Gift of Gab

Gift of Gab (1934)

* (out of 4)

A fast talking con man (Edmund Lowe) becomes a huge radio star and soon it all goes to his head. It appears Universal Studios threw everything but the kitchen sink into this film but it easy to see why the studio has never issued this on home video. Legendary cinematographer Karl Freund directed this film, which co-stars Gloria Stuart with guest performances by Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Victor Moore, Hugh O'Connell, Gene Austin, Ruth Etting, Ethel Waters, Paul Lukas and various others. The film is very fast moving but also quite annoying as is the over the top performance by Lowe who we tire of within the opening minutes. The only reason to watch this turkey is due to all the guest appearances but be warned that the stars are only on screen for a few seconds up to a minute. Karloff and Lugosi appear in the same mystery skit but sadly (and dumbly) they don't share any time together.

Painfully unfunny musical comedy from Universal about an arrogant con man (Edmund Lowe) who becomes an even more arrogant radio star. Movies like this remind you how little Universal had going for it at this time outside of their horror pictures. Lowe is about as charismatic as a second-rate William Powell can be. Gloria Stuart has the unfortunate task of playing his love interest. Victor Moore plays one of his nervous nebbish characters I find so irritating. Jack Benny-looking Hugh O'Connell plays Lowe's sidekick. Ethel Waters, Ruth Etting, and Gene Austin sing forgettable tunes. Slightly noteworthy today only for brief cameo appearances by Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Chester Morris, Paul Lukas, and "Sheridan Whiteside" himself, Alexander Woollcott.

The jokes and sketches are all lame. I didn't laugh once. I'm talking "is your refrigerator running" level of humor here. Directed by famed cinematographer Karl Freund but you would never know it as there's no visual style to this at all. Words I was sick of after watching this: stooge, liver, and all variations of gab.

It's a movie 1: from Universal; 2: directed by Karl Freund; 3: with Boris Karloff & Bela Lugosi. No, you're wrong, it's a comedy starring Edmund Lowe as a street hustler who works his way in as a radio announcer, sports caster, and event broadcaster, with the aid of Gloria Stuart. As his success increases, so does his ego, and as the audience, you're waiting for the inevitable crack-up and wondering if and how he'll manage his redemption.

It has three major variety segments, with musical acts -- some good, like the Downey Sisters, some great like Ethel Waters -- some comedy acts -- all cornball -- and some contemporary celebrity tie-ins. There are several fine screen comedians in support, like Sterling Holloway and Victor Moore, and Lowe is fine as the larger-than-life operator, but it's a typical decent Universal, budgeted at probably a third of what it would cost at MGM -- and why not, since the best cameraman on the lot was in the director's chair and not lensing it?

This is a film with an endless procession of one-reelers put together to make a full-length feature and has great actors like: Gloria Stuart, Ethel Waters. Victor Moore, Andy Devine, Paul Lukas and Chester Morris along with Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. Philip Gabney (Edmond Lowe), a smooth-talking radio announcer, is hired to revive interest in a failing radio show. Karloff played the "Phantom" and Lugosi is a French apache dancer together with a half-dozen stars who appeared in a burlesque murder-mystery conceived by Gabney at the beginning of the film. It seems with all this great talent shown in this picture in 1934, that this film had to produce such meager entertainment. Well, after all, the film only ran for 71 minutes.

I watched this film for two reasons. The first was Ruth Etting. A favorite of mine since I heard her great Columbia LP at a faculty member's home at college. Disappointing here as she sings one awful song and a bit of a reprise and then goodbye. Bummer. The other reason was to see Douglas Fowley a good friend of my Dad's when they were young men. (I think Fowley was at my folk's wedding in 1933 a year before this film. Seeing him as a young man before he adopted his trademark pencil mustache made me see my Dad at that age. Otherwise, Gloria Stuart was lovely, Ethel Waters was fine singing a dull song and it was Alex Woollcott who surprised me. Who knew he was so soft spoken? I always thought of him bellowing as did Monty Wooley in The Man Who Came to Dinner. On the other hand, Edmund Lowe was repulsive as the fast talking con man. Yuch. Watching this once will be quite enough.