Whatever one thinks about Joe deRita's talent and appeal, watching this film will give you a real "behind-the-scenes" feel for his abilities as an entertainer. In terms of low-brow vaudeville and burlesque, he was the "real deal" (for what it's worth), who managed to survive and make a living in the lower-rungs of show-biz.
And that's what I find fascinating about this short..the best, I think, of the 4 solo "comedies" he made for Columbia, which were largely re-cycled (line-for-line in some cases) from older shorts starring the hapless Andy Clyde. "Slappily Married" for instance, is absolutely painful to watch, despite the fact that Ed Bernds..who did such FABULOUS work at this very same time with Moe, Larry and Shemp..was directing.
Despite the obnoxious, grating presence of the "Nov-Elites", Jitter-Bughouse gives us an excellent idea of live COMMERCIAL entertainment in the late '40's, with vaudeville all but dead, and the phenomenal popularity of radio about to begin its decline due to the advent of the TV era. The "Nov-Elites" were a REAL commercial singing/comedy/novelty act, and watching and listening to them (as annoying as it may be) provides a "snapshot" of that genre of Show-biz in 1948.
Then there's JOE DeRITA who, as a USO performer during WWII, served as Bing Crosby's sidekick in several grueling and very dangerous stage tours close to the Nazi front in France. This in itself is notable, and should increase our appreciation of Joe and his career as a performer...whether one finds him funny or not. What's really cool are the couple of brief DANCE bits in "Jitter-Bughouse", where Joe displays his fancy footwork; he was, despite his girth, very agile and light-on-his-feet!
The premise of this short is interesting, but it's clearly a feeble framework upon which to hang the antics and routines of Joe and Nov-Elites; Emil Sitka's reaction shots in the final scenes are really dumb, and serve to illustrate the slap-dash nature of the "mental illness" subplot.
And so, in addition to the actual entertainment value of this short (or lack thereof), "Jitter Bughouse" serves as a curious and fascinating glimpse of the Show-biz industry during this crucial post-WWII era in America. LR.
