Parlor, Bedroom and Bath (1931)

A man tries passing off a socially awkward fellow as a Casanova in the hopes of marrying off his would be sister-in-law.

Director:

Edward Sedgwick

Writers:

C.W. Bell (play) (as Charles W. Bell), Mark Swan (play)

Stars:

Buster Keaton, Charlotte Greenwood, Reginald Denny

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Buster Keaton	...	Reginald Irving
Charlotte Greenwood	...	Polly Hathaway
Reginald Denny	...	Jeffrey Haywood
Cliff Edwards	...	Bell Hop
Dorothy Christy	...	Angelica Embrey
Joan Peers	...	Nita Leslie
Sally Eilers	...	Virginia Embrey
Natalie Moorhead	...	Leila Crofton
Edward Brophy	...	Detective
Walter Merrill	...	Frederick Leslie
Sidney Bracey	...	Butler (as Sidney Bracy)

Storyline

Jeff wants to get married to Virginia, but Virginia won't marry until her older, hard-to-please sister Angelica gets married off first. Jeff pretends that a shy, never-married nobody he has just met is really a great lover, in order to get Angelica interested in him.

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Plot Keywords:

slapstick | wife | train crashes into car | sister | train | 

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Taglines:

You've seen great lovers of the screen- but you haven't seen anything until you've seen Buster Keaton doing his stuff- a dozen sweethearts- and every one landed him in more trouble. (Print Ad- Turtle Mountain Star, ((Rolla, N.D.)) 13 August 1931)

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 February 1931 (USA)

Also Known As:

Parlor Bedroom and Bath

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

73 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A modern source lists Eugene Pallette in the cast. Although he was in the 1920 version, he was not in this film.

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Quotes

Jeffrey Haywood: What's the idea of the golf clubs?
Reginald Irving: Oh, I thought maybe if Angelica was late, I could practice puttin'.

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Connections

Spoofed in Parlor, Bedroom and Wrath (1948)

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Soundtracks

Step On It
(uncredited)
Music by Mel Kaufman

User Reviews

One of Keaton's better early talkies

Surprisingly funny for one of Buster Keaton's widely derided MGM talkies. Meek little Buster is built up as one of the world's great lovers, part of a plot to marry off a society dame and clear the way for her younger sister's nuptials. Hijinks ensue in this romantic farce.

Buster may not be doing the incredible stuntwork that made him famous in the silent era, but his lovable persona and physical comedy fit well with the rest of the ensemble in this film. Buster's always fun to watch, and here he's surrounded by a handful of lovely ladies, as well as the inimitable Charlotte Greenwood and familiar character actors Cliff Edwards and Edward Brophy. Greenwood's tall and lanky physical shtick is a great match for Keaton, and their scenes are fun. The extended hotel room scene is a riot, as Buster confusedly practices his seduction technique on several unsuspecting women.