Plastered (1930) Online

There is correctly a comma in 'Willie, West and McGinty' ... because Willie and West were two different people. Possibly more so than any other comedy act, this trio defined vaudeville and the vaudeville methods of performance. Billed as 'The House Wreckers' (and with various other bill matter), Willie, West & McGinty spent literally decades perfecting and honing their knockabout slapstick routine, only just occasionally changing the material.

'Plastered', a Paramount comedy short, preserves this hilarious vaude turn on film. In this, too, Willie, West & McGinty are representative of many vaudeville acts ... not only the comedy performers. Typically, a vaudeville act toured the circuit, never playing the same theatre twice (until the following season). Because the audience constantly changed, most vaudeville acts felt little or no incentive to change their material. When talking pictures arrived, many vaude acts welcomed the chance to film their performance and get paid more money than they received in a week of performances on the circuit. But movies sealed vaudeville's doom: as soon as an act was on film, the movie could play in hundreds of cinemas all over the country ... for audiences who no longer needed to see the performers in person.

I raised an eyebrow when I saw veteran comedy director Norman Taurog's name in this film's credits. Willie, West & McGinty had spent years honing this act on the vaude circuit, so why did they need Taurog to direct them? In the event, Taurog does an excellent job tailoring this vaudeville material to the movies. When McGinty (the one without a moustache) is temporarily busy setting up something for a slapstick pay-off later, Taurog frames the shot so that McGinty is off-screen, concentrating our attention on Willie and West. When Willie lands on his back with a square of planed timber covering his face, West stands on the timber (placing all his own weight on Willie's face) while he grips the same wood and tries to lift it: Taurog's camera angle hilariously emphasises Willie's plight.

The House Wreckers were what vaudeville booking agents called 'a dumb act'. This is not a reference to their lowbrow comedy. A 'dumb act' was any vaudeville turn which didn't speak or sing onstage: theatre managers usually wanted a dumb act to open the bill, when late arrivals in the audience were still finding their seats, unwrapping their sweets, taking their coats off and unwilling to concentrate on dialogue or lyrics emanating from the stage. The House Wreckers performed their act 'in three' or 'in full' (on the entire stage) and produced a large amount of wreckage during their mayhem ... so the deuce spot (the second act on the bill) had to be somebody who performed 'in one', standing in front of a drop curtain at the extreme front of the stage, while stagehands behind the curtain cleaned up the damage wreaked by Willie, West & McGinty and got the stage ready for the next act. (George Burns & Gracie Allen, standing in front of a curtain to do their routine about Gracie's brother, are a perfect example of an act 'in one'.) During 'Plastered', we occasionally hear groans or shouts of dismay from the house-builders ... but this remains technically a dumb act because their words have no substance, merely adding to the comedy. Some of Paramount's stock music adds spice to the soundtrack.

'Plastered' is hilarious. It has the feel of improvisation, but it's clear that these pros have carefully and expertly rehearsed their genuinely dangerous violence. I can't think of any other film -- comedy, musical or dramatic -- to which I would rather point while trying to explain the phenomenon that was vaudeville. This extremely funny movie rates 10 out of 10.