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The plot to this film is unusual in that it really seems like a 50s or 6os sit-com....seriously. However, this plot doesn't become very apparent at first and the initial portion of the film is just plain weird.

Grouchy old Uncle Claude arrives at an oceanfront resort with his two young granddaughters. It is VERY obvious that he is NOT there to have fun and nothing about the guy would say fun. Uncle Claude is simply a grouchy old guy...but a very rich one. Because of this, Letty (Charlotte Greenwood) annoys him incessantly trying to get him to buy ridiculous beauty treatments from the hotel's spa. She is so brash and so annoying that the old guy leaves the hotel--hoping to stay at his nephew's home. That way, too, he'll finally get to meet the young man's wife. Little does he know that Letty is the wife!

The next portion of the film is pure sit-com. It seems that the nephew is a bit irritated and horrified at Letty and her crazy lifestyle. He finds much more in common with his homemaker neighbor. However, this neighbor's husband isn't very happy with her--he thinks she is really dull. So, the two wives decide to switch husbands for a few days to let the husbands know if this is what they REALLY want. Plus, that way they can pass off the nice and domestic lady as the nephew's wife. Can this possibly work?

Overall, this is a fun little film that occasionally lets down the viewer due to the old fashioned nature of the plotting. Plus, you'll either love Miss Greenwood in this one or you'll hate her, as she does come on bigger than life!

Six-foot Charlotte Greenwood is brash, just on the edge of being irritating; but she is also likeable. Dominating the scenes with amazing energy, she leaps and strides and races through the film. Yet, the movie is hardly up to her vigor. The plot is quite flimsy and improbable with a scene at the beginning that seems totally out of place. The film is obviously a vehicle for Greenwood, showcasing her talents. Grant Withers is good in his role as a husband who doesn't wish to be too domesticated. It's interesting to note that the men work, apparently, but one never knows at what. The musical numbers are mediocre.

You may know Charlotte Greenwood from her Aunt Eller in "Oklahoma!", or from one of the many Fox musicals where she was featured. Hardly leading lady material, with a six-foot frame, endless high-kicking legs, and a face that worked only in character parts, she nevertheless possessed star quality in abundance, and Warners top-billed her in this adaptation of her stage success. It's a flimsy comedy with songs about two dissatisfied couples who try wife-swapping, but it's hardly "Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice," and the setup exists mainly to keep Charlotte singing, high-kicking, and clowning. All these she does with ebullience and a marvelous singing voice, and she plays well opposite both hubby Bert Roach and other-man Grant Withers, who's a hot young lad with a wicked disposition. The songs are pretty good, Lloyd Bacon's direction has pace, and Claude Gillingwater, as an annoying old man, is an annoying old man. Hampered as it is by early-talkie arthritic camera movement and uncertain sound recording, it's a valuable archive of a beloved theater performer who worked steadily in film, but seldom got to strut her stuff as she does here.

SO LONG LETTY (Warner Brothers, 1929), directed by Lloyd Bacon, is an early sound presentation with material that presents itself like a1950s television situation comedy, minus the laugh track and audience applause. It stars Charlotte Greenwood, who reprises her 1916 stage role farce by Elmer Harris, which was reworked in the silent era for Robertson Cole Studios in 1920 starring Colleen Moore and T. Roy Barnes. While this sound edition could have had to studio use its own contract comedienne as the wild and crazy Winnie Lightner, the powers that be were smart enough to have Charlotte Greenwood reprise her original role as Letty, who is both magnificent and hilarious. Fortunately for having survived intact, SO LONG LETTY still provides loads of laughter after all these years.

