Freckles Comes Home

Freckles Comes Home (Jean Yarbrough, 1942) So I have about three of those multi-disc DVD box sets of dozens of public domain films (one each for comedy, horror, and sci-fi). Every so often I like to dip into them to see if I can find some hidden gems.

Yeah, that really didn't happen this time.

This is one of those films set in a small town where a crime occurs and nobody believes the main character for most of the runtime, even though he's the only one who's talking any kind of sense at all. He also has a would-be girlfriend who misinterprets the fact that he has a question to ask her and thinks he's going to propose, then when he doesn't propose she blows up and declares she doesn't want to see him ever again. He also has a sidekick, and apparently they were big-time troublemakers in the town when they were kids, but nothing about the actual performances suggests they could have been (or that they could have had distinct personalities, for that matter).

There are a few mild (very mild) laughs here and there, but nothing to write home about, as the saying goes. If you have an hour to kill, maybe take a look. At least it helps me appreciate comedy films that are actually good. 4/10