User Reviews

A former Boston socialite (Edna May Oliver) reduced to running a boarding house and nagging her easy going but lazy husband (Hugh Herbert) finds out that her spouse has taken her savings to invest in an oil well. Will their ship come in and keep the marriage afloat, or will husband's faith in their daughter's beau's invention of "whistling tire" (indicating it is leaking) pay off and keep their marriage intact? That last run-on sentence basically asks the two questions that the pop up as this seemingly light-hearted depression movie gets underway. Oliver is at first presented as the typically nagging spouse and controlling mama (she disapproves of daughter Dorothy Lee's love interest) but there's more to her than meets the eye. This comes very apparent in the scene where she discovers that her savings have been stolen and learns who the culprit is. After slapping her husband across the face, her pain both for her guilt and the betrayal of her husband come apparent as she has a slight breakdown before the audience's eyes. Out then pops the sentimental loving side of her character who refuses to let him leave, but continues her initial nagging, which we now know is out of love, not control. Herbert, on the other hand, accepts her for exactly who she is and does not consider her to be shrewish like other husbands might do. Lee, who was the squeaky voiced leading lady in a dozen Wheeler and Woolsey comedies (including a few with EMO herself), provides the light romantic plot of the movie, but it is the relationship between Oliver and Herbert which holds this movie together.

The light-heartedness of the movie pops up in the scene where Oliver takes the family to visit her wealthy sister who gives a party in their honor. Oliver proceeds to get drunk and begins a raucous Virgina Reel type dance to the tune of "Pop Goes the Weasle" which at first horrifies then delights the stodgy society of Boston. Between the emotional confrontation scene and this little musical interlude, "Laugh and Get Rich" has a few four star moments in a nice forgotten little programmer.

I was going to begin this review by stating that the laughs are actually few and far between in Laugh and Get Rich, but realized that would be an overstatement. I can't say I cracked a smile during this tedious feature's 72 minute running time, and I consider myself a pretty big fan of Edna Mae Oliver. As pointed out by the other review for this title, Gregory La Cava's script can't decide whether it's a comedy or a drama, and the end result is distinctly unsatisfying. By the time our nouveau riche rubes have offended their social betters with an endless round of Pop Goes the Weasel, you'll probably be siding with the old money. Add in an uninspired performance from Dorothy Lee, and you're not left with much, if anything, to recommend.

Edna May Oliver and Hugh Herbert are a married couple. As for Hugh, he's a ne'er-do-well--with great plans but not a whole lot of drive. Edna wants their daughter (Dorothy Lee) to have a more successful husband for her than she'd picked with Herbert. While it appears she loves her husband, Oliver clearly isn't impressed by him. When he announces he's invested in an oil scheme, she's convinced he's squandered their savings. Later, they think they are rich from the oil investments--and in the end, there is a great twist! This is an interesting film in that Hugh Herbert does NOT play the rather annoying and mincing sort of guy he played in later films. His goofy laugh is, thankfully, absent and he underplays this role considerably compared to his later films--which is a very good thing. It's interesting to see Lee when she's NOT in a Wheeler & Woolsey film--as she was their favorite co-star and seemed to do nothing but their films! And as for Oliver, she's ALWAYS great in films--it's a shame she died as young as she did. Heck, I'd watch her in ANY film--she's that exciting to watch.

Overall, a great little film. Well written and with great characters. It's funny, but this cute little movie reminds me of a W.C. Fields film. Fields did two that are highly reminiscent of this film--"It's a Gift" and well as "You're Telling Me". You'll have to see them to see what I mean--and they both are VERY worth seeing.