Cracked Nuts (1931)

To impress his fiancee's aunt, a young man tries to become king in a small kingdom, but the people there have already crowned one, who has won this honor by gambling. So he plans a coup ... See full summary »

Director:

Edward F. Cline

Writers:

Ralph Spence (dialogue), Al Boasberg (dialogue),

Stars:

Bert Wheeler, Robert Woolsey, Dorothy Lee

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bert Wheeler	...	Wendell Graham
Robert Woolsey	...	Zander Ulysses Parkhurst
Dorothy Lee	...	Betty Harrington
Edna May Oliver	...	Aunt Minnie Van Varden
Leni Stengel	...	Queen Carlotta
Stanley Fields	...	General Bogardus
Boris Karloff	...	Boris - First Revolutionary
Frank Thornton	...	Revolutionary

Storyline

To impress his fiancee's aunt, a young man tries to become king in a small kingdom, but the people there have already crowned one, who has won this honor by gambling. So he plans a coup d'etat. He tries to achieve this with a bomb, but then something goes wrong...

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Plot Keywords:

king | aunt | oil | wedding | mythical kingdom | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 April 1931 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

65 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Queen Carlotta: Have you never thought seriously of marriage?
Zander U. Parkhurst: Certainly! That's why I'm single.
Queen Carlotta: Ah - love - love is intoxication...
Zander U. Parkhurst: Yeah, and marriage is the hangover!

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Soundtracks

"Dance"
(1931) (uncredited)
Music by Harry Tierney
Lyrics by Ray Egan
Sung and Danced by Bert Wheeler and Dorothy Lee

User Reviews

vaudeville team makes FUN adventure film

Cracked Nuts is a Wheeler and Woolsey vaudeville-type comedy made during the downward spiral of the depression. The patter, jokes, and non-stop puns come out quickly, with pauses for audience laughter (in the first half of the film). The jokes start right from the beginning, even during the opening credits. Look for Boris Karloff, who had already made 60 movies by 1931. Director Ed Cline had been directing comedies since 1916, so he certainly knew his business. He had also directed most of the W C Fields movies, which explains the great comedic timing. Character actress Edna May Oliver is Aunt Minnie, who always played the disapproving, prim & proper matriarch in Tale of Two Cities, Little Women, and tons of other movies. Beautiful Dorothy Lee, with her big expressive eyes, plays Betty Harrington, and had already made several movies with Wheeler & Woolsey, so she knew their timing. German actress Leni Stengel plays Carlotta. Fun, if a little dated, (note the blocks of ice being delivered at the start of the movie) it has the feel of an Abbott & Costello film. Although the plot and jokes are the stars here, unlike in an A & C movie, where it was more about the stars. It was made prior to the Hays Code, and except for a gay reference at about 23 minutes in, it is not at all sexual or naughty, although there are opportunities, since the king is wears a kilt... This 1931 version does not seem to be related to the 1941 film of same name, which was also directed by Ed Cline. For an even funnier Wheeler and Woolsey film, watch Peach O Reno...