Lonely Wives

This film is based on the 1922 play, renamed "Who's Who" - a better title than "Lonely Wives" - that starred Charles Ruggles. While Ruggles would have been perfection as Smith/Zero, this film version is hilarious, due primarily to the inventive comedic performance of Horton. Also superb are the butler - a tippler who thinks he's going crazy - and Horton's guard dog mother-in-law. It's a pleasure to watch the adorable Ralston, La Plante, and Miller - 3 femme stars from the silent era who have featured roles - contribute so deftly to the merriment. As the plot thickens, the tempo speeds up so that the second half is a whirl of exits, entrances and misunderstandings. Surprisingly, but believably, all wrongs are righted in the end.

Even though this film from the Mill Creek comedy collection was a poor visual and audio transfer from a TV showing, it's amazing just how good this comedy is and how much I enjoyed it.