"Fighting Stock" is one of the British Aldwych farces of the 1920s that Tom Walls directed for films in the 1930s. Walls and Ralph Lynn were the principal players on the stage and in these films, and many of the rest of the original stage cast were in the films. A couple of actors had died before the plays were all made into movies.
This is not one of the better stories and films of the series. It comes the closest to screwball, but the dialog in many places goes off into space, especially by Lynn's character, Sydney Rowley. He clearly is supposed to carry most of the comedy, but his character is so ultra-flighty, nonsensical and downright dumb at times, that he's just not that funny. Walls plays Brig. Gen. Sir Donald Rowley, and he has a few clever lines, his usual facial expressions and side glances for comedy, and he's a considerable booze hound in this flick.
The rest of the cast all are quite good for their parts, but the screenplay is very choppy, and the technical aspects of the production are weak.
The story has a definite risqué sense about it, with Sydney going after the married Mrs. Barbara Rivers, who is played very well by Marie Lohr. Then he switches to her step daughter, Eileen Rivers (played very well by Lesley Wareing). Later, Sir Donald tries to put the make on Diana Rivers, who is played well by Veronica Rose. And, there's some mystery in a character, Murlow (played by Herbert Lomas), who Is stalking Diana for a very convoluted reason.
The idea for the story was a good one, but the Ben Travers screenplay puts way too much into a 69-minute film. And the dialog comes so fast and furious that one can get lost as scenes change. Finally, Sydney's character is over-the-top oddball so that he's just not very funny. This is one story in which much less time with hair-brained dialog and more with the action and antics could have produced a very funny comedy.
The Plot reminds one of a superb British comedy of 1957 that starred Peter Sellers, Terry-Thomas, Peggy Mount and a great supporting cast. "Your Past is Showing" was a howl throughout, and had minimal dialog. The story of "Fighting Stock" had the same potential - way ahead of the later film. But instead of going with the human foibles it encompassed, the makers chose instead to showcase a non-stop, goofy, rattle-brained Ralph Lynn character.
Still, the pearls of humor from others of the cast provide good comedy. There is good word play with Sir Donald's name and that of his secretary, Duck. He is later used as a decoy, and one can't help but note the wonderful coincidence of names with the cartoon character that Walt Disney created in 1934 - Donald Duck. Remember, this was first a play performed in the 1920s.
Here are the best lines of this film.
Mr. Rivers, "Yes, I'd heard that the cottage had been let to some person." Gen. Sir Donald Rowley, "Person! By gad, if we're gonna start calling each other names, I warn you, because I'm very good at it."
Gen. Rowley, "Are you trying to suggest that I'm trespassing?" Mr. Rivers, "I tell you, sir, that you're poaching."
Mrs. Barbara Rivers, "You're just a hyena." Sydney Rowley, "Oh, not a high one." Barbara, " You come in here, nosing about, seeing what you can find." Eileen, "Well, you encouraged him." Barbara , "Shut up. Go indoors. And you clear out."
Barbara Rivers, "My dear Eileen. You wait until you know men as well as I do." Eileen, "I don't wanna wait all that time."
Gen. Sir Donald, "So I bring you down here for a nice quiet fortnight's fishing, and before you've been here 24 hours, you start foolin' about with your neighbor's wife."
Eileen, "A nice way to bring up your daughter - sending her to bed with a crooner."
Sir Donald, "Duck!" Duck, "Good morning, Sir. Donald." Sir Donald, "You're pretty late." Duck, "The train was late, Sir Donald." Sir Donald, "Well next time, you'd better take yesterday's. What've you brought?"
Eileen, "But don't you think it's best for a girl to know all about the man she's going to marry?" Sydney, "No dear, otherwise she wouldn't marry him."
Sir Donald, "Go to Mr. Sydney's room, and see if he's in. And if he is, you needn't come and tell me." Duck, "And if he's not?" Sir Donald, "Well, how the devil can you come and tell me he's in if he's not?"
Sydney, "Don't you understand, you're the decoy, Duck?"
