Catch-As Catch-Can

Catch as Catch Can (1931)

** (out of 4)

Flat comedy from Hal Roach has a wrestler growing homesick before a big fight so his manager fixes him up with Zasu Pitts who grew up on the farm as well. That night Zasu drags Thelma Todd to the fight where more than just one match breaks out. This Pitts-Todd comedy isn't as bad as some of them and it's not as good as some of them. Pretty straight comment but this short really doesn't do much to try and stand out and at times I kept wondering if the screenwriters had forgotten to throw any comedy in. The first half of the film takes place at the hotel where nothing funny happens unless the writers thought having the wrestler rip up his trunk would be funny. The girls play switchboard operators but nothing is every done with it. The second half of the film contains a few laughs once the girls get to the wrestling match including one funny scene where they're walking down a row of chairs trying to get to their seats when they come across a very large man who they can't pass. Another funny bit happens when Pitts gets a note that her new friends wants her to wear a hat if she loves him but the man behind her keeps taking it off because he can't see around it.