Wheeler & Woolsey: Wac X2 Feature (2 Disc)

The big appeal to Wheeler & Woolsey is the fact that movies like this cannot be made any longer. Comedy was so much better when people had a sense of humor, and were not so easily offended.First off, I have never seen a bad Wheeler & Woolsey movie. Some are good, some great. But I should warn you, once you watch a couple of them you will become a collector. Also, it is vital that you buy them on DVD, do NOT stream them. Many of the streamed versions are cut, removing some of the best parts of the film.The Success of Wheeler & Woolsey in 'Rio Rita' convinced them to become a permanent team, and they continued to make very popular comedy feature films from 1930 until 1937, all for RKO Radio Picture (except the 1933 Columbia Pictures release, 'So This Is Africa' which was made during a contract dispute with RKO, a great DVD that can be hard to get).Few comics took full advantage of the loose standards of Pre-Code Hollywood (1900 to 1934) with more gusto than the team of Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey.Wheeler & Woolsey were one of the most successful comedy teams of the 1930s. Second only to Laurel and Hardy at the movie box office. What I’ve always enjoyed about Wheeler and Woolsey’s comedy is their collection of great routines, often involving complex wordplay and puns. Bert Wheeler was the “clown” of the team, and Robert Woolsey the “straight” man. Much like Abbott and Costello a decade later, much of their interaction was based on Woolsey trying to “put one over” on his seemingly dim-witted companion.Dorothy Lee is the adorable female lead in many of the movies. She began acting with the duo at age 18. She became so identified with Wheeler & Woolsey that she seldom appeared apart from them. I regret to say, that the discs are purple dye DVD-R , I would have gladly paid $5 more for a long lasting burnable M-Disc, or a pressed disc.I am happy to have these terrific movies in my 3000 Blu-ray/DVD collection. Sadly, comments on reviews are no longer allowed, I always enjoyed reading them in the past.

This double helping of comedy team Bert Wheeler & Robert Woolsey shows the duo during their heyday in Hollywood, in which they churned out an impressive two dozen films between 1929 to 1937. But this DVD package demonstrates the team's high & lows, and why they were popular at the box office but often panned by critics.1931's "Peach O'Reno" is probably the better offering of the two. As cut-rate divorce lawyers in "the biggest little city in the world", it's typical W&W nonsense as Bert & Bob make their clients take numbers while turning the business into a casino at night. The boys get in some terrific one-liners (some of which were pretty risque for the 30's) while showing off their gift for musical comedy. The highlight has to be Bert (in drag for the bulk of the film) & Bob performing a zany dance bit together.1932's "Girl Crazy" is more misfire than surefire. Adapted from the Gershwin-tuned stag play, it's actually less Gershwin and more a W&W vehicle that comes across as a mediocre effort (compare this to the superior 40's remake starring the unbeatable team of Judy Garland & Mickey Rooney). Bert's a cab driver and Bob's a gambler who land in a dusty Arizona town where the life expectancy of its sheriff(s) is virtually nil. The jaunty classic "I've Got Rhythm" has been presented better in other movie musicals. The best song moment has to be Bert and recurring leading lady Dorothy Lee's performance of the delightful "You've Got What Gets Me". The bit with a cutout of a highway patrolman on motorcycle accidentally hitched to the back of the cab is hilariously offbeat; the rest of the material is decidedly hit & miss.An entertaining package of one of film comedy's zaniest patter comedians!

Warners holds the rights to all the Wheeler & Woolsey RKO comedies from the 1930s. Since they started their Archive series, I have been hoping they would start releasing what they have on W & W. Other than "Rio Rita" (their first film, in which they weren't the stars), nothing has been released. I was quite delighted and surprised to see they finally have! Their first selection is a double disc release, and includes the long unavailable original version of "Girl Crazy" (it was purchased from RKO by MGM in 1940 when they remade it with Judy Garland & Mickey Rooney, and withdrawn from circulation). The Gershwin musical was significantly altered for the 1932 release. That being said, this film is a lot of fun to watch. Wheeler and Woolsey deliver plenty of laughs, and the ever-cute (and their frequent co-star) Dorothy Lee, gets to do a musical number with Bert Wheeler. The print is in fantastic shape, and a joy to see. "Peach O Reno", actually one of their lesser efforts, is also included, and the print for this is also excellent. Highly recommended - and I hope more are soon to follow!

I found these two comedies from Wheeler and Woolsey quite fun, the better one, suprisingly is 'Peach O Reno', which contains some very funny dance numbers and fast moving visuals with patter.Girl Crazy on the other hand contains only a couple of musical numbers and rather restricted comedy, due to the content of the original show.It was however a treat to watch these rare films from the early talkie era.

I love the movies. I am a classic movie fan and these two comedians are absolutely historically funny. They were very popular in the 1930’s in the golden age of Hollywood. I highly recommend their movies.

one of the better, albeit lesser known comedy teams from the 1930's

Just great awesome

great set