All-American Toothache (1936)

Thelma volunteers Patsy as a subject for her friend who is in dental school and needs somebody to practice on.

Director:

Gus Meins

Stars:

Thelma Todd, Patsy Kelly, Johnny Arthur

Cast

Credited cast:
Thelma Todd	...	Thelma Alice Todd
Patsy Kelly	...	Patricia Veronica Kelly
Johnny Arthur	...	Dental Professor
Mickey Daniels	...	Elmer
Duke York	...	Coach Bill
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jack Cooper

Storyline

The big game at State University depends on whether Elmer 'Bone Crusher' Crump, football hero and dental student, can correctly pull a wisdom tooth. Thelma tries to get fellow waitress Patsy to volunteer hers; the result is wild dental slapstick.

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Plot Keywords:

toothache | dentist

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Genres:

Comedy | Short

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 January 1936 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hal Roach Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

20 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

User Reviews

Aside from having very few laughs, it's an agreeable enough short

I've seen a lot of Thelma Todd and Patsy Kelly films in the last year and I just can't see why they were popular. Todd is pretty enough but has little chemistry and Kelly is probably one of the loudest and most obnoxious comediennes in history--with a loud and awful voice that would have been best gagged! Plus, in this Hal Roach short, they are paired up with another staple of the studio, Mickey Daniels--who MIGHT be even more obnoxious and disagreeable than Ms. Kelly--with a horrid trademark laugh that just wasn't funny. It was VERY obvious that Roach's energy and best writing was reserved for its more profitable teams, such as Laurel and Hardy and the Little Rascals.

In this film, the plot makes no sense at all, but has something to do with Mickey having to pull a wisdom tooth correctly or else he won't be allowed to play in the college's big football game. So, Todd decides to convince her insane friend that she needs a tooth pulled. When I say insane, it really seems that she is supposed to be a schizophrenic, as the film begins with her talking to imaginary people and carrying on conversations with them! This really has NOTHING to do with the rest of the film--it just was there and didn't fit in with the movie. The remainder of the film is really pretty dreary and uninspiring--and resembles more a 3 Stooges film than anything else. The bottom line is that there are VERY FEW LAUGHS--a problem when the film is purported to be a comedy! My advice is find another Hal Roach comedy--ANY other Hal Roach comedy (provided it has different stars, that is).