Review of Speak Easily

As you would expect, a film starring established Buster Keaton, up and coming Jimmy Durante, and, much in demand, sexy blond Thelma Todd, is bound to be a comedy: not the greatest for any of them, but reasonably entertaining, for the most part. Actually, there is another blond costar, in Ruth Selwyn, who serves as the wholesome blond entertainer Keaton falls in love with. In contrast, Thelma is a wild, gold-digging, speakeasy entertainer. Whereas Ruth is present as a friend of Buster and Jimmy through most of film, Thelma doesn't show up until about half way through..........Buster is cast as a very reclusive, naïve, awkward, stuffy, bachelor professor., who receives a letter claiming that he has inherited a whopping $250,000.(several million $ in todays money.) Without waiting to check up on this, Keaton withdraws his life's savings, abandons his professorship, and heads out into the world for some fun. He runs into a traveling thespian troope, including Jimmy and Ruth, that has fallen upon hard times. He decides to buy the outfit, and heads for NYC. Later, they meet up with Thelma, who is invited to join them. Upon learning that she's been entertaining in a speak easy, Keaton thinks he is correcting her grammar, when he suggests it should be called a speak easily. He then suggests that their play be called "Speak Easily"..........Thelma discovers that Buster is apparently rich and single, and sets marriage with him as her primary immediate goal. She invites him over to her apartment 'for a cup of tea', and he naively accepts. She proceeds to try to get this teetotaler drunk, along with herself, for a boosy romantic evening. There follows the most entertaining segment of the film, as the two fall all over each other and the furniture, before retiring to separate beds to sleep it off. In the morning, Thelma is shocked that Buster is wandering around in his underwear.......... At film's end, Buster is in a romantic clinch with Ruth, with Thelma the loser. By then, it was discovered that Buster's supposed fortune was a sham, which very nearly caused their show to fold before it was even started. But Jimmy manages to hold off the bill collector until the first performance, which is hilariously disorganized and botched, especially by Buster's unscheduled appearances on stage. Very fortunately, a Broadway producer in the audience is quite impressed by the laughter of the audience at what they assumed was intentional comedy. He offers them a half interest in the show for substantially more than they owe the bill collector, and they accept. Now, presumably, Buster and Ruth can afford to get married, in a happy ending.........As demonstrated, Thelma was a first rate comedian, as well as beauty, who began her film career in the silent era, and was cut down at the end of 1935, in an apparent murder, staged as a suicide. I won't go into details. Unfortunately, her death occurred while she was acting in the Laurel and Hardy musical comedy "The Bohemian Girl". Therefore, most of her substantial role had to be deleted........Last on the credits list is Ed Brophy, an easily recognized character actor, with his squat chubby torso, bald head, pop-eyes and mannerisms. He was in great demand for 30 years, in films, as well as TV in the '50s, before his death in 1960. He even had a few minor appearances in the silent era, going back to1920.........This was the last of 3 films pairing Buster and Jimmy, although they never formed a close partnership, such as Laurel and Hardy, as their comedy styles didn't blend that well.........Several complete copies of this film are available free at YouTube.