Amour et caméra

WATCH THE BIRDIE is certainly one of Red Skelton's lesser efforts. Storyline has good potential, but something went wrong. Looks like scenes were maybe filmed but cut as the movie jumps around with not much logic. Due to the short run time I'm sure much was left on the cutting room floor. No explanation as to how the Arlene Dahl character knows Red's name and where he works. A lot of other missing information. The worse part is the clips of two old MGM films. Just stops the movie dead. However, if it weren't for that scene the movie would have been barely an hour long. Only for Skelton fans, or not even. Arlene Dahl is a real beauty and Ann Miller is her usual perky self. Not much else is worthwhile.

There are probably very few people today who realize what a big star movie star Red Skelton was in his day. In the late '40s and early '50s he churned out a string of very popular comedies. He was probably as big as Bob Hope, who is much better remembered today, probably because of later TV appearences, including all those USO specials. (I've always thought that Skelton's and Hope's movie personas were very similar. At least the young Hope. They were hapless but well-meaning boobs who always somehow managed to get the pretty girl).

No point going into the plot, because the plots in Skelton's movies don't matter much. They're just something on which to hang the gags and comic routines. There's some very inventive physical comedy in this movie, culminating in the extended, wacky final car chase. There's the added attraction of two lovely actresses, Arlene Dahl and Ann Miller, as fetching eye candy. Arlene falling for Red may seem somehow inexplicable, but like I said, Red always gets the girl. Ann Miller is young, perky, and funny. (though no tap dancing).

I don't think that Red Skelton ever cared about being perceived a comic genius. (Even Hope showed more ambition and ego). He just wanted to make people laugh, and generally succeeded. This isn't one of his best efforts, but it still made me smile.

Red Skelton plays multiple members of the Cammeron family which owns a camera shop. Rusty Cammeron is drowning in debt and then he's saved from real drowning by wealthy land developer Lucia Corlaine.

There is a Stooge-like changing room gag. This needs something more to push this fully into a laugh out loud comedy territory. Red Skelton is throwing a lot of his silly physical humor into this. The side-by-side Red Skelton double can be visually static. He's not great in any of the roles. He's not a good romantic lead. Lucia also needs to be more dynamic and more time to develop some romantic chemistry. This is mostly for Red Skelton fans and has a few fun physical gags.

A Skelton movie is always good for at least a few laughs. Even when the storyline is pretty well hacked up, as it is here, some of his slapstick bits still register. Here he's an inept camera store-owner turned inept photographer, who gets involved with a housing developer (Dahl). Trouble is her housing project is being sabotaged by insiders. Skelton stumbles across their plot and now they're after him. So, will pa Skelton and grandpa Skelton get their youngest and his girl out of the stew, (Red in three roles!).

I agree with others—this is a lesser Skelton vehicle. It never really gels. Instead, the narrative resembles beads of comedic bits strung along a choppy string. Nonetheless, there are some funny sketches—Red and a fat guy undressing in what amounts to a closet; Red photographing a bedecked doorman that he takes to be an admiral, et al. There's also some funny lines-- Red commenting on the opening credits, which is unlike anything I've seen. But the overall impression is that, except for the climactic chase, the bits could have been worked easily into his TV show instead of awkwardly strung out into a movie.

(In passing—Note in one segment the extensive housing project under construction. In short, it's suburban housing opening up like blossoms in LA's post-war sunshine. Can clogged freeways be far behind.)

Remake of Buster Keaton's 1928 success "The Cameraman" features Red Skelton at his most amiable, playing a salesman in his family's camera store (Cammeron & Son & Son) who helps the heiress of a major construction company thwart her crooked partner, who's planning on driving her out of business. The plot isn't taken at all seriously; instead, the film is comprised mainly of comic vignettes, some hilarious, with Skelton also playing his own father and wily grandfather. Gets off to a wonderful start, but loses steam along the way despite slapstick climax. The cramped dressing room bit has hardly any relation to the story yet remains a laugh-out-loud highlight, and Ann Miller is a hoot as a beauty contest winner who's always getting slugged. The star does funny double takes, and pratfalls--and, as usual, he's quietly charming while attempting to win over the girl of his dreams. **1/2 from ****