Modern day viewers probably won't catch much of a buzz watching this film today. I was a fan of the principals during their heyday and George Burns is one of my all time favorites for his understated style and whimsical humor. He was the perfect foil for Gracie Allen's zany temperament.
However I had a bit of a problem with this picture because of Walter Matthau's characterization of Willy Clark. It just seemed too heavy handed for me since Willy and Al Lewis (George Burns) worked together for forty three years, and you'd expect that they would have developed a more amiable rivalry in their relationship. Say along the lines of Matthau and Jack Lemmon in "The Odd Couple". I was expecting at some point a genuine show of affection between Willy and Al but it just didn't materialize until the heart attack, and even then it seemed pretty one sided with Burns' character.
Through it all, there was some good material buried under the dialog that would have seemed more clever with an upbeat delivery. I never thought about individual letters of the alphabet being funny or not. In it's way, the business about the letter 'K' was rather inspired, and the apparent random shuffling of the chairs in Willy's apartment looked like the ex-vaudevillians were improvising; I wouldn't be surprised if they were. If only the film makers had lightened things up a bit, I'd offer an extra dollar on the toll bridge to watch it again.
However I had a bit of a problem with this picture because of Walter Matthau's characterization of Willy Clark. It just seemed too heavy handed for me since Willy and Al Lewis (George Burns) worked together for forty three years, and you'd expect that they would have developed a more amiable rivalry in their relationship. Say along the lines of Matthau and Jack Lemmon in "The Odd Couple". I was expecting at some point a genuine show of affection between Willy and Al but it just didn't materialize until the heart attack, and even then it seemed pretty one sided with Burns' character.
Through it all, there was some good material buried under the dialog that would have seemed more clever with an upbeat delivery. I never thought about individual letters of the alphabet being funny or not. In it's way, the business about the letter 'K' was rather inspired, and the apparent random shuffling of the chairs in Willy's apartment looked like the ex-vaudevillians were improvising; I wouldn't be surprised if they were. If only the film makers had lightened things up a bit, I'd offer an extra dollar on the toll bridge to watch it again.