Silly Billies

Okay, I've gotta admit up front that I have seen quite a few Wheeler and Woolsey movies and have never thought any of them were that funny. While not as unfunny as the awful Ritz Brothers or Allen and Rossi, this comedy team was not even close to being as funny as their contemporaries, the Marx Brothers or Laurel and Hardy. However, if you aren't expecting much magic, this is still an agreeable time-passer.

The boys are a dentist and his assistant traveling to the Old West to open a new practice. Once in town, they buy a business--only to wake up the next day and see that the entire population of this bustling town had left for the California gold fields early that morning! Then, they discover an evil plot to sell out these settlers to some hostile Indians, so they spring to the rescue.

The film has very few big laughs and as usual the chemistry between the duo isn't all that great. In fact, I recall having laughed out loud once. However, unlike many of their films, the plot isn't bad and they stick a lot closer to it than the other Wheeler and Woolsey films I've seen--this is a plus, as the duo just don't have the energy or charisma to act like the Marx Brothers. Also, while some have pointed out that this movie is not "politically correct", I was impressed that the Indians were in fact American Indians and not a bunch of white guys in paint (other than the boys, who were disguised as Indians)! All in all, not a great film but not bad either. While I enjoyed most of the film, the Chloroform gag at the end was pretty limp (you'd have to see it to understand--trust me, it's lame).