Review of The Cuckoos

I can almost guarantee that 9 out of 10 "modern" viewers will have little to no patience with "The Cuckoos". This is definitely a movie made to appeal to a different generation of moviegoers. But if they shut it off quickly it's their loss, because this archaic musical comedy has its pleasures too: a terrific, carefree tap dance duet with Wheeler and Woolsey, Woolsey courting the wonderfully large Jobyna Howland in a sequence that is strongly reminiscent of Groucho Marx and Margaret Dumont ("Will you love me until I die?" - "Well, that depends on how long you'll live!"), and three segments unexpectedly done in color (most uncommon for 1930!). One of those segments is the bizarre "Dancing The Devil Away" production number. It's a shame, though, that the comic premise of the two fake fortune tellers is exploited in only one scene. It was funnier than seeing Wheeler in drag. **1/2 out of 4.