I recently read an older book by Leonard Maltin all about Hollywood shorts. In it, he seemed to have an appreciation of the Pete Smith films that I just have never found myself. I'm not at all saying he's wrong--but the films just haven't appealed to me because of Smith's VERY broad narration as well as the corny humor.
In this installment, Smith narrates as Dave O'Brien does the acting--the same pattern that the pair followed through the 40s and 50s. This film is about home remedies for minor problems and you see O'Brien work on growing hair, curing insomnia and ridding himself of hiccups. The best of the jokes are only okay--many others fall flat. The only part that interested me were the segments on baldness because O'Brien sure looks bald--and either the makeup people did a great job or he hid his hairpiece very well in previous installments of the series. You know it's pretty bad when THIS is the best thing about the short!
