EVERYTHING'S ROSIE (RKO Radio, 1931), directed by Clyde Bruckman, based on the story by Al Roasberg, stars the second half of the comedy team of Wheeler and Woolsey, that being Robert Woolsey, the glasses wearing, cigar smoking comedian of verbal wisecracks. As much as Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey never really achieved the popularity or lasting appeal as other comic duals of Laurel and Hardy or Abbott and Costello from the lack of television revivals in the sixties and seventies, it wasn't until cable television began resurrecting their products many years later did they earn some notable interest. With the revival of Wheeler and Woolsey movies comes the rediscovery of Woolsey in his only feature length comedy without Wheeler. The same occurred that year as Bert Wheeler starred without Woolsey in a little known comedy titled TOO MANY COOKS (1931). Though the attempt in separating the team came a bit early for them, following their 1929 screen debuts in the lavish-scale musical, RIO RITA (RKO), where Wheeler and Woolsey reprised their original Broadway roles, an attempt in offering the comedians the rare chance showing what they can do on their own, was only temporary. Though Wheeler seemed capable working as a solo comedian, what project could be used to showcase Woolsey's talents? An idea of pairing Woolsey with a talented duck in something called EVERYTHING'S DUCKY might have seemed possible. Instead, the writers developed what became known as EVERYTHING'S ROSIE by casting him opposite the youthful Anita Louise. Though Louise assumes the title role, the resulting film ends up being "Everything's Woolsey."
The story begins in 1916 where J. Dockweiner Droop, better known as "Doc," (Robert Woolsey with hair parted in the middle), living the life of an unlicensed carnival medicine man, selling wonder tonics (one that cures hoarseness) to a crowd full of suckers. Ordered to leave town by the county sheriff, "Doc" soon encounters a three-year-old ragamuffin being mistreated by an old hag on the street. Told the little girl happens to be an orphan she found a year ago and would like nothing more than to pass her off to someone else, it turns out the child, Rosie, takes an immediate liking towards the wiseacre, and follows him. Before he knows it, "Doc" unwittingly becomes her foster father. Fourteen years later, "Doc," still a carnival medicine man, continues to devote himself towards Rosie (Anita Louise), now 17. Over the years, "Doc" and Rosie have lived from carnival to carnival, always one step ahead of the sheriff. For Rosie, she's acquired Doc's strategy by learning the tricks of the trade. While in a small town, Rosie meets a young man named Billy (John Darrow), a law student and son of the prosperous Emma (Florence Roberts) and Mr. Lowe (Frank Beal). Though already in a relationship with Madeline Van Dorn (Lita Chevret), Billy leans his attention towards Rosie. At Billy's 21st birthday party with friends and family in attendance, "Doc," passing himself off as European nobility, becomes a center of attention with his eccentric manner. It is then learned to the dismay of the guests as well as Mrs. Lowe of Rosie not being Doc's real daughter. Problems arise when authorities place Doc under arrest for jewelry store robbery, and place the under-aged Rosie in an orphanage.
For anyone familiar with both stage and screen career of W.C. Fields would notice similarities between Woolsey's "Doc" and Field's surrogate father, Professor Eustace McGargle, from both the 1923 stage production of POPPY and 1925 silent screen adaptation retitled SALLY OF THE SAWDUST, and sound version of 1936's POPPY with Fields in all playing a medicine man who fathers and raises a foundling girl. As surrogate father roles tend to work best for comedians wanting to be more than just comics, Charlie Chaplin's THE VAGABOND (1916) and THE KID (1921), being prime examples, for EVERYTHING'S ROSIE, Woolsey did what he could with such material that could have worked better suited for either a Chaplin or Fields. Editing in certain parts of this 66 minute film are slightly choppy. The screenplay and central character background are under developed. For Rosie, it's obvious she never attended school, having carnival life her sole means of education. Woolsey, whose cigar prop and gift of gab for comedy delivery, could very well be Groucho Marx assuming the lead and attempt in breaking away from his Marx Brothers teaming. But Woolsey being Woolsey, no doubt didn't come off with critical and public acceptance as a solo performer and soon resumed his screen partnership with Wheeler in a series of comedies until his death in 1938.
