I am a great fan of the Pete Smith shorts from MGM. His snarky narration adds a lot of humor to almost any situation. Likewise, I enjoy the movies of Jacques Tourneur, an ambitious director whose long career in shorts and B movies were a matter of never quite having that breakout hit.
Here, however, in this short subject about a man who writes a bad check that will be cashed in three days and its movement through various hands over that time, the two have attempted to mix a series of comic and dramatic incidents over those three days and while the comic incidents work --- typical Pete Smith narration and sound effects -- the dramatic ones come off rather flat. I think the piece decent, but suspect that I would rate it lower were it not for my general fondness for the talents involved.
Here, however, in this short subject about a man who writes a bad check that will be cashed in three days and its movement through various hands over that time, the two have attempted to mix a series of comic and dramatic incidents over those three days and while the comic incidents work --- typical Pete Smith narration and sound effects -- the dramatic ones come off rather flat. I think the piece decent, but suspect that I would rate it lower were it not for my general fondness for the talents involved.