Wow, some funny, funny stuff here! It's the quintessential "Good Little, Bad Girl" of the Silent screen, the delightful Bebe Daniels at her very best!
Daniels was a major star during the silent era, but other than those that she made with Harold Lloyd, and Gloria Swanson, her Silent films have been mostly forgotten! Indeed this was the first time that I have seen any, with Bebe in the starring role! I hope that several more of her pictures still exist today? This little know Paramount feature illustrates so well just how many memorable films from the late 1920's, have gone largely undiscovered in the passing decades!
Here Bebe resurrects the funny young girl of old she had played so many times opposite Harold Lloyd, during the late teens. Proving that she had plenty of laughs left over, from this past apprenticeship! To be fair, this film seems to combine the plots of several different Harold Lloyd features of the early 1920's. Bebe plays Barbara Manning, the lone daughter of a rich well known deceased hypochondriac. She inherits her fathers money, and his total paranoia concerning health matters! From Her very birth for the subsequent 20 years, Barbara has been told she is "to sick to leave her home!" Doctor's watch over her constantly! Her Uncle Edgar fears that "Her heart could give out at any time"!. This plot device calls to mind Lloyd's DOCTOR JACK (1922), where "The Sick Little Well Girl" (Mildred Davis), was similarly pampered since the day she was born! Harold had also portrayed a wealthy Hypochondriac himself, in his fifth feature WHY WORRY? (1923).
When Edgar's brother Wilberforce shows up from Texas, He dismisses the whole "Weak Heart" business as utter nonsense! He perceives that Barbara's many ill's and Edgar's outrageous fears are strictly "The Bunk'!Due to the terms of her fathers Will Barbara has turned 21, and is ready to "stop living a germ free existence"! Uncle Wilberforce, thinks what she really needs is some "Fresh Air, Excitement, Romance!" That will do it! She decides to visit the Manning Sanitarium that was bequeathed by her father. This is the place to unwind! Trouble is that unbeknownst to poor Barbara, err I mean rich Barbara, the old man's Sanitarium is now a front for a major Bootleg hooch factory!
In Doctor's guise, the operation is run by the dastardly Phil Todd (William Powell), who is not expecting visitors. A telegram to the caretaker announces a new arrival. He sends an errand boy Wallace Roberts, (Richard Arlen), to pick up a new case. But the case is not of the consumable nature, it is Barbara!
She mistakes the errand boy for a chauffeur, and directs him to take her to the sanitarium! The road is very bumpy and she admonishes him on his poor driving skills, stressing her feeble condition? The boy seems mystified with Barbara's bizarre behavior, but is also quite taken with her at the same time. After some mishaps, Barbara arrives at the sanitarium in one piece. The stress of the day demands some medical attention. She directs Dr. Todd, to FEEL HER PULSE! Now Todd is a wolf, and obviously has allot more in mind than merely feeling Barbara's pulse! Especially when He discovers that she is worth 30 million dollars! When we first met Wallace He was dressed like a shabby drifter, but now spurred by his interest in Barbara he transforms into Mr. G Q. ! Phil suspects his hidden motivations, and gives him fair warning! To maintain the illusion of the Hospital, Todd produces a group of reluctant makeshift patients from among his flunkies! Barbara highly sympathetic, promptly attempts to treat each of their symptoms one by one with the bevy of Medicine bottles she has hulled along with her to this joint! One wonders at this point just how much longer the threatening Phil who's men are scared to death of him, is going to be able to keep up appearances!
Naturally, it does not take long for Barbara to obliviously sample some of the brew on hand! This leads to several complications, Having never had a good buzz, let alone a Hangover before, she informs the good Doctor Phil that she is "Hopelessly disorganized today!" She invites him to examine her while up in her room! He is clearly eager to comply with this, request even dousing the lights as He moves in to pounce! Just then Wallace intervenes, and can no longer stand for what has been going on! He reveals the truth, concerning what the establishment is really being used for, and a fight breaks out!
Phil, and Wallace, trade some very real blows, as the place is invaded by rival bootleggers, and subsequently raided by revenue agents! Soon it is revealed that Wallace is actually a reporter, who had boldly infiltrated the establishment! Barbara is certainly getting the excitement that Uncle Wilberforce prescribed, and the story is far from over yet! This film is pure fun, from start to finish even the names of some of the charters such as the crooked caretaker Sylvester Zilch, and a resident alcoholic Thirsty McGulp, are designed to tickle the ribs! I haven't laughed this hard in awhile! Pretty nice print with a good vintage type musical score to boot!Bebe Daniels with her Big, Big, Eyes, an exuberant personality, is Pixie Cute! Not appearing to have aged a day since her comic foil years, with Harold! She played the naive young dimwitted girl, with a hidden courage and smarts, as well as anyone!
Richard Arlen was married in real life to Harold Lloyd's beautiful Leading Lady at the time Jobyna Ralston. He was undoubtedly one of, if not the most handsome leading man in the movies during this period. From the beginning it is clear that his character has a secret, and is not as bad as the rest of the group are.
Meanwhile, William Powell, is surprisingly menacing as the bogus doctor. For whatever reason, Powell, seemed to be cast in allot of Villainous roles during his silent tenure? Rarely as the romantic lead. He was always very good at both. Has anyone else on this forum seen this one before?
