Series: All Stars w/The Boy Friends Director: George Stevens Producer: Hal Roach Dialogue: H.M. Walker Photography: Editor: Richard C. Currier Sound: Elmer Raguse Stars: Mickey Daniels, Grady Sutton, David Rollins, Mary Kornman, Gertrude Messinger Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Released: 24 October 1931 Length: 2 reels Production No.: S-2 Filming dates: July 9-18, 1931 Rating: 6/10

Mama Loves Papa

Remington Culpepper (what's with a name like that?) is in a good mood as he leaves home with his golf clubs and with a sparkling ring in his pocket. After some odd looks from milkman Charlie Hall, Culpepper drives off, oblivious to the fact his daughter and son (Gertie and Dave) have stowed away in the trunk of the car. He arrives at his fiancée Martha's home to pick her up for their wedding which is due in one hour but she is annoyed to see his kids with him, especially as she has gone to great lengths in ensuring her own two kids (Mickey and Mary) were out of the way. But then, Mickey and Mary also make themselves known and the whole situation grows awkward, especially when it is announced that they will be getting a new "dad". Dave and Gertie storm into the house and get the same (bad) news. Remington tries to talk with Mary and Mickey but they get up and leave when Alabam draws Mickey's attention away. In the kitchen Gertie and Dave chat loudly so that their future step-mother can hear of all their father's bad habits in their attempts to put her off marriage to their father; whilst outside Alabam offers Mickey and Mary some advice about acting screwy whenever Remington is around in an attempt to put him off getting married. Alabam goes one step further as he tells Culpepper to his face of the difficulties that lie ahead, with his made-up stories about the family. Mary then does her best through a series of odd performances in the hallway with Mickey to make it look as though she is completely cuckoo!

Gertie and Dave continue to play out their nasty mind games with Dave taking a large knife and "attacking" Gertie in a side room before carrying her limp "body" back through the kitchen in front of Martha. Mary continues her own nasty game by pretending to be deformed and fat, whilst Gertie then chases Dave through the kitchen with an axe (I thought she was supposed to be dead?) Martha freaks. After consulting with Remington, Martha then offers to humour his kids and takes the axe from Gertie so she can chop off Dave's head. Random. Mickey then continues his routine, now as an out-of-control monkey who jumps up onto a cabinet before swinging from a light and throwing the bulbs down onto Remington's head. Mickey chases Remington around the room cackling like a chipmunk whilst Betty shows up at the window outside to witness the bizarre behaviour coming from inside the house. Martha catches Remington who is immitating Mickey as a complete maniac and tells him the wedding is off. The two argue over each other's crazy kids until Mickey and Dave decide to come clean and confess about their odd antics. Alabam goes outside and grabs a passing clergyman (convenient!) so that he can perform the wedding ceremony. He does so, but the joyous celebration is cut short when Betty finds a cop and directs him to the house. He comes in and takes the 'clergyman' away (he is actually a mental patient wearing his clothes back-to-front which resembles a man of the cloth!)

Favourite bit The highlight(s) of the film is definitely Mary Kornman getting up to all sorts of impossible antics out in the hallway in an attempt to discourage her future step-father from marrying her mother. Acting crazy, she displays several routines showing her body twisted, deformed and mangled.... like she is proud of it!

Trivia • Copyrighted October 1, 1931. • This was the ninth film in the Boy Friends series. • The credits list a "Mary" Bernard - surely this is a mis-spelling of Harry Bernard? • Gertie and Dave enter Martha's house without even knocking. He later takes a large kitchen knife Martha is using, and later puts it down into her loaf of bread. Rude. • When Mary and Mickey are introduced to Culpepper they both pull faces at the same time. It is hilarious timing. • Although I cannot make out his face clearly, it is most probable that David Sharpe performed the stunts where Mickey jumps up onto the cabinet and then swings from the light. My opinion • Outrageously bizarre! The set up is actually rather funny, but it really gets dragged down towards the middle of the film where it seems to just stop dead. David Rollins, who is an obvious replacement for David Sharpe in the series, is really excruciating annoying and really unlikeable. Mary Kornman on the other hand is absolutely gorgeous. And we see quite a bit of her legs too!

	Mickey Daniels Mickey
	Grady Sutton Alabam
	David Rollins Dave Culpepper
	Mary Kornman Mary
	Gertrude Messinger Gertie Culpepper
	May Wallace Martha
	Harry Bernard Remington Culpepper
	Charlie Hall Milkman
	Betty Bolen Alabam's girlfriend
	Sam Lufkin Cop
	Jerry Mandy Minister

CREDITS (FILM CLASSICS) (click image to enlarge)

STILLS (click image to enlarge)

Acknowledgements: http://benny-drinnon.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-boy-friends.html (still) This page was last updated on: 24 October 2019