Mummy's Boys

source: Mummy's Boys

Moviecut—Mummy's Boys

Mummy's Boys

Although Mummy's Boys has its moments, and although it always a pleasure to see Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey in a film, this one is really minor league after their run of greats in the pre-code early 1930s. Here the boys play loafers who go to Cairo to help on an archaeological dig, aided and hindered by the lumbering Willie Best, a sort of poor man's Stepin Fetchit, and distracted by Barbara Pepper, a low level love interest for Bert, who has a habit of forgetting things here rather than stealing things as he did in Cockeyed Cavaliers. Although Woolsey's reactions were predictable and a bit tiresome by this stage in the series, little Wheeler is as charming and cute as ever. There is no musical number, which is a shame, as the film drags somewhat without the distraction of some song 'n' dance. Not the best W&W, and perhaps not the one to start with, but worth a look.

Fun vehicle for Wheeler and Woolsey as they attempt to return contents to a possibly cursed tomb near Cairo. Clever dialog highlights the zaniness as the boys twist and turn across the ocean and into the mysterious desert !!! There is of course the criminal element who are intent on promoting the Curse of the Tomb for their personal gain. Willie Best is their guide and Barbara Pepper the romantic interest. She was Doris Ziffel # 1 in the "Green Acres" series. Fred Guiol does a good job of directing, keeps a good pace and action evenly spaced. He also directed "Duck Soup" with Laurel and Hardy. Woolsey looks like a poorman's George Burns, and Wheeler has the innocent charm and high voice. Bert Wheeler also from Paterson , New Jersey as Lou Costello. Enjoyable fare !!!

Two zany ditch diggers join an expedition intent on returning a cursed treasure to the burial chamber of Egyptian King Pharatime. But when a crazed killer starts spreading comedic terror in the tomb, who will come rescue the MUMMY'S BOYS? This starts out as a suspense tale, with mysterious deaths & a Pharaoh's curse, but it soon becomes a typical Wheeler & Woolsey comedy (Bert Wheeler is the one with the curly hair; Robert Woolsey has the cigar & spectacles). The Boys are always fun to watch and this film is no exception, even if the plot is exceptionally silly. Unlike Laurel & Hardy, who relied heavily on slapstick & physical humor, Wheeler & Woolsey's comedy derived largely from the dialogue. Their best bit here: the `twenty miles as the crow flies' routine. Barbara Pepper is Wheeler's love interest here; Willie Best adds to the craziness.