Old Hutch (1936) Poster

(1936)

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7/10
Finding $100,000 seemed like a big bonanza to Wallace Beery, but he's in for several surprises.
Art-2225 July 2001
A delightful comedy centering on Wallace Beery finding a small box with 100 $1000 bills. He's a shiftless, lazy father of six and hasn't worked since the day he married Elizabeth Patterson. Because it would be too suspicious to try to change a $1000 bill, he decides to work to accumulate enough money so that he could start spending his new-found fortune. Until then, he buries it under a tree by the lake. The screenplay is cleverly written, with lots of surprises and some romance between his eldest daughter, Cecilia Parker, and the town's rich banker's son, Eric Linden. But it's Beery's film from the start and is a very enjoyable entertainment.

There's a glaring error in the credits: James Burke is credited onscreen in the role of the bank teller, but if you know the character actors of the 30's, you'll recognize that it was James Bush in the role. Because of the similarity of the names, it's more than likely that it was just a typographical error and that Burke was never even considered for the part (he's not right for it). Another problem I noticed was the character names of the Perkin twins, Caroline and Julia. They are credited onscreen as Sally and Florrie, but they are called Carrie and Julie (probably their real life nicknames) in the film.
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6/10
Mostly for Beery fans only!
JohnHowardReid18 November 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Wallace Beery (Hutch), Eric Linden (Dave), Cecilia Parker (Irene), Elizabeth Patterson (Mrs Hutchins), Robert McWade (Jolly), Caroline Anne Perkins (Sally), Julia Ellen Perkins (Florrie), Delmar Watson (Allie), Harry Watson (Freddie), James Burke (teller), Virginia Grey (girl), Donald Meek (Gunnison), Scotty Beckett (Roy), Frank Reicher (district attorney), Norman Willis (surveyor), Wilbur Mack (judge), Frank Jenks (crook), Zeffie Tilbury (elderly woman), George Chandler (cigar store clerk), Dennis Morgan (youth).

Director: J. WALTER RUBEN. Screenplay: George Kelly. Based on the short story, "Old Hutch Lives Up To It" by Garret Smith. Photography: Clyde De Vinna. Film editor: Frank Sullivan. Art directors: Cedric Gibbons, Stan Rogers. Set decorator: Edwin B. Willis. Music score: Dr William Axt. Sound recording: Douglas Shearer. Western Electric Sound System. Producer: Harry Rapf. Copyright 23 September 1936 by Metro Goldwyn Mayer Corp. New York opening at the Globe: 6 December 1936. 8 reels. 79 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: Town layabout finds $100,000 buried near his favorite fishing spot. In order to explain his acquisition of wealth, he decides to reform and get a job.

COMMENT: Although his solo starring vehicles did not find favor with the carriage trade or in the more genteel suburbs of big cities, Wallace Beery was an extremely popular actor around the sticks, in working-class cinemas generally, and in Detroit's bigger neighborhood theaters in particular.

In this re-make of a 1920 Will Rogers vehicle, "Honest Hutch", Beery cleans up in what is virtually a one-man show. He over-acts a treat, the scriptwriter handing him plenty of dialogue and the director indulging him with long takes.

Aside from Elizabeth Patterson, who has the thankless role of Hutch's long-suffering wife (one wishes that some of her scenes were cut as she tends to be more irritating than amusing, but at least one has no trouble identifying with Hutch's overwhelming desire to go fishing), the other players (even the lovely Cecilia Parker) have little to do.

In short, "Old Hutch" was a crowd-pleaser aimed squarely at Beery's fans. In America, England and Australia these fans added up to a pretty formidable bunch, both in numbers and devotion. Would you believe that in 1935 and again in 1936 and 1937 and 1938, Wallace Beery received more overseas fan mail than any other Hollywood star!
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