poisoned coffee. They both know know Joan from her gangster life. Marc and his guys show up and take over the house. George makes some coffee and Adolphe and William shoot fire works at the crooks from the roof. The remaining ones are caught when the police show up.
All ends well enough. I got a kick out of it, I'd be happy to watch it again sometime in the future.