Histoire de fous

This 1941 Hal Roach production was a big hit with movie goers because the public were innocent and hard working people who enjoyed all the great humor that Hal Roach introduced from the 1920's, 30's and 40's. In todays standards this film would be horrible and a complete corny boring film. John Hubbard, (Drogo Gaines) plays the role as a playboy and gets out of a marriage by claiming he was crazy, because his bride was only a gold-digger and Drogo is placed in a mental institution. While Drogo is in the nut house he meets up with Col. Carleton Carroway, (Adolphe Menjou) who after a few weeks decides to escape with Drogo and they meet up with Penguin Moore, (Carole Landis), "I Wake Up Screaming", who owns a carnival and they decide to work and stay with Penguin and Drogo even gets involved with being a lion trainer. This is a nutty film, but a great look back at a film that was produced and directed when America was at war during WW II and the people needed a break from the horrible concerns and worry for the fighting men and woman in this horrible war.

One of the most bizarre movies I have ever seen. I checked it out because I read about Willie Best in Quentin Tarantino's new book 'Cinema Speculation' and you really cannot find many movies that he was in. Besides an astoundingly racist bit ('The food is over there, the watermelon is over there...' this whole story is just too weird, even for a screwball comedy. I was sad to read of the fate of Carole. Landis after I watched the movie. I might have to watch this again and I am not sure I can believe what I actually watched last night. I am not all that sensitive to comedic bits that offend the current 'woke' mindset in 2023, but this movie really pushes the envelope.

The opening scene in "Road Show" is one of the funniest scenes I can recall from all the movies I've ever watched. This is another of those crazy comedies produced in Hollywood during the tough economic times of the decade plus before World War II. I remember watching some of these gems when TV first began running them as afternoon and late night movies. Some, I don't recall ever having seen, including this hilarious romp, until I bought it on DVD. Movies such as this don't really need much for a plot – they just need to present scenes for the players to do their zany antics and dialog.

What's interesting about these old black and white films is that their humor isn't dated. Sure, some of the situations – in this case, a traveling carnival – are dated. But that can be a little educational for a modern audience, as well as it is entertaining. Although few people have rated this film as of the time of my review, most of the reviewers saw it for the zany and fun humor vehicle it is.

"Road Show" moves from one zany scene and incident to another. Adolphe Menjou was a master in delivery of off-hand wit in his comedies. But here, he also shows physical aptitude in some slapstick scenes as Col. Carroway. He and Drogo Gaines, played by John Hubbard, make a great comedy duo. Carole Landis plays just about the only straight part in the movie as Penguin Moore, owner of the carnival. Several other roles are hilarious and add to the fun.

In a scene toward the end, Col. Carroway has upped the prices on the signs of the carnival booths. Penguin asks, "Don't you think you've raised the prices too much?" Carroway replies, "Too much? Why these people couldn't have a good time unless they paid too much." A few songs add to the enjoyment, with an appropriate tune, "Calliope Jane," sung by the Charioteers.

Incidentally, this film was based on a novel of the same title by Eric Hatch. Hatch also wrote a novel and the screenplay based on it by the same name – "My Man Godfrey" (1936). He wrote more than 20 novels and worked for The New Yorker Magazine.

I highly recommend this comical farce for movie fans who like zany humor and real laughter.

This is an absolutely hilarious 1941 carnival farce that is relentlessly nutty. With a roster of character actors you will recognize from every 30s/40s screwball chase/society comedy, B grade 2 reeler and a million other scenes from every other silly Hollywood comedy of the pre TV period, ROAD SHOW, like Hellzapoppin, or The All American Co Ed each made the same year, shows clearly how there must have been a turn for the completely crazy after WW2 started and these 3 films led the new post Marx Bros wave of deliberately ridiculous and risqué comedies. I was tired and not very interested in watching all of this film when I lazily slotted it into the DVD. Within ten minutes I was laughing out loud and sat up... the film actually energized me into attention and shook me awake. Read the cast list, admire the excellent production values, relish the Mad Mad Mad World level antics and just plain enjoy 70 minutes of perfectly deliberately contrived chase/Carnival/society farces the Hal Roach Studio ever put on film. In a big theater this would have been hilarious and noisy to enjoy. The firetruck chase with Patsy Kelly aloft a loose ladder as they drive thu an orchard on their way past a fire to be at an art deco circus location... well what more can I say. Shemp Howard, crooning teenage Negroes, lions on the loose, Carole Landis singing, an amorous Indian, a taffy pulling machine, fantastic Packard cars, mansions, the nut house drunk at a dinner-party with 4 chicken legs on his plate, and snazzy fashions each only party reveal the treats in store. Find ROAD SHOW and have a really delicious long laugh. Adolph Menjou's droll shyster is as funny as anything WC Fields delivered. What a hilarious film! A close cinema relative would be Million Dollar legs or a lot of the Wheeler and Woolsey comedies of the early 30s. ROADSHOW is a very funny film.

I really thought that it was impossible for a film starring Adolphe Menjou to be this bad. Menjou was capable of ably playing a variety of characters from villain to tarnished hero, and he was also very able at playing comedy. However, even the talented Menjou cannot save this film. The plot is that young wealthy playboy Drogo Gaines (John Hubbard) gets cold feet on his wedding day, and decides to pretend he is insane. His jilted bride retaliates by having him committed. In the asylum, Gaines meets Carleton Carroway (Adolphe Menjou), and together the two escape and join a traveling carnival. In time, and through a series of comic misadventures, Gaines falls for Penguin Moore (Carole Landis), the beautiful leader of the carnival.

The problem is that besides Menjou, the players are just not that talented, and the jokes are just not that funny. Also, neither the overall plot nor the mismatched romance is very compelling. Cut down to 20 minutes or so, this might have been an OK 1940's comic short, but at 70 minutes it just seems to drag on forever. Hal Roach was capable of much funnier stuff. I would definitely pass on this one.