User Reviews

There's no real spoiler here because there's nothing to spoil in this simple entertaining short but details follow. Sometimes smaller studios would rent out their sets to independents for one reelers for a weekend or before being scrapped. I don't know what set this was originally but it was obviously from a more expensive production. This was produced back in 1937-Depression Era when the "Tax man" was evidently asking for net worth of a home's property in order to be properly taxed. This particular story involves a businessman who is crying poor to two tax men, hiding his possessions in the garage in hopes of saving his bank account and home. However, his three daughters (seemingly unrelated and of ages 3-24) discover the furniture and silver and decide to fix the house up as grand as possible when the toddler daughter takes a phone call from Daddy that says 'the state men are coming' but conveys that 'Statesmen' are coming. (She's barely able to complete a scene without running to her Mother, arms outstretched at one point, just off camera). When Dad walks thru the door, he is greeted by four butlers, five maids, his daughters in gowns and an elaborate meal on a linen covered walnut table. (One of the tax men lifts the cloth and taps it, emphasizing "Solid Walnut" and winking at his partner with a leer - pretty random and a little creepy but whatever). All Dad can do is groan as the toddler spouts off about how much money he's worth and his other two daughters do a tap dance (on a tap floor laid out in the music room adjoining the dining room, of course) and sing a decent rendition of 'Boom Chicka Boom'. 3 of 4 butlers turn out to be a dancing trio called the Three Rhythm Boys, the middle of which can't seem to stop staring at the floor as they tap away in their olde English butler's costumes. Perhaps he was the slow brother the others had to drag along, but all were eminently draftable. To round out the confusion, dancing partners, credited as "Stanley and Elaine",materialize for two staged dances, done quite well. They didn't get to eat and didn't have any other purpose in the film so perhaps they just loved performing (in front of cameras). There is no real ending, other than the no good "tax men" starting a stroll thru the house with pencil and paper to write down everything for repossession as the semi-adorable blond tattletale Jeanie admonishes papa. Personally, I hope he sold her to pay the lien and get some piece and quiet. There are five complete acts crammed into this Educational Films short filler and that's what it is, entertaining. I own it on 16mm - good luck finding it elsewhere.