User Reviews

Yes it's silly, but it's also short and entertaining enough to catch before falling off to sleep. In one of the best Charlie Ruggles-Mary Boland vehicles of the 1930s, Ruggles plays a mild mannered husband prone to sleepwalking. His nocturnal prowling cause no end of embarrassment for his wife (Mary Boland), especially since Ruggles is a more aggressive personality when asleep. Eventually, Ruggles' midnight wandering gets him mixed up with gangsters. It looks bad for our stars, but Ruggles and Boland manage to wriggle out of the dilemma and into a happy ending. Early to Bed was scripted by versatile character actor Lucien Littlefield, who plays a small part in this film and had previously appeared with Ruggles and Boland in the memorable FOUR STAR COMEDY Ruggles of Red Gap (1936).

This is an odd little comedy, one of many pairings of Mary Boland and Charles Ruggles. They are newlyweds, engaged for years, whose first month's of marriage are gravely affected by his sleep walking which makes him a suspect in jewel robbery and murder. They are great together, but the material is rather dark, even if the film is presented as a comedy. "I'd rather see you in jail than working for a man like that!" one of his clients tells him after talking to Ruggles' boss (who keeps firing him) on the phone.

I'll give this credit for trying to be different than other screwball comedies of the time, but it left me squinting my eyes in puzzlement over its purpose and what influenced its writers. The always dependable Gail Patrick gets prominent billing, but has next to nothing to do. George Barbier is used to good effect as the client/Patrick's father, as is Lucien Littlefield as the imperious boss, but I have to call thus one a misfire.