Regardless of one brief moment of pathos between Woolsey and Louise with organ scoring reminiscent to an old silent movie melodrama, EVERYTHING'S ROSIE is light on sentiment and strong on amusements, best being Woolsey's fortune telling routine to various customers, along with numerous hit and miss one-liners ("A myth is a female moth") that only Woolsey can recite. Never distributed to home video or DVD, this quaint little film, formerly shown on American Movie Classics (prior to 1992), sparingly turns up on Turner Classic Movies. Although the title of EVERYTHING'S DUCKY was actually used for a 1961 Columbia comedy featuring Mickey Rooney, which reportedly didn't do very well, but as for Woolsey, everything's rosie. (**)
The story begins in 1916 where J. Dockweiner Droop, better known as "Doc," (Robert Woolsey with hair parted in the middle), living the life of an unlicensed carnival medicine man, selling wonder tonics (one that cures hoarseness) to a crowd full of suckers. Ordered to leave town by the county sheriff, "Doc" soon encounters a three-year-old ragamuffin being mistreated by an old hag on the street. Told the little girl happens to be an orphan she found a year ago and would like nothing more than to pass her off to someone else, it turns out the child, Rosie, takes an immediate liking towards the wiseacre, and follows him. Before he knows it, "Doc" unwittingly becomes her foster father. Fourteen years later, "Doc," still a carnival medicine man, continues to devote himself towards Rosie (Anita Louise), now 17. Over the years, "Doc" and Rosie have lived from carnival to carnival, always one step ahead of the sheriff. For Rosie, she's acquired Doc's strategy by learning the tricks of the trade. While in a small town, Rosie meets a young man named Billy (John Darrow), a law student and son of the prosperous Emma (Florence Roberts) and Mr. Lowe (Frank Beal). Though already in a relationship with Madeline Van Dorn (Lita Chevret), Billy leans his attention towards Rosie. At Billy's 21st birthday party with friends and family in attendance, "Doc," passing himself off as European nobility, becomes a center of attention with his eccentric manner. It is then learned to the dismay of the guests as well as Mrs. Lowe of Rosie not being Doc's real daughter. Problems arise when authorities place Doc under arrest for jewelry store robbery, and place the under-aged Rosie in an orphanage.
For anyone familiar with both stage and screen career of W.C. Fields would notice similarities between Woolsey's "Doc" and Field's surrogate father, Professor Eustace McGargle, from both the 1923 stage production of POPPY and 1925 silent screen adaptation retitled SALLY OF THE SAWDUST, and sound version of 1936's POPPY with Fields in all playing a medicine man who fathers and raises a foundling girl. As surrogate father roles tend to work best for comedians wanting to be more than just comics, Charlie Chaplin's THE VAGABOND (1916) and THE KID (1921), being prime examples, for EVERYTHING'S ROSIE, Woolsey did what he could with such material that could have worked better suited for either a Chaplin or Fields. Editing in certain parts of this 66 minute film are slightly choppy. The screenplay and central character background are under developed. For Rosie, it's obvious she never attended school, having carnival life her sole means of education. Woolsey, whose cigar prop and gift of gab for comedy delivery, could very well be Groucho Marx assuming the lead and attempt in breaking away from his Marx Brothers teaming. But Woolsey being Woolsey, no doubt didn't come off with critical and public acceptance as a solo performer and soon resumed his screen partnership with Wheeler in a series of comedies until his death in 1938.
Regardless of one brief moment of pathos between Woolsey and Louise with organ scoring reminiscent to an old silent movie melodrama, EVERYTHING'S ROSIE is light on sentiment and strong on amusements, best being Woolsey's fortune telling routine to various customers, along with numerous hit and miss one-liners ("A myth is a female moth") that only Woolsey can recite. Never distributed to home video or DVD, this quaint little film, formerly shown on American Movie Classics (prior to 1992), sparingly turns up on Turner Classic Movies. Although the title of EVERYTHING'S DUCKY was actually used for a 1961 Columbia comedy featuring Mickey Rooney, which reportedly didn't do very well, but as for Woolsey, everything's rosie. (**)