Alibi Bye Bye

During the 1930s, Clark & McCullough were a popular comedy team on stage. However, in films they only made a minor splash--with about three dozen short films to their credit. Part of the reason they didn't do full-length films was their style of humor--it was wild and crazy but exhausting to watch. But the biggest reason is because Paul McCullough killed himself...and Clark's career, not surprisingly, took a plunge. Looking back, you almost wonder why the studios didn't try combining Bobby Clark with Bert Wheeler, as Wheeler's annoying partner Robert Woolsey was much like Clark in looks and style...plus they all worked for RKO. Regardless, there are only a few of the Clark & McCullough shorts available and "Alibi Bye Bye" is one of them.

The film owes a lot to the earlier Laurel & Hardy film "Sons of the Desert". In it, Stan and Ollie pretend that they're going on a cruise for Ollie's health...but they're really headed for fun at Atlantic City.

In "Alibi Bye Bye", Clark & McCullough have a very interesting business in Atlantic City--they take photos with fake backdrops (such as Washington, DC) so that philandering spouses have alibis when they return home! All this comes to a head when a husband and wife separately plan on a week of whoopee and they are staying in the same hotel! Can the boys help the pair avoid each other or will there be a wild confrontation?

This film is almost non-stop action--enough for a 50 minute film instead of a 20 minute short. Some of the jokes and action do fall flat...and Clark's stupid growling is really annoying. But a lot of the silliness is rather fun and charming...if you could call adultery charming, that it!