Going Wild (1930)

Sadly Over-hyped

Masterful Movie

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Humorous, but not out and out funny. This is Joe E. Brown in one of his earlier films...before he had really formed his on screen persona. Perhaps the best bit in the film is the segment where he is being medically tested...again, humorous, but you're not going to laugh out loud.The basic plot is that two down-and-out newspaper reporters get roped into their own lies, with Brown letting people believe he is a famous pilot.The casting is interesting. Brown was still in a formative period. Lawrence Gray as a fellow newspaper reporter was decent, and certainly much better than Jack Whiting in another of Brown's 1930 films. Ona Munson is the female lead here (her first starring role). Never heard of her? Yes you have -- Belle Watling in "Gone With The Wind"! Walter Pidgeon is rather dashing here as the opposing pilot...although he had appeared in several films when this film was produced. Frank McHugh is around again, and does somewhat nicely here, though clearly he had not develop his screen persona yet, either. Interestingly, this was made as a musical, but all but one musical number was cut from the American release since audiences had soured on musicals. No known full prints exist with the musical numbers intact. The finale -- an air race -- had potential, but wasn't realized. How can no one fly a plane and remain in the air that long???This film is better for Joe E. Brown fans. His better films are yet to come.

The same cast of 1929's "Top Speed" gets together for similar farcial fare in "Going Wild", a comedy about a nobody being mistaken for a famous pilot. Brown, of course, is the unfortunate nobody who must quickly train to learn how to fly. This leads to some hysterical sequences involving a murphy bed attached to a vacuum cleaner, an X-Ray machine, and a flying machine similar to the one used by Marie Dressler in 1932's "Emma". The flying sequence is similar to the boat sequence used in "Top Speed". There is one minor song between Joe E. Brown and Laura Lee which is tamer than anything they did in their previous film together. Lawrence Gray replaces Jack Whiting as the romantic lead, but Frank McHugh repeats his drunken supporting role. A few years away from stardom, Walter Pidgeon makes a memorable villain.

I wish I had recorded more of Joe E Brown's movies when they showed up on TCM and definitely will be on the watch as this movie was freaking funny as hell! I'm a big fan of the Marx Brothers, The 3 Stooges, Laurel and Hardy, and others and now definitely Joe E Brown. Well I can't really say that based on one semi short flick but man, if all of his films are THIS funny I'm in brother, I'm in! I knew I was going to like this flick when they are in the train. OK heres why this was refreshing for me, Joe is not a total dummy, he actually likes woman, and he tries to con people, everyone as a matter of fact, its just too cool. Plus the guy is like a ancient predecessor of Jim Carey for crying out loud, I'm sure Jim got some material from this guy! I was trying to place his face and thanks to the other posted review here I at least know him from Some Like It Hot, but as a lead comedian this movie REALLY holds up well. One of many scenes that made me laugh out loud, he is signing books as a fraud of the author, he is signing in all the woman's books his hotel room number! I mean I'm sorry I never saw that done before and its really funny! There's a little (not to much) slapstick, which I love, a little bit of adult stuff humor (which is classic, like getting drunk before his air race during prohibition, I think), but a whole lot of skit comedy that for me seemed great. 9 of 10, I wont put it in the esteemed best of all time category but I really did laugh a lot watching this.

Other than in SOME LIKE IT HOT, I have never been a huge fan of the comedies of Joe E. Brown. A few are amiable enough but none of them seem all that funny or memorable. This film manages to be a little less likable and interesting than most. Now if you ARE a rabid fan of Brown, then consider this as you read my review.Brown and his friend (who have almost no chemistry together as partners) wander into a town where everyone is expecting a famous author to arrive by train. However, the author inexplicably doesn't want all the adulation and the two guys are mistaken for the author. Why they decide to do this isn't at all clear--I guess they just read it in the script, as I could see no other reason for their going on this elaborate and later very dangerous ruse. For a while the two guys eat a lot of free meals and chase women and there seems to be no real direction for the film or laughs. However, in the end, Brown is convinced to enter an air race (even though he has no idea how to fly) and he somehow wins AND gets the girl--though NONE of this makes any sense at all and is accompanied by a lot of cheesy special effects (i.e., a rear projected screen)! The bottom line is that this is a time-passer and nothing more. If you are looking for laughs, you might find more in the average Boris Karloff film!