I'd seen any number of appearances by Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy back in the 1950's on variety shows, but never knew they appeared in film shorts like the one presented in "Pure Feud". It's actually a pretty entertaining vehicle, and without the one on one banter between ventriloquist and dummy on a variety stage, it's almost easy to forget that McCarthy is a wooden character when set in an ongoing story. The backdrop to this one is a classic hillbilly feud between the McCarthy's and the Jenkins', and it's a bit curious to see the rules enforced in the proceedings. There's a strict eight hour time limit imposed on a daily basis with breaks for dinner when the feuding principals check their weapons before they can eat. For 1934, this one reeler showed a lot more imagination and creativity than a whole host of films from the period. They even managed to squeeze in a pretty blonde (Vicki Cummings) impersonating Edgar Bergen's sister, Miss Appletree.
I don't know how one would ever get around to seeing this short unless you were lucky enough to catch it on Turner Classics or a similar cable channel for vintage material. It just happened to follow a Jimmy Cagney film I obtained from a private collector, otherwise I never would have known it existed. I guess it goes along with being in the right place at the right time.
I don't know how one would ever get around to seeing this short unless you were lucky enough to catch it on Turner Classics or a similar cable channel for vintage material. It just happened to follow a Jimmy Cagney film I obtained from a private collector, otherwise I never would have known it existed. I guess it goes along with being in the right place at the right time.