Happy Hottentots, The (1930)
** (out of 4)
Early musical-short has a couple singers (Joe Frisco, Bob Callahan) finally getting off the unemployment line when they land a job at a movie theater. What they don't realize is that they're the only act and must perform fifteen shows a day. This early Vitaphone film is going to appeal to only those who enjoy early talkies and you can find this thing on the bonus disc for Warner's THE JAZZ SINGER. The entire film is set up as a comedy because our two "heroes" just repeat the same tired joke over and over. They do a musical set, want to go rest but are forced to go back on for another number. They do the number and then go to rest only to be thrown back on the stage. This happens about six or seven different times and the only "different" thing we see is when the boys must get on the stage while still eating their ham sandwiches. Needless to say, there's very little here that's actually funny as the screenplay really doesn't deliver any laughs and having the same unfunny thing happen over and over really doesn't help. Both Frisco and Callahan are decent in their roles but one wishes the screenplay had been a little better.