If it wasn't for the Astaire Rogers film the gay divorcee, people might not know who Erik Rhodes was at all. The heavily accented and supposedly Italian lothario was actually from the Midwest, specializing in egocentric Europeans who were slightly effeminate but with the appearance of a gigolo. Here, he's a complete narcissist who believes that he's the greatest chef in the world and his mother (Bodil Rosing) is too afraid to tell him that he is not. She's the chef in the family, and while his food May taste delicious, the after effects have a humorous reaction, that is if you were lucky enough not to eat it.
This Warner Brothers B comedy stars William Gargan as a mug who longs to break into society by trying to find the greatest chef to be hired at the Ritz. In spite of the romantic plot involving the Cagney like Gargan and pretty Patricia Ellis, it's the scenes with Rhodes that will be remembered, as well as Warner Brothers regular Allen Jenkins' delightful consumption of an entire batch of Rhodes' cuisine and his sudden reaction to it. The comedy is basically so-so with Rhodes and Rosing sounding nothing alike, and Rosing barely has any accent at all. Still, thanks to Rhodes' eccentric performance, this isn't completely forgettable and I would call his performance one of the finest comic masterpieces of the 1930's.
This Warner Brothers B comedy stars William Gargan as a mug who longs to break into society by trying to find the greatest chef to be hired at the Ritz. In spite of the romantic plot involving the Cagney like Gargan and pretty Patricia Ellis, it's the scenes with Rhodes that will be remembered, as well as Warner Brothers regular Allen Jenkins' delightful consumption of an entire batch of Rhodes' cuisine and his sudden reaction to it. The comedy is basically so-so with Rhodes and Rosing sounding nothing alike, and Rosing barely has any accent at all. Still, thanks to Rhodes' eccentric performance, this isn't completely forgettable and I would call his performance one of the finest comic masterpieces of the 1930's.