Palooka from Paducah

Palooka from Paducah (1935)

** (out of 4)

This Educational Picture isn't a winner but it remains watchable due to Buster Keaton getting to act with his father Joe, his mother Myra and his sister Louise. In the film the four play redneck moonshiners who are about to lose their business once the government legalizes alcohol. In need of cash Joe and Buster decide to turn their brute brother (Dewey Robinson) into a wrestler. Once in the ring things don't go as planned. PALOOKA FROM PADUCAH will certainly want to be viewed by Keaton die-hards as it does feature his entire family and there's no question that the four have some good chemistry and work well together. The good things to say about this film pretty much end there, although there are a couple funny bits in the first few minutes including one funny line of dialogue about the difference between the one and two dollar bottles of moonshine. We also get another funny joke where Buster takes a fall after trying to put his leg up on a barrel. Sadly that's pretty much it in terms of comedy as once again Buster finds himself in a low-budget film trying to overcome a rather weak screenplay. The second portion of the film takes place inside the ring where Buster finds himself working as the referee. He really doesn't have much to do except fall down, fall out of the ring or get tangled up in the ropes. None of it was well-written and sadly there aren't any laughs to be found.

On the face of it a hillbilly comedy featuring a comic icon sounds like the nadir of the bottom rung for all concerned but that comes nowhere near describing the delightful PALOOKA FROM PADUCAH. Buster Keaton's third short for Educational is a major change of pace from what one thinks of as a Keaton comedy until the absurdest humor of it all comes rolling home. Everyone speaks in a parody of a country dialect while Buster and his Pa sport the most ridiculous fake beards similar to the makeshift version Buster slaps together backstage in SPITE MARRIAGE (1929). Keaton gives the production an extra twist by casting his entire real life Keaton clan in it. (Well...all except brother Harry. I guess he didn't like to work much). The former vaudeville performers fit right in with the storyline. They look like an Al Capp drawing come to life.

This unbridled, fast pace short mixes slapstick with off-the-wall gags such as Buster's attempts to teach his behemoth of a brother how to wrestle to the nightly sleeping arrangements of the family The best of Keaton's film work tends to have a biographical feel to it and this short is no exception; the dinner scene evokes memories of the on-stage horseplay of the Three Keatons while Louise proves she can be just as deadpan as her brother when an errant stick of dynamite goes off causing her to appear out of nowhere and then scatter like the wind.

As many have noted before the presence of his family seems to energize Busters' performance but I contend that he was getting comfortable in the production schedules of these shorts and was in the throes of creating a string of top grade comedies - of which this is one of them.

This is a highly unusual Buster Keaton film in that his family (mother, father and sister) co-star with him! I can't think of another film like this and it's like a reunion of the old act that the family did on stage. In addition, Dewey Robinson (a VERY familiar face to old film buffs like myself) and Bull Montana (a professional wrestler in real life) are along for the fun.

The Diltz family lives in the hills and are a lot like the type of very stereotypical folks you'd see in a L'il Abner comic. And, like you'd expect from such folks, they are moonshiners. However, they finally got around to learning that Prohibition was repealed a year ago and they need to find another way to make money. So, Buster's big brother (Robinson) decides to become a pro wrestler--and considering his looks, he appears that he'll be a great one! The problem is that he needs to practice--and guess who his sparring partner will be? Yep, poor little Buster.

When they arrive in the city for the big match, Buster somehow enters the ring with his brother and is the ref. The match degenerates to a crazy free for all and eventually the entire Diltz clan enters the fracas. It's all mildly entertaining but not laugh out loud funny...or even close. The bottom line is that if you expect the brilliance of Keaton in the 1920s, you'll be disappointed. However, when you consider just how awful his films had become with MGM, you'll appreciate just how good this film for Educational Pictures actually is, as at least it is entertaining.

By the way, two years later, Keaton's family returned for "Love Nest on Wheels"--Keaton's last film for Educational.

Buster Keaton's career as a performer comes full circle in this free wheeling little comedy which unites him with his mother, father and sister, all together for the only time on screen. Though produced very cheaply at the nadir of Buster's career this is another occasion where Buster pulled out the stops and managed to make an at least sporadically hilarious film. Perhaps working alongside his family perked him up, but he really seems to enjoy himself in this one and in it's unassuming way it's funnier than anything he did at MGM after Spite Marriage.

Fans will be a little taken aback by his appearance in this, both he and his father sport the most ridiculous beards, and `rube' accents as they portray a family next to whom the Beverley Hillbillies look sophisticated.

Adding a surrealistic touch to this virtually plot less romp all four Keaton's play with stone faces, and there's a real delight in watching them play off each other especially the scenes with Buster and Joe where Buster is clearly cracking the old man up.

Along with Allez Oop and Grand Slam Opera, proof that comic genius can survive just about anything.