Allez Oop (1934)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Directors:

Buster Keaton
Charles Lamont

Writers:

Ewart Adamson (writer)
Ernest Pagano (writer)

Release Date:

25 May 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Short

Plot:

When Buster's girlfriend falls for a trapeze artist, Buster tries to beat him at his own game.

Plot Keywords:

Two Reeler

Cast

Buster Keaton	...	Elmer
Dorothy Sebastian	...	Paula Stevens
George J. Lewis	...	The Great Apollo
Harry Myers	...	Circus spectator
The Flying Escalantes	...	AcrobaticTroupe

Runtime:

21 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:U

Company:

Educational Films Corporation of America

Not Buster at his best, but nothing to be ashamed of, either

Buster Keaton undoubtedly produced his best work during the silent era, but while his talkies are usually said to be awful fans know that he occasionally managed to shake off his personal difficulties and summon up a touch of the old magic in these later films. Although it was cheaply produced at the Poverty Row studio Educational Pictures, ALLEZ OOP! marks one of those occasions when Buster seems to be giving it the old college try, and the results are surprisingly good.

Buster plays a jeweler named Elmer --the proprietor of Ye Olde Clocke Shoppe, no less-- whose job brings him into contact with Paula Stevens (Dorothy Sebastian), a lady who needs to have her wristwatch repaired. One thing leads to another, and Elmer escorts Paula to a circus, but unfortunately she falls for the trapeze artist. They begin dating, but the guy turns out to be a cad and a coward whose craven behavior nearly costs Paula her life. Elmer, happily, shows up in the nick of time . . .

This film marked a reunion between Buster and Dorothy Sebastian, his leading lady from SPITE MARRIAGE (who was having career problems of her own, obviously). The two of them have a nice flirtation scene together, during which Buster keeps trying to summon up the courage to ask her out while Dorothy tries to urge him on without being too 'forward' about it. It's a sweet scene, and proves that Buster could handle dialog adeptly when it was properly suited to his character. By contrast, the stunt sequence on Buster's jerry-rigged high-wire feels a little forced, and isn't helped by the Three Stooges-style under-cranking which almost always looks cheesy in talkies. Buster didn't need camera tricks to be funny. But the verbal humor is nicely handled here, at any rate, and it's also a boost that Buster proves himself a hero in the acrobatic finale, a nice little throwback to his silent era glory days. All too often, in his MGM features and in some of the other Educational shorts, he comes off as a hopeless dweeb who bungles everything. It's no masterpiece, but over all this two-reeler is pleasant and amusing. Too bad that more of Buster's talkies couldn't have been as assured as ALLEZ OOP!

P.S. Speaking of career trouble, watch for Harry Myers sitting next to Buster in the stands during the circus scene. That's the same Harry Myers who co-starred with Chaplin in CITY LIGHTS in 1931, now reduced to picking up extra work at Educational. Sheesh!