Opening title: "During the height of the season at the Ardmore Beach Hotel, you can get an excellent six dollar room for thirty-five dollars a day." Registering at the hotel is cranky millionaire Claude Davis (Claude Gillingwater Sr.), president of the Ketchup and Tomato Company, accompanied by his granddaughters, Ruth (Marion Byron) and Sally (Helen Foster), for a visit with his nephew, Tommy, living in a bungalow a half mile down the road. After settling down, Letty Robbins (Charlotte Greenwood), representative of the hotel beauty parlor better known as "Beauty's handmaiden" arrives with a sales pitch of beauty aides for the granddaughters. With her annoyance failing to make an impression, Davis angrily checks out and goes someplace else for peace and quiet. Next scene finds Letty's husband, Tommy (Bert Roach), returning home to find his wife not home yet with their cottage in disorganized state. Smelling a home cooked dinner being made next door, Tommy goes to pay a visit with Grace Miller (Patsy Ruth Miller) until his wife returns. Enter Uncle Claude, who believes the clean-cut cottage belonging to Tommy and mistaking Grace to be his wife. While Uncle Claude intends on giving Tommy his inheritance and lead to believe "Mrs. Robbins" is going to have a baby, Letty enters the scene. Rather than telling his uncle the truth, he passes Letty off as his next door neighbor. Upon Uncle Claude's departure finds Grace and her husband, Harry (Grant Withers), and Tommy and Letty at odds with each other, wishing they have married someone else. Harry and Tommy come up with the idea by switch partners for a week to see how the other half lives. With Letty living with Harry, and Tommy living with Grace, situations become even more complex when Uncle Claude returns to the scene. Let the fun begin!

During its fast-pace 64 minutes, SO LONG LETTY fits in for some fine tunes with clever lyrics, including: "The Beauty Shop" (Sung by Charlotte Greenwood); "So Long, Letty" (sung by Bert Roach and Greenwood); "My Strongest Weakness" (sung by Greenwood); "You're One Sweet Little Kiss" (sung by Grant Withers); "Clowning" (sung by Greenwood, Roach and Withers); "So Long, Letty" and "So Long, Letty" (reprises). While "My Strongest Weakness" is the film's strongest song, "Am I Blue?" and "Let Me Have My Dreams," introduced in ON WITH THE SHOW (1929), are heard mostly as background music. Other members of the cast are Harry Gribbons (Joe Casey); Hallam Cooley (Clarence DeBrie); Lloyd Ingraham (The Judge) and Wilbur Mack (The Desk Clerk).

For an early talkie, SO LONG LETTY is underscored through much of it, almost like a silent movie with dialogue and no inter-titles. Other than Charlotte Greenwood's fine comedic timing that serves the film's purpose for fine amusements, including her dog howling cry, it's also interesting seeing Bert Roach in a major role as opposed to later years reduced to unbilled bit parts. Let's not forget Roach in his co-starring role in director King Vidor's silent classic, THE CROWD (MGM, 1928) starring Eleanor Boardman and James Murray. Very much a reproduced stage play which takes place mostly in two bungalows, SO LONG LETTY is never dull. Its only disappointment is when the series of mishaps is all over.

Never distributed on home video, but later found on DVD through Turner Home Entertainment, SO LONG LETTY gets occasional broadcasts on cable television's Turner Classic Movies, where a handful of long forgotten gems as SO LONG LETTY to be brought back to life again. (***)

This film is probably of interest to early talkie fans only. It was made to showcase Charlotte Greenwood, the long lanky star of the stage that Warner Brothers signed to try out in talking pictures. Originally slated for the role of Mabel in The Gold Diggers of Broadway, this turned out to be her first feature length talking picture.

The film is often classified as a musical, but it isn't really. Charlotte Greenwood gets an opportunity to sing just a few songs, and actually the tunes are not that memorable. The comedy is pretty good and Greenwood is a natural before the camera. The basis of the plot is that Letty (Greenwood) likes to party and hates housework but is married to a home-body, Tommy Robbins (Bert Roach). Next door, Harry Miller (Grant Withers) likes to savor the nightlife, while his wife Grace is the homebody. The two husbands talk it over and decide they would like to swap wives on a trial basis. The wives agree, seeing this as an opportunity to teach their husbands a lesson - that the grass is not always greener. The husbands explain to their wives there will be a swap - but not really (implying no sex, just the home atmosphere will be involved).

To complicate matters, Tommy's rich Uncle Claude is in town and plans to leave Tommy his money, but only if he approves of his wife. Unfortunately for Tommy, Claude really approves of Grace (not his wife), but has had a previous run-in with Letty and as a result dislikes her strongly. Tommy getting his inheritance thus relies on him keeping this wife swapping charade believable at least while Claude is in town.

Marion Byron shows up here as one of Claude's two granddaughters. She doesn't get many lines but she is as saucy here as she is in her other supporting roles at Warner Brothers during the early talkie era. I liked Grant Withers here better than I liked him in most of his other early talking Warner Brothers roles, mainly because he is not trying so hard to be the wise-cracking smart guy that usually just made him come across as obnoxious and goofy.

If you are interested in early talkies I recommend it. Also, the plot element of wife-swapping will probably make it of interest to pre-code fans.