Always Leave Them Laughing

A small-time comic works his way up to the big time.

The two hours is mainly for fans of Uncle Miltie. Berle is in just about every scene, along with a number of his costumed skits. As expected, some skits are funnier than others; however, I wish this overlong movie had stayed on a light comedic level. Instead, it veers off near the end into heavy drama, which could have been easily lopped off.

Catch that bouncy opening—as I recall, it plays much like Berle's hit TV show that helped put TV on the map in the early days. Anyway, if guys get tired looking at the star, there's the delectable Ruth Roman standing around in various stages of undress, and also a shapely Virginia Mayo doing some surprisingly good dance steps. Comic actor Bert Lahr gets his turn on the stage. But to me, his brand of humor is a matter of taste.

I suspect Warner Bros. was testing the waters to see if Berle's appeal carried over to movies as well as TV, in the way it did for Bob Hope over at Paramount. However that may be, I think the movie would be better if shorter and strictly light-hearted.

Probably not intended as such in 1949, in retrospect this film shows an interesting juncture between old time show biz and the imminent influence of television, which changed everything. The film captures some fascinating relics of an earlier time, such as Bert Lahr reprising a famous burlesque-type routine of his from the early '20s. Milton Berle excels in acting out all sorts of comedic styles and formats then in vogue or already seen as passe. Despite its chirpy title song, the film has a surprising toughness and unsentimentality for its era (witness the happily cruel "Men's Club" scene). Recommended for those into show biz history, and also a great way to see some genuinely funny stuff.

There are a couple of reasons why lovers of musicals on the silver screen might want to watch this old stinker, none of them having to do with its quality as a film. One is the musicals numbers themselves, of which there are many, including great old standards by Harry Warren and George Gershwin. The other is to watch the unbelievably corny shtick performed by Milton Berle and Bert Lahr. It's hard to explain Berle's popularity as a television pioneer; his jokes and routines reek of someone who wants to be the life of the party but ends up being just annoying.

Robin Williams, Tom Hanks, and Jack Lemon. I bet you can think of others.

Unfortunately, Berle ain't one of them. Bert Lahr doesn't do so well either.

It is great to see some of his old acts but some of them don't hold up.

I happened upon this film by accident whilst I was channel surfing. Having never seen "Uncle Milty" in an acting role before I just had to stop and watch.

While this films story is one of those behind the scenes show biz stories of a comic trying to get into the big time, what I found to be absolutely fascinating was the character of Rene played by Iphigenie Castiglioni in what can only be read as a very, very lesbian night club owner for whom Berle auditions doing a comedic routine playing the piano and singing Miss Otis Regrets, a song written by the very gay Cole Porter.

The nightclub owner Rene with her mannish hairstyle, tuxedo (worn during the day!) and long, long cigarette holder with her aperitif is the quintessential gay stereotype for the era. How the combination of Rene in her garb and the suggestive Cole Porter song got past the censors is beyond me, but I am sure it was quite appreciated by gay audience members as an acknowledgment of their presence in show business.