Going Wild (1930)

Director:

William A. Seiter

Writers:

Henry McCarty (writer)
James Montgomery (play)

Release Date:

21 December 1930 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Romance

Tagline:

Whizzy Whirls -- Dizzy Girls. It's Good To The Last Laugh!

Plot:

Rollo and Lane just happen to be tossed off the train at White Beach where Robert Story -Air ace and writer- is supposed to stop...

Plot Keywords:

Remake | Farce | Based On Play

Cast

Joe E. Brown	...	Rollo Smith
Lawrence Gray	...	Jack Lane
Ona Munson	...	Ruth Howard
Walter Pidgeon	...	'Ace' Benton
Laura Lee	...	Peggy Freeman
Frank McHugh	...	'Rickey' Freeman
May Boley	...	May Bunch
Anders Randolf	...	Edward Howard
Arthur Hoyt	...	Robert Story
Johnny Arthur	...	Simpkins
Fred Kelsey	...	The Train Conductor
Sam Cantor	...	Sammy
Harvey Clark	...	Herndon Reamer
Larry Banthim	...	Matt Gore

Runtime:

68 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Vitaphone

Company:

First National Pictures

Trivia:

In September 1928, Warner Bros. Pictures purchased a majority interest in First National Pictures and from that point on, all "First National" productions were actually made under Warner Bros. control, even though the two companies continued to retain separate identities until the mid-1930's, after which time "A Warner Bros.-First National Picture" was often used.

Movie Connections:

Remake of The Aviator (1929)

Other than the fact that this comedy isn't funny, I guess it's an agreeable enough time-passer

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Other than in SOME LIKE IT HOT, I have never been a huge fan of the comedies of Joe E. Brown. A few are amiable enough but none of them seem all that funny or memorable. This film manages to be a little less likable and interesting than most. Now if you ARE a rabid fan of Brown, then consider this as you read my review.

Brown and his friend (who have almost no chemistry together as partners) wander into a town where everyone is expecting a famous author to arrive by train. However, the author inexplicably doesn't want all the adulation and the two guys are mistaken for the author. Why they decide to do this isn't at all clear--I guess they just read it in the script, as I could see no other reason for their going on this elaborate and later very dangerous ruse. For a while the two guys eat a lot of free meals and chase women and there seems to be no real direction for the film or laughs. However, in the end, Brown is convinced to enter an air race (even though he has no idea how to fly) and he somehow wins AND gets the girl--though NONE of this makes any sense at all and is accompanied by a lot of cheesy special effects (i.e., a rear projected screen)!

The bottom line is that this is a time-passer and nothing more. If you are looking for laughs, you might find more in the average Boris Karloff film!