Laughing at Life

The phrase cheap and cheerful was made for Poverty Row programmers like this. Filmed on a shoestring budget, written off the cuff, filmed quickly and economically and churned out at a rate of dozens per month, they have no qualities worth admiring, but they do possess a certain enthusiasm and energy of spirit that at least make it possible to sit through their brief running times.

This one manages to span twenty years in less than fifteen minutes as it introduces us to Pat (aka Captain Easter), played in typical two-fisted fashion by big Victor McLaglen. Watching Big Vic always reminds me of the first car I ever owned – a white '77 Opel Manta; it was weather-beaten and past its best but it knew how to take a knock and kept going no matter what obstacles it came up against. McLaglen's a typically lovable gun-running rogue here who seems to get himself into a jam wherever he goes. And he certainly does go places, as the slowly spinning plastic globe and use of stock footage repeatedly tells us. 1913, 1924, 1917, 1918: the years pass and the globe slowly turns until we reach 1933 and find Pat in the South American state of Alturas.

Pat's adoring wife dies sometime during this whirl of years. Pat knows this because he receives a letter from his little son which beseeches, 'Can't you please come home? Mama died Sunday…' But when Pat returned home he found only a smouldering shell of a house and no people. Of course his sorely neglected son hasn't perished, and fifteen years later they meet up in Alturas, where Pat, now known as Captain Easter, is supplying the weapons to arm a revolution.

Laughing at Life certainly has a large cast for such a small film, but its production values are zero and there are a number of sub-standard performances. McLaglen's the best of the lot, but he doesn't exactly cover himself in glory. Also, the print I saw was atrocious and the sound quality appalling

Victor McLaglen, a promising engineer working on the Panama Canal, mixes himself up in gun running and other dubious activities and is separated from his family. So, when he shows up in an imaginary banana republic, working to overthrow decent presidente Henry B. Walthall, why is he LAUGHING AT LIFE?

This is the just exactly the sort of movie you expect a rootin, tootin he-man like Victor McLaglen to be in (Clark Gable or John Wayne would have been even better). It's just that this one, instead of being made at a large studio that could have afforded exotic sets and stylized direction, was made at Mascot Studios. Which means, except for McLaglen and Walthall, the supporting roles are filled with mediocre actors, or downright lousy ones. (The woman playing the requisite Spanish vixen is horrible.) Additionaly, the musical score is badly recorded, drones on and on, and does not always seem particularly related to the goings on on screen. But, if you can withstand these flaws -- which would apply to ALL of Mascot's product in 1933-34 -- you've got a pretty good plot, and a perfectly respectable leading man performance out of McLaglen. You also have the strengths of Mascot -- good stunt work, and a plot that moves quickly. You also have one unexpected strength -- a nicely done story and script, which makes McLaglen a far more well-rounded character than you'd ordinarily expect. (Also, the credit sequence that introduces him is, perhaps, one of the best of this early 30s mini-genre. It establishes his character before the movie even starts.) In other words -- this is worth seeing if you have any affection to 30s cinema, and can live without big studio production values. But, since it is public domain, be prepared for a lousy print.

This poorly executed production stars Victor McLaglen (as Dennis Patrick McHale), a smiling rogue who does the titular "Laughing at Life" from the 1913 mining scene opening until 1933. It's interesting to consider Mr. McLaglen is the same impressive actor from Raoul Walsh's "What Price Glory" (1926) who would find his footing in more sound pictures with director John Ford. While McLaglen handles most of the action, Regis Toomey (as Pat Collins) and Frankie Darro (as Chango) emerge from the lengthy cast as important story and screen-time significant co-stars. The woefulness here is may not be suggested by an illustrious supporting cast, headed by veteran Henry B. Walthall.

**** Laughing at Life (7/12/33) Ford Beebe ~ Victor McLaglen, Regis Toomey, Frankie Darro, Henry B. Walthall

I found this to be a fun movie to watch. It is an action film, and a manly film about a manly man, who lives by his own rules. The star is a cross between an Indiana Jones and an Ernest Hemmingway. The title is, although not the greatest, a reflection of how the main character deals with the dangers and situations he gets himself into. This is a man who chose to live outside the law, and seeks danger wherever he can find it, he lives life with gusto, and he lives his life like a real man, no politically correct baloney in this movie, no apologies or touchy feely nonsense either. It's a rough and tumble action movie, with a good plot, a couple of plot twists, and even some decent acting on occasion! It has some comical interactions too. If you get the chance to download this (it's a public domain film, available from a few sites on the internet) or see it on DVD or TV, do it, you'll have yourself an enjoyable, light hour of entertainment.