Watch the Birdie

You watch this for the gags, the art of physical comedy, not the plot. If you wonder what vaudeville was like, here is Skelton in his mastery. Here is also an un-suburbed California (though there is a scene of one). Marvel at the "ballet" with the elevated lumber vehicle rolling thru and turning on county roads. Don't see one of them anymore ... ever.

Forget if this is Skelton's best movie or not. He's created plenty of eye candy in stunts to feast on. Watch this with your kids or grandkids and point out how well done the stunts are. They are sure to think it's fun.

They don't make them like this any more, nor comics.

Red Skelton takes a leaf out of Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers' book and plays three generations in Watch The Birdie. Red plays the grandfather, father, and son who own a camera shop.

During the course of the film Red comes to the attention of the beautiful Arlene Dahl who has inherited a construction company from her father. The last project her father was on is a site that rival construction company owner Leon Ames wants very badly and is not above chicanery to get it.

The other woman in Red's life is Ann Miller who while she doesn't dance a step uses that figure to full advantage. Jane Russell had nothing on Miller for being a full figure gal. Miller is a beauty contest winner and her character is drawn from the one who chased Jules Munshin in On The Town.

There's a very funny sequence with Red and Dick Wessel as the two try to change clothes in a small dressing room with Skelton having a cold and sneezing all over the place. The climax chase scene with the bad guys chasing Skelton and Dahl is also well staged.

Fans of Red Skelton will like Watch The Birdie.

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.)

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.

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 ****