On April 10, I saw a beautiful print of this obscure Columbia comedy at the Film Forum in New York. Turner will be showing the film on April 13. Durante is the featured comic and performs well, really stealing the show with "I'm Gonna Strut Away in My Cut-a-way". He is sort of teamed with Walter Connelly who acts as his straight man. The team has no chemistry what so ever, and Connelly is unnecessarily cruel to Durante. However, the highlights of the film are two short scenes featuring Howard, Fine, and Howard, The Three Stooges. When they appear on screen, the whole film lights up. They do one routine as football "dummies" and also perform their famous "Point to the Right" sketch. They are dynamite. Sure, they slap each other around, but the Jules White violence from their shorts is missing. This is just good, right on the money slapstick. Broadway singer Gertrude Niesen is here in one of her rare film appearances and she steals the show musically. Hal LeRoy is on hand for a dance specialty, but he is much better served by his Warners two-reelers. The weird comic Chaz Chase (NOT the legendary Charley Chase) performs some of his surrealistic shtick and assists the Stooges in a sketch. Louis Prima appears for a moment, but if you blink, you will miss him. The leading man, Charles Starrett, is a tenor only slightly less cloying than Kenny Baker. Director Albert Rogell keeps the film moving quickly. I only wish the Stooges did more in the film.
Review of Start Cheering
