You're Next! (1940)

Two goofball private detectives are hired to find a millionaire who has been kidnapped by a mad scientist.

Director:

Del Lord

Writers:

Elwood Ullman (screenplay), Harry Edwards (screenplay)

Stars:

Walter Catlett, Monte Collins, Dudley Dickerson

Cast

Cast overview:
Walter Catlett	...	Slocum
Monte Collins	...	Pruitt (as Monty Collins)
Dudley Dickerson	...	Sam

Storyline

Slocum and Pruitt are two bumbling private detectives tracking a mad scientist, "Baby-Face" Wessell," who looks like he just stepped out of a 1930s Universal horror film. They get involved with secret panels, an ape, underground tunnels and mis-matched stock footage.

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Plot Keywords:

partner | slapstick comedy | private detective | mad scientist | detective | 

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Taglines:

"I made such a funny picture, this ape thought he could frame me, the big baboon!" (Spoken to gorilla by Walter Catlett, behind large picture frame).

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Genres:

Short | Comedy | Crime | Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Quotes

[repeated lines]
Slocum: You know what I ought to do to you?
Pruitt: But you haven't time.

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Connections

Remade as Pardon My Terror (1946)

User Reviews

Del Lord and Walter Catlett Can't Find The Humor In This

A mad scientist wants to turn a millionaire into an ape. Can detective Walter Catlett avoid a similar simian fate when the mad scientist tells him "YOU'RE NEXT"

Bad shorts even happened to Laurel & Hardy, so one can't get too upset over this collection of unfunny jokes. The racist bits are worse than typical for the 40s, though, which argues that obscurity is the best fate for this. Catlett does show he is better than the material -- acting his part like he's in His Girl Friday -- but he is let down by the whole cheapness of the Columbia short subject milieu. I'm not sure why Del Lord fell so far off form for this, though.

For short subject fans only.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 May 1940 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1