Dizzy & Daffy

In the 1920s and 30s, Hollywood liked to try to make stars out of some of America's sports heroes. The most successful of these folks was Babe Ruth and he made a variety of films of mostly unimpressive quality. In addition, Jerome 'Dizzy' Dean and his brother, Paul 'Daffy' Dean, get a chance to appear in this film...mostly because Dizzy was one of the best pitchers of the 1930s and Daffy was terrific for his first couple seasons until he got injured. Dizzy went on to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame...Daffy, well, didn't.

This film portrays itself as a comic version of the Dean brothers and their rise to fame. Of course, it looks nothing like their real lives and the two ballplayers mostly seem out of place with the likes of Shemp Howard and Roscoe Ates milking it for laughs.

So is this any good? No. It's not all that funny and the film is pretty limp. HOWEVER, for baseball nuts it's a must-see picture, as you do get to see the Deans and you learn conclusively that they should have stuck strictly to baseball!!

When Shemp Howard could no longer deal with Ted Healy's bullying and drinking, he left the team that would become "The Three Stooges", once Healy was out of the picture. (His place in the team was taken by his younger brother Jerome.) Until brother Jerry had a stroke and brother Moe asked Shemp to return to the team, Shemp had a respectable solo career. He starred or had substantial roles in a number of "Big V - Vitaphone Comedies" shot in New York. This short may have been made to show off Dizzy and Daffy Dean's baseball skills, but it is Shemp who steals the show as the near-sighted pitcher, "Lefty" Howard. He is given plenty of footage and shows what a fine physical comedian he is. Without Shemp, this short would be a slow moving curiosity showing off the non-acting abilities of the Deans and the annoying and politically incorrect stuttering comedy of Roscoe Ates. Shemp makes the short a tolerable, mediocre Vitaphone effort.