Remote Control

Remote Control (1930)

** (out of 4)

William Brennan (William Haines) works his way into a job as a radio announcer and must try and save a radio station that isn't making money. He brings in some new talent including a psychic (John Miljan) who is actually a criminal boss who uses the radio to send out messages to his goons.

REMOTE CONTROL is the typical of comedy one would expect from Haines as he was starting his sound career. He's loud, obnoxious and in your face the entire time as he acts like a five-year-old inside of a candy store who is going to aggravate his mother until she agrees to buy him some candy. This might sound like an insult to Haines but it's not meant to be. This is just his style of comedy and sometimes it's funny but the majority of the time it isn't.

This film here is innocent enough for a good time killer since it lasts just 65 minutes and there's really nothing too awful going on. I think the screenplay is without question the weakest thing because it really doesn't know where it wants to go and this actually makes the running time seem longer. Haines is decent enough in his part but I'm one who will always prefer him in his silent roles. Charles King and Mary Doran and both decent in their supporting parts and it's Miljan who steals the picture. Roscoe Ates appears throughout the film in his stuttering skit.