Orquídea de Brooklyn

Brooklyn Orchid (1942)

** (out of 4)

Hal Roach comedy about two cab workers (William Bendix, Joe Sawyer) who save a suicidal woman (Marjorie Woodworth) only to have her follow them around thinking they owe her something. I've been watching quite a few of this Roach film, which typically run 50-minutes and they're all really lacking when it comes to their screenplays. There's no question these are cheaply produced B-movies but the lack of laughs make them pretty hard to get through even though they often feature an interesting cast. I've come to really enjoy Sawyer but he isn't given anything to do here. Woodworth has a few good moments but again, her character is poorly written. The only real highlight of the film is a snob piano player and his hand. This was followed by two sequels and is a remake of the Laurel and Hardy film Come Clean.