SO LONG LETTY (Warner Brothers, 1929), directed by Lloyd Bacon, is an early sound presentation with material that presents itself like a1950s television situation comedy, minus the laugh track and audience applause. It stars Charlotte Greenwood, who reprises her 1916 stage role farce by Elmer Harris, which was reworked in the silent era for Robertson Cole Studios in 1920 starring Colleen Moore and T. Roy Barnes. While this sound edition could have had to studio use its own contract comedienne as the wild and crazy Winnie Lightner, the powers that be were smart enough to have Charlotte Greenwood reprise her original role as Letty, who is both magnificent and hilarious. Fortunately for having survived intact, SO LONG LETTY still provides loads of laughter after all these years.
Opening title: "During the height of the season at the Ardmore Beach Hotel, you can get an excellent six dollar room for thirty-five dollars a day." Registering at the hotel is cranky millionaire Claude Davis (Claude Gillingwater Sr.), president of the Ketchup and Tomato Company, accompanied by his granddaughters, Ruth (Marion Byron) and Sally (Helen Foster), for a visit with his nephew, Tommy, living in a bungalow a half mile down the road. After settling down, Letty Robbins (Charlotte Greenwood), representative of the hotel beauty parlor better known as "Beauty's handmaiden" arrives with a sales pitch of beauty aides for the granddaughters. With her annoyance failing to make an impression, Davis angrily checks out and goes someplace else for peace and quiet. Next scene finds Letty's husband, Tommy (Bert Roach), returning home to find his wife not home yet with their cottage in disorganized state. Smelling a home cooked dinner being made next door, Tommy goes to pay a visit with Grace Miller (Patsy Ruth Miller) until his wife returns. Enter Uncle Claude, who believes the clean-cut cottage belonging to Tommy and mistaking Grace to be his wife. While Uncle Claude intends on giving Tommy his inheritance and lead to believe "Mrs. Robbins" is going to have a baby, Letty enters the scene. Rather than telling his uncle the truth, he passes Letty off as his next door neighbor. Upon Uncle Claude's departure finds Grace and her husband, Harry (Grant Withers), and Tommy and Letty at odds with each other, wishing they have married someone else. Harry and Tommy come up with the idea by switch partners for a week to see how the other half lives. With Letty living with Harry, and Tommy living with Grace, situations become even more complex when Uncle Claude returns to the scene. Let the fun begin!
During its fast-pace 64 minutes, SO LONG LETTY fits in for some fine tunes with clever lyrics, including: "The Beauty Shop" (Sung by Charlotte Greenwood); "So Long, Letty" (sung by Bert Roach and Greenwood); "My Strongest Weakness" (sung by Greenwood); "You're One Sweet Little Kiss" (sung by Grant Withers); "Clowning" (sung by Greenwood, Roach and Withers); "So Long, Letty" and "So Long, Letty" (reprises). While "My Strongest Weakness" is the film's strongest song, "Am I Blue?" and "Let Me Have My Dreams," introduced in ON WITH THE SHOW (1929), are heard mostly as background music. Other members of the cast are Harry Gribbons (Joe Casey); Hallam Cooley (Clarence DeBrie); Lloyd Ingraham (The Judge) and Wilbur Mack (The Desk Clerk).
For an early talkie, SO LONG LETTY is underscored through much of it, almost like a silent movie with dialogue and no inter-titles. Other than Charlotte Greenwood's fine comedic timing that serves the film's purpose for fine amusements, including her dog howling cry, it's also interesting seeing Bert Roach in a major role as opposed to later years reduced to unbilled bit parts. Let's not forget Roach in his co-starring role in director King Vidor's silent classic, THE CROWD (MGM, 1928) starring Eleanor Boardman and James Murray. Very much a reproduced stage play which takes place mostly in two bungalows, SO LONG LETTY is never dull. Its only disappointment is when the series of mishaps is all over.
Never distributed on home video, but later found on DVD through Turner Home Entertainment, SO LONG LETTY gets occasional broadcasts on cable television's Turner Classic Movies, where a handful of long forgotten gems as SO LONG LETTY to be brought back to life again. (***)
