Doctor, Feel My Pulse

Back in 1937, Charley Chase made a short for Columbia called "Calling All Doctors". It was a funny short film but suffered from one huge problem....subtlety. The film was anything but subtle and often chose the lowbrow approach...much like Columbia's other shorts. And, like other Columbia shorts, it ended up getting remade twice....and the first remake was "Doctor, Feel My Pulse" with Vera Vague (Barbara Jo Allen).

When the story begins, Vera is a hopeless hypochondriac....and here is where the film really overdid it. Instead of showing it with any sort of finesse, the film goes way overboard...and NO ONE is that big a dopey hypochondriac! Soon, she goes to see a doctor because of her many complaints and accidentally assumes the man talking with her is a doctor. After all...he says he's a doctor! But he's actually a severely disturbed patient...and he soon informs Vera she's got four hours to live! What's next?

Despite not being the least bit subtle, this IS a funny short film. Original? No...but funny.