User reviews

If you like old-fashioned corny humor you'll love this. I'm hesitant to give a movie this silly, corny and stupid eight stars but I had to because overall it was fun to watch and provided a number of genuine laughs. In fact, some of the scenes were downright hilarious. A lot of it is innocent old-time slapstick and, if it entertains, it did its job.

This was my first look at early Red Skelton films (I had only known him through his TV show) and it reminded of some Bob Hope films except this one had more slapstick and action.

It inspired me to go out and buy other Skelton comedies on VHS but, unfortunately, none ever measured up to this one. The real star of film might not have been Skelton, anyway, as Rags Ragland, playing the chauffeur, had perhaps the highest percentage of funny lines. The baseball scene in here also was very good.

Yes, this is stupid, generally-speaking, but it's really entertaining. If only two people have reviewed it (as of my review) then apparently a lot of people haven't seen this. That's too bad, especially with the older crowd, because they've missed a funny movie.

The man of many talents, Red Skelton, has some of his funniest moments on screen in this third and final installment of his amateur radio detective, Wally 'The Fox' Benton, series. Keeping up with him most of the way are the marvelous Rags Ragland as Chester the chauffeur, aka press agent, and the vivaciously funny dippy blonde, Jean Rogers, as a dumber than Rags (would you believe?) reporter. Two "dolls" are better than one in a comedy gangster flick. So the viewer is treated to the curvaceous Ann Rutherford as Wally's bride-to-be, Carol Lambert, who has fewer funny lines than the others, but is still delicious icing on the cake.

There are several scenes that are as fresh today as they were sixty-three years ago. One displays the comedic ability of Rags Ragland, who left us way too soon, to illustrate what perfect timing he could bring to a humorous sketch. He is attempting to use the telephone to assist his new client, Wally, when he is driven to anger by an aloof operator. Ma Bell would not receive such a lampooning again until the equally brilliant Lily Tomlin appeared as Ernestine, the telephone operator, nearly thirty years later. Watch too when the comic quartet is trapped in an elevator shaft. All four are dangling in the air, holding on to a precarious cable. Rags exclaims, "I didn't know I weighed so much." It's also a pleasure to see the Brooklyn Dodgers participating in all the shenanigans at the ball park, with Leo Durocher in the limelight. Then there's the final slapstick-filled sequence that ties the loose ends together.

There may be a few clinkers here and there, such as Wally's jibe,"You'll live the life of Riley...that is, if Riley don't come home," a joke that was already stale in 1943. But when a comic is on a roll, there are bound to be a few stale puns. Even Robin Williams and Eddie Murphy fall flat sometimes.

Enjoying the antics of these four clowns may cause the viewer to forget what the plot is about. Which is OK since it's nothing new. The story deals with the mob getting even, police corruption, and a popular radio personality, Wally "The Fox," being mistaken for a hit-man, The Constant Reader. All poor Wally wants to do is get married, honeymoon at Niagra Falls, and take a break from his job. Before he can do that, he must clear himself of the murders he is accused of committing.

Red Skelton's many fans will love this film. Those unfamiliar with Red's humor may miss many of the inside jokes, such as "I dood it," but should enjoy the rest, especially if fans of old-time radio and lovers of slapstick.

Whistling in Brooklyn was the last of three films that Red Skelton did as Wally 'The Fox' Benton, radio criminologist who keeps getting drawn into these real life mysteries via his reputation. Why he didn't just say that he was just an actor playing a role would have saved him a whole lot of trouble. Then again we wouldn't Skelton's Fox films, made at MGM, and they're pretty funny.

Among other things he never quite gets around to is marrying gal pal Ann Rutherford. If another Fox film had been done I'm sure they'll have not done the deed yet again.

There are some murders going on in Brooklyn, the last one being that of a police detective and after each one someone sends the Brooklyn Standard (Eagle) a note as to where the body is and signs it 'Constant Reader'.

At the same time Skelton and his lunkhead man Friday Rag Ragland whom he picked up from the last Fox movie Whistling in Dixie decide that he ought to give out with the publicity stunt that Skelton is really the Constant Reader. That sets up one long chase where Skelton, Ragland, Rutherford, and snoopy reporter Jean Rogers get to solve it all literally on the fly.

Whistling in Brooklyn is a fast paced comedy that is nice and personal for me and for the aging fans of the former Brooklyn Dodgers. There is an extended sequence where Skelton has escaped from both cops and bad guys and has disguised himself as a member of the semi-pro team the Beavers who are playing an exhibition with the Dodgers and they all wear beards. There was a team called the House of David where the players were just like that, they all looked like Hassidic Jews. It was their gimmick and they were an attraction.

MGM did some location work in Brooklyn and such Dodgers as manager Leo Durocher and players like Arky Vaughn, Joe Medwick, Mickey Owen, Billy Herman and Dolph Camilli played themselves. Skelton disguised himself as the Beavers pitcher and took his place on the mound against these guys and retired the side after hitting the first three batters. You've got to see how he does it.

