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Nostalgia August 2019

Silver Screen, Golden Years

The Bargain of the Century

By Jacqueline T. Lynch

ZaSu, whose on-the-surface expressions of worry, befuddlement, and wonder, as well as the warble in her voice and her repetitious “oh, dear!” will probably instantly remind you of Olive Oyl. There’s a reason for that. Mae Questel, the originator of Olive Oyl’s distinctive voice, was imitating ZaSu Pitts.

The Bargain of the Century (1933) is one of a series of Hal Roach shorts featuring ZaSu Pitts and Thelma Todd, surely one of the most endearing comedy teams Hollywood ever produced.

They were equal parts Laurel & Hardy with some sweetness all their own that went beyond mere clownish self-protection in a rough world.

ZaSu and Thelma — they played themselves — are rushing to get to a department store sale, and they knock over a traffic cop in their Model A. A motorcycle cop played by James Burtis gives chase through city streets, over trolley tracks, loses them when they drive down what appears to be a subway entrance below the sidewalk and finally catches up to them with a sarcastic, “Pardon me, but could you spare me a moment of your time?”   

The ladies attempt to explain, flatter, and flirt their way out of a ticket. Thelma Todd, a beautiful, and typical platinum blonde of the era, is the more street-savvy of the two. ZaSu Pitts is more naïve and passive, which makes it funny that Thelma is always urging ZaSu to do the flirting.

ZaSu, whose on-the-surface expressions of worry, befuddlement, and wonder, as well as the warble in her voice and her repetitious “oh, dear!” will probably instantly remind you of Olive Oyl. There’s a reason for that. Mae Questel, the originator of Olive Oyl’s distinctive voice, was imitating ZaSu Pitts.

Flirting is a tough chore for the well-meaning but socially inept ZaSu, however, she’s a game girl and does the job as best she can, with hilarious results. They worm their way into the cop’s good graces and say they desperately need to get to the department store sale to buy three sets of bed sheets. But, since the 67-cent sheets are only one to a customer, the cop agrees to go along and by the third set for them. He’s a good egg.

The opening of the store reminds one of Walmart opening early on Black Friday, with crowds trampling people to get in. Fortunately, the only one trampled here is the store manager, so that’s okay.

There is some rib-tickling, punching, and close-quarter contact to wrestle the sheets from other customers, when the police lieutenant shows up. The poor cop is fired.

The girls feel badly and take him into their home. When they trudge home from work, he is there in an apron, like a not-very-good houseman, but somebody who earnestly tries to pay his way. He sets up a series of Rube Goldberg-type alarms to ward off intruders, because after all, they are girls living alone. A siren screams when they open their door. A Morris chair is rigged to dump a person on his head.

In the funniest gag, Thelma opens the closet door, and a boxing glove mounted on the end of an extending scissors arm belts her in the side of the head.

ZaSu is sent to fetch some food from the deli downstairs. Here she meets Billy Gilbert, dressed in a sea captain’s uniform. Billy, eating a banana at the time, of course, tosses the banana peel on the ground, and ZaSu takes a spectacular fall. Of the two ladies, ZaSu appears to be the more athletic. Though she was something like 39 years old when this film was made, she demonstrates the suppleness, though not the grace, of a 14-year-old Romanian gymnast.

Billy carries her back to the apartment. Since she thinks he is not a sea captain, but a police captain, she and Thelma hope to butter him up to get their cop friend his job back. Billy is
invited to join them for ice cream.

But, since this is 1933, nobody heads for Ben & Jerry’s at the store — ZaSu is sent to the kitchen to make some. Billy Gilbert’s watch gets mistakenly ground up by ZaSu in the ice cream maker. They end up pulling bits of watch works out of their mouths with each spoonful of vanilla.

The cop gets his old job back because Billy Gilbert is not just a sea captain, he is a wanted smuggler.

Though the ladies are backed up with all the elements of a Hal Roach production and reliable character actors like Billy Gilbert, the charm of the duo is really their equal support of each other and their fellow man. Others got through the Depression with high adventure and sophisticated wit. These girls just stumble along until payday.

 

Jacqueline T. Lynch is the author of Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star., available online at Amazon, from CreateSpace and the author. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Meet Jacqueline