Slightly Static

Slightly Static (1935)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

One of the least enjoyable of the Thelma Todd/Patsy Kelly series from Hal Roach. This time out the girls play "actresses" trying to land a job on the radio but no one is interested in seeing them until there's a walk-out due to the station owner's son getting a shot to do his horrible story. The kid ends up hiring Thelma and Patsy and of course things don't go too well. I'm sure the majority of the people know that Thelma Todd would soon be dead and I'm sure most people know that 1935 was a very troubled year for the star. There were several times were the studio had to give her a break from her duties and I'm curious if this was such a time because it's strange that there are so many "other acts" being shown here. You get a musical act from The Randall Sisters as well as another from Sons of the Pioneers. Neither act is what I'd call good but what they deliver is certainly better than the second half of the film, which has Todd and Kelly putting on this play. As you'd expect, Kelly goes way over-the-top and isn't funny but instead becomes quite annoying. She's doing way too much mugging and pushing to be funny. Todd, on the other hand, delivers a cute smile but very little else. The main interest this film might have for people is that Roy Rogers made his debut as a member of the Sons of the Pioneers.