So This Is Africa (1933)

Director:

Edward F. Cline

Writer:

Norman Krasna (story)

Release Date:

22 April 1933 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey play a couple of broke, hungry vaudevillians who are holed up in a hotel room with a few (tame) lions...

Plot Keywords:

Lion | Africa | Entertainer | Beautiful Woman

Cast

Robert Woolsey	...	Alexander
Bert Wheeler	...	Wilbur
Raquel Torres	...	Leader of Amazon Women
Esther Muir	...	Mrs. Johnson-Martini
Berton Churchill	...	President
Henry Armetta	...	Street Cleaner
Spencer Charters	...	Doctor

Runtime:

61 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Quotes:

[Tarzana and Wilbur are coming out of her tree hut and are seen by Alexander]
Alexander: Where were you last night? What happened? Whose fault was it? Answer me yes or no!
Wilbur: Yes.
Alexander: Just as I expected. You ought to be ashamed of yourself.
Wilbur: I was up a tree.
Alexander: Yeah? What were you doing?
Wilbur: I was doing all right.

hacked but funny Wheeler and Woolsey

Originally filmed at some 90 minutes, Wheeler and Woolsey's only film at Columbia was chopped at the insistence of the censors and never re-released until its emergence on TCM some sixty-odd years later.

Wilbur and Alexander are failed lion tamers, who have a small tribe of toothless tame lions they won in a raffle. These lions are of great interest to a film company who need a film about Africa. So, the hapless two and their animals go on safari, alongside the oversexed Mrs Martini.

The jokes are fairly thick and fast in this 65 minute print, which includes a passionate female Tarzan, a huge group of Amazons, a foot-licking bear, a gorilla called Josephine, and a couple of musical numbers (one spoofing Minnie the Moocher).

Although usual cutie Dorothy Lee is missing, Raquel Torres and Esther Muir do well as the love interests for the boys, and Wheeler and Woolsey themselves are on fairly good form.