Listening In

Arthur Stone is married to Nancy Lyon. Through a mixup, a judge thinks he's engaged to Dorothy Granger and marries them. Miss Lyon finds out.

One of the issues I have with Mack Sennett's movies in this period, and especially those directed by Leslie Pearce, is they are little more than a collection of gags on a theme. This might strike you as an odd thing to complain about in a comedy, but even the most farcical movie needs the connective tissue of an actual story to make it more than a revue. Pearce didn't seem to care, assuming, of course, that his writers gave him anything to work with.

With George Byron, Marvin Loback, and John Waldron.

"Listening In" is a very frustrating film to watch. On one hand, the difficult to believe plot is very funny and had seriously good possibilities. However, the way the movie handled this funny situation AND the ending really pulled the quality down...way down.

A man is convinced by his friend to come along with him as he goes out with a young lady. Why he wants him along, I have no idea. Would you want a friend tagging along?! Regardless, when a phone call is made, the wife of the married man overhears and thinks her husband is going on a date....not his friend. So, the wife is stinking mad and heads to the hotel where the three some have gone. But there are two things she doesn't know...the friend just married the woman, so going to a hotel is no biggie. And, the husband insists his friend and his new wife use his room, since it's a suite and it is his wedding night.

Now, this situation is a bit tough to believe...I'll admit that. But when the angry wife arrives, you would THINK all sorts of comedy would ensue. Well, it doesn't. Instead, since it's a Mack Sennett comedy, it resorts to ancient and very outdated slapstick...with the wife running about shooting wildly. This just isn't funny and looks like a film circa 1914.

Overall, this one starts very well...and ends rather poorly. Sad...as it SHOULD have been really good.