The Plot:
The movie begins with scantily clad chorus girls swaying
and lounging in baths to the melody, “Keep Romance Alive” sung by Ruth Etting.
If that’s not Precode
at its best I don’t know what is!
The purpose of the show is to sell products for Maiden
America Beauty Products Company. It is
during one of these product demonstrations that the Precode comedy staples, Bert
Wheeler and Robert Wooley appear; dressed as Scottish men selling a new range
of women’s flavoured lipsticks.
They are tricked by the beautiful Dorothy (Dorothy
Lee) into selling the Maiden Company’s products and, to prevent becoming
arrested for conducting business without a license, end up giving all the
products away. They repay her with the taking from the lipsticks and Dorothy is
hooked.
The next shoot is of the pair, destitute and
sleeping in the back of a car they use to sell products off. They boil coffee with the engine, have a food
pantry under the bonnet of the car and house a chicken under the front seat for
eggs.
Meanwhile, Dorothy goes back to Maiden Beauty and
tells her boss, Miss Frisbee – the ever changing Thelma Todd – about the
millionaire, beauty product selling extraordinaire couple. Miss
Frisbee, without questioning the story, wants to hire them immediately. They
trick a business man into leaving his office and use it as a front for their
non-existent beauty business. The plan works and they agree on a business
partnership but not before a cute musical number and flirting between Dorothy
and Wheeler and Miss Frisbee and Woolsey.
They begin a successful partnership until two detectives
come looking for the duo that broke into the businessman’s office and took a
bag full of valuable securities (unknowingly of course). They must avoid
capture by the detectives, keep their business going and try to win the two
things they really want, Dorothy and Miss Frisbee.
The Lowdown:
The movie’s title sums up its contents: lots of hips
(not to mention legs) and plenty of hooray in the form of Woolsey and Wheelers
slapstick and witty comedy. The duo play wonderfully charming entrepreneurs
constantly running from the police and too trouble. Their style is not for
everyone - let’s say it’s not subtle – but I found their juxtaposition of
physical humour, sexy double-entendres and quirky habits purely entertaining.
For example, Wheeler’s weird obsession
with bananas; he is always eating them and pulls them out of his pocket at high-pressure
moments (I counted over five times), such as, meeting Dorothy for the first
time and before a business meeting.
There are too many Precode moments to mention.
Basically, there is so much blatant lingerie, dressing and undressing and
suggestive nudity to make the devil blush.
The director never misses an opportunity to
show some Precode nudity, with nearly naked women – mostly in the form of secretaries
in a bondage-style leather two piece – always moving in and out of shots. Another
Precode moment: Woolsey talks the assistant girls into trying on the flavoured
lipstick and letting them guess the flavour. They then take turns kissing all
the girls until one spins him onto he knee and kisses him too passionately. He
says dishevelled: “Public enemy number 1.”
This is continued in a love scene
where Miss Frisbee appears to be undressing Woolsey while they sing the duet, “Just
Keep On Doing What You’re Doing.”
I loved Thelma Tood as the shrewd head of the Maiden
Company, Miss Frisbee, who strangely has an ever changing array of wigs and
hair colours that always keeps it interesting. The voluptuous Wheeler and Woolsey
principal, Dorothy Lee, is charming with her high-pitched tone, slightly-dumb
expressions and suggestive lingerie. The movie is faced paced and full of action. Wheeler and Woolsey are always full of witty remarks and they are always doing something interesting. I think it is one of the best Precode comedies I have seen!!
They drive away into the distance....
But not without some cute additions.
Quotes: (there was too many to mention)
Woolsey to Wheeler while in Scottish clothing:
“That’ll be all of that Mcnitwit.”
When Wheeler bursts in on Woolsey talking to the
almost-nude assistants without pants.
“Ah. The nudist colony.”
Blink and you'll miss it...
Emma, thank you so much for adding my blog to those you follow, and for your lovely comments. I had seen a few films with Wheeler and Woolsey, none of which impressed me very much. I then watched "Hips, Hips, Hooray", and what can I say, it is perhaps the best film the duo made. I also like "Peach-O-Reno", which combines divorce and gambling but much less pre-code naughtiness.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen "Peach-O-Reno, I will have to check it out.
ReplyDeleteWheeler and Woolsey were a hoot, particularly the pre-code stuff. Hips Hips Hooray is awesome, and the screenshots you've included a great. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks greeat post
ReplyDelete