Too Busy to Work

"Too Busy to Work" features Will Rogers at his charming best. But, interestingly enough, this film feels a little different than his usual type of film. It seems years ago he was married and had a child, but after having been away serving his country, he comes back only to find his wife had left him for another man. After being a drifter for years now, he decides to find out what ever happened to his wife and the man who stole his life. He finds his daughter, who is of course very sweet and naive, and she takes to him, despite him looking like a bum and a loser. But he doesn't tell her who he is, and the rest of the film is how he fits himself into their lives, including her half-brother Dick Powell. The film moves along with its usual Will Rogers lackadaisical pace, but it is captivating at the same time and it possesses a certain poignancy and sensitiveness to it with the quiet personality of the daughter and the tender scenes between Will Rogers and her. But what does Will do about it? Watch "Too Busy to Work" and see how Will can grab you with his disposition and how he can spend time doing something close to nothing.

The film career of Will Rogers began in the silent days, with a series of feature films produced by Sam Goldwyn. 'Jubilo,' released in 1919, was the biggest box office success of them all, so when sound technology came to Hollywood a decade later it was only natural this property would be dusted off and remade as a talkie. Retitled 'Too Busy to Work,' the new version was released in 1932, at the height of Rogers' popularity as a star of stage, screen, and radio. I've seen both versions ('Jubilo' is one of three features Rogers made for Goldwyn that survives), and while I prefer the silent original each has its merits.

Our central character is Jubilo, a middle-aged hobo with no fixed address, no prospects, and a decided aversion to work. For reasons that are initially unclear he seeks a judge named Hardy (NOT Lewis Stone!), a prosperous man running for high office who Jubilo blames for his lowly condition. He travels to Hardy's town and gets a job at the judge's home as a hired hand. Aside from his antagonistic relationship with the hired man already employed there, Jubilo manages to charm everyone else, especially the judge's pretty stepdaughter, Rose (Marian Nixon). Eventually we learn that years earlier, when Jubilo was away at war, Hardy stole his wife and daughter away. The wife has since died, and daughter Rose doesn't recognize her true father. After various complications involving Rose's fiancée, who is also her step-brother (young Dick Powell in a non-singing role), and a dramatic confrontation with the judge, Jubilo resolves his unfinished business with the Hardy family and moves on.

One reason I prefer the silent version of this material is that the story was much simpler there. Too Busy to Work is, well, a little too busy: over-plotted that is, with a lot of backstory concerning events which took place long before the action begins. We hear about these events, but have to fill in some significant info ourselves, which strikes me as a drawback. But this film is really more about character and atmosphere than plot. There are moments of low-key charm along the way, as well as a mildly amusing sequence when Rose attempts to teach Jubilo how to drive a car, although the humor is undercut by rather obvious rear-screen projection effects.

Rogers is a performer who requires a bit of adjustment for some viewers, as he tends to mumble and throw away his lines. He's very offhand, seemingly unfocused, although I believe he knew exactly what he was doing. At any rate, once you adapt to this star's approach he can be quite appealing; audiences of his era certainly thought so! Too Busy to Work, while not the best movie he ever made, is a pretty good example of a typical Will Rogers vehicle. If you enjoy this one, you might want to try some of the others, such as Life Begins at 40 or Doctor Bull. You may find that the Will Rogers style grows on you.

After fifteen years as a tramp, shuffling Will Rogers (as Jubilo) hops a train to California and locates the man who ran away with his wife, while Mr. Rogers was at war. Though his wife is now deceased, Rogers meets pretty blonde daughter Marian Nixon (as Rose). En route, he witnessed her step-brother and romantic interest Dick Powell (as Dan Hardy) was involved in a bank robbery. Not knowing he is her real father, Ms. Nixon helps Rogers get a job as handyman for successful politician Frederick Burton (as Judge Hardy), the man who stole Rogers' wife. Rogers can either take Burton's life, or forgive him...

Rogers returns to one of his most successful silent film impressions. Explaining, "My assets are temporarily frozen," he easily and expertly drawls his "Jubilo" character. "Too Busy to Work" was a sound re-make for Rogers and Fox Films, but the addition of talking does not enhance the story. Charlie Chaplin's lesson holds true; tramps are more endearing in silence. Still, you get a marvelous example of Rogers' ability to characterize. From a rabbit hunt to a car chase, he is excellent. Conveying a shared heritage, Rogers and Louise Beavers (as "Mammy") take some offense out of the "politically incorrect".

****** Too Busy to Work (12/2/32) John G. Blystone ~ Will Rogers, Marian Nixon, Dick Powell, Frederick Burton

I have seen quite a few of Will Rogers' films and would consider "Too Busy to Work" among the least of his films. Most of the problem is that it looks almost like three sort of films all combined into one--with no clear and distinct tone or theme. It's quite odd and I cannot recall another Rogers film like it.

When the film begins, Jubilo (Rogers) is a bum and he's been on the road for many years. Now, inexplicably, he's decided to go look for his wife and daughter. It seems that the wife left him 18 years ago...and NOW he decides to look them up for some unknown reason.

When Jubilo arrives as his daughter's home, he learns that his ex-wife has died and the daughter lives with her step-father, the judge. You learn that Jubilo is a bum who hates to work and is a nice fellow despite this. The daughter (Marian Nixon) takes an instant liking to Jubilo and invites him to stay as a hired hand--not knowing it's her father.

So far, this is a reasonably good film--a man coming to visit his daughter and deciding exactly what to tell her--if anything. However, two other plot elements arise--and they have no place in the film. The first is about a robbery where the judge's son (Dick Powell) is implicated even though he's innocent. What's shocking about this is that first Jubilo recommends to the young man that he lie his head off to the police. Then, later in the film when the gang comes looking for the guy, Jubilo gets into a gun battle and shoots the gang boss!! Huh?! I thought this was a comedy! Another plot, and this one was disturbing, was when Jubilo met the judge. Jubilo appeared to be threatening the judge--threatening to expose him as a home wrecker. Huh?! Again, I thought this was supposed to be a comedy. How all this works out is just fine--but overall it's a very dissatisfying melange--one that should have been a lot better. The writing is simply the problem with this one despite some strong characters.

Too Busy To Work casts Will Rogers as a hobo who has decided to look up his former wife. It seems that while he was away during the World War in France, she ran off with a guy who has now become a judge and his aiming for higher office like Senator. The wife also took their daughter with her and Rogers has been on the open road since.

When he arrives at the house he finds his former wife has been dead a few years now and the daughter has grown up to be Marian Nixon who is engaged to the judge's son by his first wife Dick Powell.

Before he knew who he was Will watched a holdup where Powell got snookered into driving the getaway car. Seeing how Nixon loves him he covers for him until things work out and Powell is no longer in a jackpot. It also saves the career of Frederick Burton, Powell's father and the object of Rogers vengeance should it come to that.

Too Busy To Work is a decent enough film and for those fans of America's most beloved entertainer and humorist it should satisfy. The most famous of quotations from Will Rogers is that he never met a man he didn't like. It was a statement of his philosophy and how he lived. Try as you might you could never accept Rogers as a man seeking vengeance. It's what weakens Too Busy To Work.

Dick Powell sings no songs, but does give a good account of himself as the juvenile lead. Louise Beavers plays the maid and this woman has a lot of sass in her, unusual for the time.

Rogers fans will like Too Busy To Work.