The Cohens and the Kellys in Africa (1930) User Reviews

Ouch!

[castledrac31 · 3/10 · 28 December 2014]

I waited over forty years to see this film. It was never licensed for TV broadcast, and after seeing it at the 2013 Capitolfest in Rome, NY, I could understand why. There may have been one or two mild laughs, but otherwise the film was dreadful. As an example, there's a sequence where the protagonists crawl around wearing lion costumes in a cannibal village, but nothing is done to mine any comedy. The film ends up in an Arab palace, with tired running and hiding sight gags. The only interest was seeing some of the props (such as a witch doctor mask) that would periodically turn up in later Universal productions. The film was also released with inter-titles and a music & effects track for foreign distribution. It would have been more interesting to see that version; at least a music track would have helped move this uninspired comedy along.

Was This Funny In The 30's?

[GManfred · 19 August 2013]

If you are a fan of good comedy or have a good sense of humor, or an IQ above 45, this picture is not for you. This was one of the toughest 68 minutes I ever sat through, but I was at a film festival and didn't want to walk out. Without the historical value, this picture has no value at all.

The plot is hallucinatory and the script is mainly one-liners that range from barely funny to atrocious. Cohen and Kelly own a piano business and decide that, to save money, they should go to the source of the ivory - hence the title. Things go steadily downhill, especially the jokes, and there is not much else to say about this movie. If you attend a retrospective or a film festival and this one is on the program, get your hand stamped and go out and sit in your car. It will be time well spent.