You Said a Mouthful

Abandon all connections with reality ye who watch this movie. This is a silly comedy. Joe E. Brown stars as Joe Holt, a dreamer who works in the shipping room of a swimwear company. He is also the target of his bullying coworkers, so when he finds he has inherited a million dollars, he packs and moves to California. The fortune turns out to be much less than imagined. Plus his aunt's will asks that he take charge of the son of the aunt's homemaker. Sam is a young black boy who quickly latches onto Joe as a father figure.

Low on funds, Joe decides to take a job in a hotel on Catalina. Joe is mistaken for a champion long distance open water swimmer and is entered in a race from Catalina to the mainland, though he can't swim.

Ginger Rogers plays Alice Brandon, the young woman who somehow becomes his sweetheart, but promises to stick with him only if he wins the race. At this point in her career, Ginger has become a screen presence, showing much more ease and talent than just a couple of years before.

Joe E. plays his character with his usual physicality, wackiness and indomitable self-confidence. But his trademark big-mouth yell is overused here and becomes tiresome. Also overdone is a long bit where he "waterskis" behind a motorboat. Note that he wears his glasses even when swimming.

Director: Lloyd Bacon Writers: Robert Lord (screen play), Bolton Mallory (screen play) Stars: Joe E. Brown, Ginger Rogers, Preston Foster

1932's You Said a Mouthful is a charming and funny vehicle for Brown that overcomes its overstuffed, uninspired plotting with plenty of gut-busting gags.

At a brisk seventy minutes, You Said a Mouthful is both very simple and strangely overcomplicated. Brown stars as Joe Holt, a clerk in a swimwear company who designs a no-sink bathing suit, solely because he is deathly afraid of water. Of course, then, the big idea of the movie should be to get this fella swimming. And it is... but the script by Robert Lord and Bolton Mallory seems to run itself ragged just to cook up a semi-plausible series of events that will lead to the scaredy-cats getting in the water.

Joe E. Brown gets needed help form of an unexpected sidekick. That's Allen Hoskins, or, as he was known with the rest of "Our Gang", Farina as Sam. Here he's the accidental adopted son of hapless inventor Joe Holt (Brown). What's nice? No one seems to really notice Farina's race. He's a wacky, bossy kid who gets to push our hero to greater things. He's a sidekick, but smarter and save's his father's butt more than once, even if it involves dropping an anchor on his head. Very hilarious gag routine.

High jinks ensue when he's mistaken for a world champion swimmer, with the possibility of beautiful Alice (Rogers) being the prize. The mistaken identity leads the cowardly Joe into a number of situations where he desperately tries to fake sick or cheat, but he ends up making a treacherous marathon swim from Catalina to the shore while Alice and Sam cheer him on.

The final race sequence is particularly madcap, cobbled together from moments shot on location and in a studio tank -- Brown is even great at physical comedy under ten feet of water! You Said A Mouthful showcases Brown's energy at its peak, the actor turns the film into a laugh riot. 8/10

1932. The snappy opening music. The Dilbert with his Big Idea, laughed out of the office. Goes to L.A. to get an inheritance. Thanks to a shyster lawyer, ends up with only 5 dollars and a pickaninny. Destitiute, As it happened, our hero and ward were bound for Catalina for a $6 day job, when fate stepped in. Mistaken for a marathon swimmer and ends up in the Catalina race for $25,000, though he can't swim. Plug Joe E. Brown into this farce, and you have an early talkie classic. Of course, much of this will offend the politically correct, and much of the humor will escape current audiences. But there are so many fun moments -- the mock-cerebral inner dialogs of the half-wit hero, the amazing costumes (were they serious back then?), the vintage shots of Catalina Island, Ginger Rogers' fresh plump face, the wonderful "I found my heart in Avalon" soundtrack....

In real life, Wrigley had offered a $25,000 prize for swimming first from Catalina to the mainland. And some actually entered who couldn't swim. But 1932 was the Depression, and people would do anything for a windfall, even if they couldn't.

Of course, much of this seems corny and dated, but watch it more than once, and I think the rustic charm will grow on you. There will never be another Joe E. Brown. After all, "Nobody's perfect."

Lowly shipping clerk Joe Holt (Joe E. Brown) gets bullied at work. He inherits an estate from his rich aunt Minnie but it's all vanished. He does gain a ward in Sam Wellington, the son of her loyal servant. They end up homeless and jobless. Alice Brandon (Ginger Rogers) spots him in the harbor to Catalina Island. She mistakes him for a different Joe Holt. The water-phobic Joe is assumed to be the swimming champion Joe Holt and is expected to compete in a swimming race. Macho Ed Dover challenges him and Alice is desperate for him to beat Dover.

Joe E. Born has his gaping mouth and facial comedy. The premise is functional screwball comedy. It doesn't really make sense that he gets up after coming up with his great injury excuse. It would take a lot more to get a rise out of him. It would take Ginger Rogers sexing it up. This is pre-Code after all. The premise loses steam over time. This is fine but nothing that great.

"You Said a Mouthful" is a very odd comedy, as you are expected to root for a guy who is a complete fraud and a liar! Strange, but true!

When the story begins, Joe (Joe E. Brown) is fired from the company where he invented an unsinkable bathing suit. Soon, he learns he's the heir to an estate...but ends up gaining only $5 and a new son, Sam (Farina Hoskins). Soon the pair are destitute and Joe needs a job...when he is mistaken for a Canadian swimming champion bound for a big race at Catalina Island. Instead of admitting the mistake, Joe goes along with it and soon falls for Alice (Ginger Rogers). So what will he do when the race day finally arrives? Well, he'll do what any hero would do...cheat, cheat and cheat some more!

The message in this film is twisted if you think about it. Lie and cheat...that's the secret to success in this movie!! But if you can ignore this, the film is pleasant and enjoyable...and Farina (from the Little Rascals) is a nice sidekick for Joe and it's nice that the expected black jokes did NOT occur in the film. Overall, worth seeing even with a strange moral!