Cracked Nuts

I came to this film having never heard of Wheeler and Woolsey. Reading up, I learned they were a top-grossing comedy duo in the early 1930s. This explains the surprising number of sets and why the script proves little more than a setup for Woolsey’s one-liners.

Wheeler plays a hapless schmuck trying to woo his dream girl. When her aunt objects to their marriage, Wheeler tries to better his position by funding a coup in a remote nation. Upon arrival, he discovers his old friend (played by Woolsey) has already assumed the crown. Boris Karloff plays a conman duping Wheeler.

It’s a convoluted plot that I didn’t find funny, but the high production values kept it watchable. Chalk it up as a well-produced disappointment.