Seventh Column (1943) User Reviews

Early Pete Smith/Dave O'Brien Comedy

[boblipton · 7/10 · 6 July 2020]

A Smith called Pete narrates this short about how Dave O'Brien's house is trying to kill him by explosions, suffocation, poisoning, burning.... you know, the normal stuff; but mostly by falling, and so Dave spends his time waxing the floors and taking 108s on them. .

THe title derives from Francisco Franco; during the Spanish Civil War, he announced "I have four columns outside this city, and a fifth column inside", referring to his supporters. Somehow this meaning came to also be associated with "sixth column"; according to Smith, the loss in war production due to accidents adds up to a seventh/

"Do I smell ham burning?"

[utgard14 · 7/10 · 22 April 2014]

Very funny Pete Smith short about how people having accidents can hurt the war effort. This was a WWII era short, after all. So we get to see poor Dave O'Brien put through all sorts of demonstrations of accidents, which of course means lots of pain for Dave and lots of laughs for us. Dave O'Brien was always great in these Pete Smith shorts and stands as one of the more underrated comedic actors of his era. Some neat peeks into the daily routines of people back then. I always find that stuff interesting. Some of the tips were pretty good, too, and still relevant after all these years. Oh, and in case you're wondering about the title: we're told the seventh column is carelessness.

Fun Pete Smith Short

[Michael_Elliott · 22 November 2010]

Seventh Column (1943)

*** (out of 4)

This Pete Smith short isn't the greatest in his series but it has enough laughs to make it worth sitting through. What we've basically got is Smith explaining the various ways people can hurt themselves and Dave O'Brien is the actor who gets to abuse him body showing us. These includes countless jokes about too much wax on the floor which can make you fall and we have several gags about no lights on stairs, which of course also leads to falls. Being 1943 we even get some jokes that might not go over too well today including drunk driving and people who smoke in beds only to catch fire. These Smith/O'Brien shorts never really get the credit they deserve but with Smith's great, fun voice and O'Brien's perfect comic timing they just made some real magic. The best joke here is actually the one dealing with drunk driving but I'm sure many will either be offended by it or not see any humor in it. The stuff dealing with the stairs is also funny as is another bit with a man on a ladder.