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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

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).

---

Genres:

Short | Comedy | Crime | Mystery

---

Certificate:

Approved

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

Did You Know?

Connections

Remade as Pardon My Terror (1946)

User Reviews

Madman wants to turn a guy into a gorilla....need I say more?!

Although the Three Stooges made a lot of comedy shorts for Columbia Pictures, the studio also made many hundreds of comedy shorts during this same era (roughly 1934-1956) with many other comedians, such as Buster Keaton, Harry Langdon, Charley Chase and more. In "You're Next!", Columbia paired Walter Catlett and Monte Collins and put them into a plot like you'd expect from the Stooges.

Slocum and Pruitt have a detective agency. They're called to protect a rich guy (Roscoe Ates) from kidnappers. However, they do nothing to stop it from occurring (since they are idiots) and soon their client is in the hands of a madman who wants to turn him into a gorilla! Later, a gorilla appears and the duo spend most of the film running away and acting scared.

The plot involves a sick guy trying to turn people into gorillas. Do I really need to say more than that?! After all, the idea is totally stupid and the film doesn't even have a single decent laugh.