Later on when he's up pitcher Bobo Newsom administers some chin music to Skelton at the plate. Newsom was almost as natural born a performer as Durocher who with this film started hanging around with show business types the rest of his life. Newsom had some right-handed sidearm delivery as you'll see. Those shots of the Brooklyn Dodgers and Ebbets Field are definite treasures that any baseball fan must see.

To tell the truth, the plot is kind of dopey, but the laughs are real enough. For Skelton and baseball fans, a must.

The gags fly thick and fast in this, the last of Skelton's Whistling series for MGM. The pace is so hectic you may have to check your fast-forward. But the first half-hour is near hilarious with the usual Skelton mugging and pratfalls, backed up by experts Rags Ragland and Ann Rutherford, along with clever quips galore, so stay tuned. As usual, the plot amounts to little more than a convenient hat-rack on which to hang Skelton's usual brand of madcap. And what better fare for wartime audiences than a chance to escape the horrors with this slapstick whirlwind. I really did wonder how they would escape the elevator shaft, one of those great moments when you don't know whether to laugh or hide your eyes. And, yes, that is Jean Rogers as the reporter, on a break from Ming the Merciless and his serial effort at conquering the universe and Flash Gordon all in the same breath. There's also a chance to scope out Ebbetts Field and the Brooklyn Dodgers before both were torn down and shipped to LA. All in all, good period fun, even this many years later.

Released in 1943, "Whistling in Brooklyn" is the last of the films which starred Red Skelton as radio detective Wally "The Fox" Benton who gets involved in real-life murders. All he wants to do is marry his girlfriend (Ann Rutherford), but something always delays the wedding. Jean Rogers as a reporter and Rags Ragland appear in this "Whistling." This film concerns a serial killer named 'Constant Reader' who is killing people in Brooklyn. Wally falls under suspicion and tries to solve the crime and escape the police at the same time.

In one sequence, Wally disguises himself as a ball player on a bearded team playing an exhibition with the Brooklyn Dodgers; he has to go out and play a game, while trying to get a message to the police. Some of the Dodgers appeared - Leo Durocher, Arky Vaughn, Joe Medwick, etc. Fun for old-time baseball fans who remember these players.

Skelton can be corny, and some of his humor in this is groan-worthy. But the pace is fast, there are some funny bits, and when Skelton is being serious, he's actually quite sweet and natural. Ann Rutherford is adorable as his girlfriend.

Good fun.

Back in 1933, Ernest Truex starred in "Whistling in the Dark" and it was a charming little comedy/mystery. Eight years later, the film was remade with Red Skelton and is the much more famous version of the story--though I prefer the original. Despite my preference, the Skelton film was so popular that it resulted in two sequels...first "Whistling in Dixie" and then "Whistling in Brooklyn".

A series of murders have occurred and the police are baffled. However, when radio personality Wally Benton (Skelton) seems to know too many details about the killings, they assume he's the killer. Suddenly, cops are pouring out of the woodwork to arrest the guy. At first, he thinks that it's all a gag. After all, he and his fiancé (Ann Rutherford) are on their way to get married and his co- workers are always playing tricks on him. However, when he realizes they are firing REAL bullets, he and his girl and his idiot chauffeur are on the run. Soon, they are not just dodging the police but crooks as well and EVERYBODY seems to want to kill him.

The best part of the film is towards the end, where Wally pretends to be a baseball player in order to alert the police who the real killer is. But he has to be disguised and sports a beard...and knows nothing about playing ball. But, miraculously, all the stupid things he does seem to work! Overall, enjoyable and pretty much more of the same for the short-lived franchise.

This is the third and funniest of Red Skelton's "Whistling" movies about the murderous misadventures of Wally Benton, actor, who plays most of the roles on radio's mystery show, "The Fox". It is a breakneck farce. Skelton and a horde of comedians race their ways through a tale about how Wally is mistaken for a suspected serial murderer when all he wants to do is go on his honeymoon with Anne Rutherford -- and who could blame him?

S. Sylvan Simon, one of MGM's terrific B talents, directed. His specialty was high speed farce and he pulls things off here at a terrific pace. Simon is largely forgotten. He had just produced the movie version of BORN YESTERDAY when he died suddenly at age 41 in 1951. He directed Skelton in four of his movies and knew how to get a good comic performance out of that talented clown.

Skelton had a successful career in the movies, simultaneously with his radio and television gigs from the late 1930s through the mid-50s. His movies are unfamiliar to most people because his contract called for extra fees to him when his movies played on television! Fortunately, they play fairly often now on Turner Classic movies. Do yourself a favor and see this one.

The overabundance of physical comedy in WHISTLING IN BROOKLYN is staggering. Most memorable moment has four of the principals hanging from an empty elevator shaft, each hanging on the the other for dear life and managing, somehow, to swing to safety at another level. It's probably the trickiest bit of physical comedy in the whole film, but the story requires a constant display of these sort of antics from its stars.

Once again, RED SKELTON is "The Fox", this time anxious to clear himself of a murder the mob is responsible for--with Red being mistaken for "The Constant Reader" due to a remark made by his chauffeur RAGS RAGLAND to newspaper reporter JEAN ROGERS. So, instead of going off on his honeymoon with ANN RUTHERFORD, Red is forced to spend the entire film on the lam from the police and the mob until he clears himself after a hilarious ball game at Ebbets Field with the N.Y. Dodgers, including Leo Durocher.

