Diplomaniacs (1933)

Barbers Willy Nilly and Hercules Glub have opened a barbershop in an Indian reservation, where they have no customers. When suddenly a white man asks for a shave, several Indians of the ... See full summary »

Director:

William A. Seiter

Writers:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz (screen play), Henry Myers (screen play),

Stars:

Bert Wheeler, Robert Woolsey, Marjorie White

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bert Wheeler	...	Willy
Robert Woolsey	...	Hercules
Marjorie White	...	Dolores
Phyllis Barry	...	Fifi
Louis Calhern	...	Winkelreid
Hugh Herbert	...	Chinaman
Edgar Kennedy	...	Chairman - Peace Conference
Richard Carle	...	Captain

Storyline

Barbers Willy Nilly and Hercules Glub have opened a barbershop in an Indian reservation, where they have no customers. When suddenly a white man asks for a shave, several Indians of the Oopadoop nation also enter, hearing the usual barbershop banter about foreign debts, they force them to be ambassadors of their nation at the Peace conference in Geneva. Ammunition industry executive Winkelreid is scheming to prevent their mission becoming an success, but the vamp Dolores aboard the ship fails, falling in love with Nilly, and so does Fifi, the toughest person of the world in Paris, falling for Glub. Although Winkelreid is able to steal their secret papers, Nilly and Glub don't give up after being reminded by constant observation of their Indians and enter the Peace conference, which turns out to be a battlefield...

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Plot Keywords:

peace conference | barber | vamp | native american | french maid | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 May 1933 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Liga das Mulheres

Filming Locations:

RKO Studios - 780 Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

61 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Preserved by the Library of Congress.

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Quotes

Willy Nilly: What do you think of the Einstein theory?
Hercules Glub: The Einstein theory? They'll never be able to enforce it.

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Connections

Featured in Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood (2008)

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Soundtracks

"The Old Folks at Home (Swanee River)"
(1851) (uncredited)
Written by Stephen Foster
Danced by Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey

User Reviews

Wheeler & Woolsey Journey Into A State Of Confusion

A pacifistic Indian tribe sends two zany barbers to be its envoys at the Peace Conference in Geneva. The DIPLOMANIACS soon find themselves up against the machinations of spies working for a powerful munitions company who have a vested interest in seeing that war continues the demand for their explosive bullets.

Wheeler & Woolsey take a plot ridiculous even by their standards and manage to get some solid laughs out of it. The Boys (Bert Wheeler is the little fellow with the curly hair; Robert Woolsey is the skinny guy with the cigar & glasses) are always tremendous fun to watch, but the viewer who tries to find anything meaningful or coherent in this film would be wasting their time. However, in its own goofy way, DIPLOMANIACS holds its own against DUCK SOUP & MILLION DOLLAR LEGS, two contemporary films with which it shares an hysterical point of view.

The Boys are given a fine supporting cast, each of whom get to shine for a few moments, as they are given no chance for any real character development: Louis Calhern as the suave master spy; Edgar Kennedy as the harried head of the Peace Conference; elderly Richard Carle as an inebriated ship's captain; spunky little Marjorie White as Wheeler's violent love interest, choking him into submission (a very funny comedienne nearly forgotten today, a tragic car wreck would claim her life two years after the release of this film); and Hugh Herbert as an inscrutable proverb-spouting Oriental. Movie mavens will spot Charlie Hall as an eager beaver valet.

Wheeler & White fight their way through `Sing To Me' - while the Boys vocalize with `On The Boulevard' and `No More War.'