There were many popular films during the period when this film was made that stressed the warmth and honesty of the average American, that in spite of European culture being championed for its rich social and artistic culture, the ordinary, plain-speaking American was, if not superior, just as good, and small town life, grounded in the traditions of family and decency was just as admirable as anything one might find in the ancient cultures of Europe, of Paris in particular, the city of high life and fine culture.
And what plain-speaking American could better represent the best of the small town ethos would be better than man-of-the-people and celebrating philosophical comic, Will Rogers, appearing here in his first American talkie, and in contrast to all his family co-stars, so down-home and folksy, he exemplifies the wise, loveable man of the street worthy of everyone's emulation.
There are some incredibly rich early renderings of small-town Oklahoma life outside and inside Will's Garage business, capturing the essence of the high regard given him by his friends and family and local children, and there is a remarkable series of scenes as a parade of cars drive out to see a gusher erupt, as as folks line up at the bottom of the hill, hundreds of gallons rush down to the watchers and engulf their shows in black oil.
This film can be slow by today's fast-paced sense of sit-com humor, but there is much to enjoy as the transplanted family attempts to ingratiate themselves with the aristocratic French--except for Will, who always holds out for commonsense and cannot understand why his wife rents him a manservant to help him put on his trousers. The sound quality in the film gets a bit muddled now and then due to age, but there are subtitles, and even without them, the plot moves nicely along. It's lesser Borzage and lesser Rogers, but still fascinating to fans of early sound films.
Review of They Had to See Paris
