Elmer, the Great

Let's see, a near-insufferable Joe. E. Brown bets $5,000 on his Cubbies and doublecrosses some gamblers. Hmmm... sounds familiar. One of the amazing things about this movie and Brown's own ALIBI IKE (1935) is that they have basically identical plot elements (an obnoxiously likable player vs. gamblers) AND focus on the Chicago Cubs (prominently featured against the NY Yankees). You can never fault Warner's for any inability to squeeze the last buffalo nickel out of plot formula. The final game-in-the-rain sequence is ingeniously edited and if you think about it, you can sense the director's frustration at intercutting his scenes with an actual big-league ball game. Patricia Ellis looks terrific and it's hard to believe she's barely 17 here. Joe E. Brown can be an acquired taste--- a face of a bulldog crossed with a catcher's mit, he can overplay the obnoxious bit to the hilt or act unbelievably dumb, often simultaneously. But also keep in mind that he was over 40 when this movie was shot and the guy kept himself in incredible shape. He's ripped. It's too bad that Brown would ultimately shoot himself in the professional foot by leaving Warner's for the cheapskate producer David L. Lowe's RKO deal and his career would nose dive... a move that he would later call the greatest mistake of his life. Watch this and count all the modern day suspensions Elmer racks up... He's a 1933 Pete Rose.