The slapstick is poured on so thick, it almost feels like a silent comedy with Buster Keaton at times. The storyline is slim, the gags fast and furious, and all of it is so far-fetched that it will strain the tolerance of some viewers.

But it does show that Red was a gifted comedian and that ANN RUTHERFORD and JEAN ROGERS were good sports to put up with all the shenanigans and stunts required of the cast--and both of them, by the way, show a flair for physical comedy.

But--not one of the best in the "Whistling" series.

Of course there's a lot of slapstick, juvenile jokes, and near pushing the envelope humor, but more than occasional real zinger routines made me actually laugh out loud, (a real rarity). In all the decades,(too many to tell) I've watched movies, I'd never seen a stunt as good as the one in the elevator shaft. Trick 1943 photography or fantastic stunt doubles, whatever, that was real nail biting entertainment. Rags Ragland had great lines. This must have been his best role. Great to see Ebbetts Field again, especially Abe Stark's sign in right field (Hit sign, win suit). I'm a reanimated Red Skelton fan!

Henceforth, I'm going to be on the lookout for any old Skelton movie.

The third and final movie in the Wally "The Fox" Benton series starring Red Skelton. In this one, Wally and sweetheart Carol (Ann Rutherford) are still trying to get married. Their plans are interrupted by the police thinking Wally is a killer. So Wally, Carol, and Chester (Rags Ragland) all find themselves on the run from the cops. Along for the ride is a reporter (Jean Rogers) trying to get a story.

Red's funny as usual. Ann gets less to do and not as many funny lines as the previous two movies. Rags Ragland, the only constant in the series besides the two leads, is hilarious here. The scene arguing with the telephone operator is a hoot. Other highlights are the elevator shaft scene and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Good cast includes William Frawley, Henry O'Neill, Sam Levene, and Ray Collins. Each movie in the series had a second prominent female actress behind Ann Rutherford. This time it's the very likable Jean Rogers. This was Rutherford's last film on her MGM contract. She would continue acting for decades and even have decent roles in a couple of big movies. But, for the most part, her career trajectory started to decline after she left MGM. Which is a shame. It's a fun movie, better than the second but not as good as the first. Skelton fans will no doubt enjoy it.

Radio personality "The Fox", who solves fictional crimes over the airwaves, is fingered by the police to be a real-life serial killer known as the Constant Reader after one of his radio plays features a clue that matches letters delivered by the actual criminal. Third "Whistling" film for Red Skelton and Ann Rutherford, following 1941's "Whistling in the Dark" and '42's "Whistling in Dixie", has some funny, inventive slapstick scenes mixed in with a lot of outright silliness and corn. An early bit involving a freight elevator is priceless, though the double-header climax (first at Ebbets Field, later down on the docks) is fairly dire. The ladies (Rutherford and the spirited Jean Rogers) are both terrific foils for Red, but chauffeur-sidekick 'Rags' Ragland is a lead weight. Plenty of chases and sight-gags, lots of fast dialogue, a surprising (and funny) gay joke, plus the Brooklyn Dodgers themselves make this a must-see for Skelton's fans. It moves along quickly enough, but the last reel doesn't give the supporting players much to do, and no one bothers to explain why the New York police force are so consistently inept. ** from ****

Another red skelton adventure. when a series of murders are committed, radio personality wally benton (Skelton) gets mixed up in them, and decides the only way to get out of it is to solve them himself. He and Carol (Anne Rutherford) will have to postpone their wedding. and there's a newspaper reporter (Jean Rogers) along for the ride. she was trying to get the scoop on the wedding, but now she's mixed up in it too! and so much screaming and screeching by the girls -- it quickly got annoying. some other fun names in here.. William Frawley (Fred !) is Detective Ramsey, Rags Ragland is Conway. Ray Collins usually turned out to be the bad guy. and somehow, they get caught up in a ball game with the actual players from the Dodgers. it's all silly, the usual red skelton goings on. not bad, but not great. directed by sylvan simon... they made a bunch of films together.

The police is following a series of letters sent by a serial killer. A dead policeman is found in a lighthouse with the latest letter. Radio detective personality Wally "The Fox" Benton (Red Skelton) is getting married to girlfriend co-star Carol Lambert (Ann Rutherford). His dimwitted driver Chester Conway wants to be his press agent and invites newspaper columnist Jean Pringle (Jean Rogers) to write about their wedding. A couple of misunderstood words from her makes The Fox the prime suspect. The police try to arrest him and the gang is soon on the run.

This is the last of a trilogy with Red Skelton's The Fox. It's a fun caper and fun characters. There are also thrills. The elevator shaft is absolutely scary and there is no way any of them are hanging on like that. That is some acrobatics worthy of a circus. I don't mind the investigation which falls into Wally's lap. As for the comedy, I like the timing, the long running gags, and rapid fire dialogue. The one absolute is that I like every one of the foursome. It's a good gang. I do wish the gang could stay together until the end but at least, one gets to see the old Ebbets Field and other places. This is a fun slapstick screwball crime comedy.