Fit to Be Tied (1930)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Ray Cozine

Writer:

George Burns (story)

Release Date:

2 August 1930 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Short

Plot:

George Burns, seeking a tie, is frustrated by department store staff.

Plot Keywords:

Department Store | Breaking The Fourth Wall | Necktie | Salespeople | Crossword Puzzle

Cast

George Burns	...	A Tie Customer (as Burns)
Gracie Allen	...	Miss Allen, a Salesgirl (as Allen)

Runtime:

10 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Soundtrack:

I'm a Whole Lot Wilder Than I Look

Face the camera, Gracie.

George Burns wants to buy a necktie (hence this film's title) but runs afoul of a shopgirl who speaks in extreme 1920s slang. (He also meets a shopgirl with a very proper English accent.) He claims to be the nephew of the store's owner, but this is clearly a ploy to get some service, as a moment later he asks who owns the store. A floorwalker cuts off the tie George is wearing so he can match it with one in stock. Just when things can't possibly get any screwier, George meets Gracie...

'Fit to Be Tied' is a very crude comedy short: at one point, the camera adjusts itself during a shot. There's a reference to Elinor Glyn's steamy novel 'Three Weeks' that will baffle modern viewers. But the byplay between George and Gracie is funny. Gracie Allen's speaking voice annoys me, but here -- singing 'I'm a Whole Lot Wilder Than I Know' -- she reveals an excellent singing voice. Oddly, the director films her in three-quarter view during this sequence, rather than full-on ... was Gracie perhaps worried that the monochrome film would reveal that her eyes were two different colours? The first nine minutes of this 10-minute short are delightful, but the ending is weak. George and Gracie, having run out of material, simply face the camera and wave goodbye! I'll rate this one 6 out of 10.