Here Comes Trouble

Here is the King of Comedy, Hal Roach, on the downslide. This is a very low budget film, a continuation of the series starring William Tracy and Joe Sawyer which was usually the bottom of the double feature at the local theater.

I first saw Tracy as Misto Bottome in "Brother Rat" and thought he was wonderful. He had the look of a mischievous child and oh, that voice!!! He continued to look much younger than he actually was but in this film he is beginning to show his age.

The plot, what there is, revolves around the efforts of a reporter to prove himself to his publisher who is the father of his girlfriend. The finale is a mess......it is the worst type of slapstick with everybody running on and off a stage, falling down, being boffed on the head and generally causing mayhem. It was dated even in 1948. Roach made a career from this type of humor but the times had changed and audiences were not buying it.

Don't get me wrong......I like both Tracy and the excellent Joe Sawyer but this wasn't up to their comedic talents. It's not a total loss but comes pretty close.