I'll Be Suing You

I'll Be Suing You (1934)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Thelma Todd and Patsy Kelly are in their car speeding when they accidentally bump into the back of a parked truck. A no-good lawyer arrives on the scene and talks the girls into pretending that they're hurt so they can get some quick cash. This short features some of the most annoying attempts at comedy that you're likely to see. Kelly was obviously a talented lady and could be funny but at the same time she also had the ability to go so over-the-top that you'd want to blow your own brains out and that's the case here. She was always loud and in your face but nothing quite like what she does here. There are several scenes where she just screams at the top of her lungs and this here was nearly enough to make one want to turn the film off. The loudness of her character was just downright annoying and especially during some of the early scenes where she's fighting with the lawyer after the wreck. Todd, on the other hand, manages to be pretty good but for some reason the screenplay doesn't offer her too much to do and for the most part she just gets to sit around and watch Kelly go wild. There are a few funny sequences in the film including one where a telephone repairman enters the room and the girls mistake him for the insurance man. What follows is certainly the best laughs in the film.