Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Wheeler and Woolsey are an acquired taste, for sure, but I've liked all their films so far. Their jokey, hokey vaudeville style somehow makes me laugh even (or maybe especially?) when the jokes are lame. The groaning is part of the enjoyment. As always, the happenings are extremely silly- this time with Wheeler and Woolsey competing to be king of a small nation that is not so desirable to lead, and the hilarity takes no prompting to ensue. Many old jokes that have been re-used mercilessly and no doubt pre-date Edwardian times; many dumb jokes that no one dared to use again; and sometimes even a good one, (my fave, "He's the most absent-minded man in the kingdom. Last week he put a cigarette to bed and threw himself out the window.") Dorothy Lee, who was especially good in Half Shot at Sunrise, is also good in this one, to a lesser extent. She and Wheeler form the ultimate sticky-and-sweet-as-molasses couple. Edna May Oliver is the perfect comic foil to, well, just about everyone. It is especially enjoyable when things turn violent vaudeville style.And if you find yourself thinking that this reminds you of Duck Soup, remember this film came two years before that one. Recommended if you have worked up a taste for Wheeler and Woolsey or think you might be able to do so.

That's the way they do it in comic strips when a bad joke takes place. In that case, "Cracked Nuts" would be festooned with these literary exclamations, due to the great number of bad jokes. I take a back seat to no one in my admiration for Wheeler and Woolsey, but this picture must represent the nadir of this very funny comedy team's association.The inane screenplay is not very good, about Wheeler becoming the king of a mythical kingdom, of which Woolsey is already the king. You can see a very young-looking Boris Karloff as one of his advisers, and also one of Hollywood's best character actresses in Edna May Oliver, who steals most of the scenes she's in. There's a good song and dance number between Wheeler and his girlfriend, Dorothy Lee.And that's about it in this very disappointing, unfunny comedy. This one is a far cry from "Half Shot At Sunrise", which is one of their best.

While not their best, this harmless 65 minute feature puts Wheeler and Woolsey dead center, rather than using them in supporting roles. It's no great comedy, but is quite pleasant and passes the time. It's really a series of two person one liners. Woolsey is constantly amusing opposite Leni Stengel as Queen Carlotta (Have you ever seriously considered marriage? she asks. Certainly, he replies, that's why I'm single.) We know we're in for chuckles when the first gag is a visual one- the camera moving in on the apartment house where Aunt Minnie stays - the name is Venus De Milo Arms. As Aunt Minnie announces, "Stop talking while I'm interrupting you." we spin into the plot, nicely laid out by other reviewers on this site. Outstanding is the battle plan sequence, where towns are named "What" and "Which," etc., while Woolsey fumes in exasperation.Lots of fun, especially the concluding bombing sequence. "As Caesar says, All roads lead to rum."

Cracked Nuts is a Wheeler and Woolsey vaudeville-type comedy made during the downward spiral of the depression. The patter, jokes, and non-stop puns come out quickly, with pauses for audience laughter (in the first half of the film). The jokes start right from the beginning, even during the opening credits. Look for Boris Karloff, who had already made 60 movies by 1931. Director Ed Cline had been directing comedies since 1916, so he certainly knew his business. He had also directed most of the W C Fields movies, which explains the great comedic timing. Character actress Edna May Oliver is Aunt Minnie, who always played the disapproving, prim & proper matriarch in Tale of Two Cities, Little Women, and tons of other movies. Beautiful Dorothy Lee, with her big expressive eyes, plays Betty Harrington, and had already made several movies with Wheeler & Woolsey, so she knew their timing. German actress Leni Stengel plays Carlotta. Fun, if a little dated, (note the blocks of ice being delivered at the start of the movie) it has the feel of an Abbott & Costello film. Although the plot and jokes are the stars here, unlike in an A & C movie, where it was more about the stars. It was made prior to the Hays Code, and except for a gay reference at about 23 minutes in, it is not at all sexual or naughty, although there are opportunities, since the king wears a kilt... This 1931 version does not seem to be related to the 1941 film of same name, which was also directed by Ed Cline. For an even funnier Wheeler and Woolsey film, watch Peach O Reno...