Hi Diddle Diddle (1943)
Directed by Andrew L. Stone
Genres - Comedy, Drama, Musical |
Sub-Genres - Screwball Comedy |
Release Date - Aug 2, 1943 (USA - Unknown), Aug 2, 1943 (USA) |
Run Time - 72 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
In the tradition of Hellzapoppin', Hi Diddle Diddle is an all-stops-out "screwball comedy" populated by certifiable zanies. Billie Burke plays Mrs. Prescott, the featherbrained mother of bride-to-be Janie Prescott (Martha Scott). When Mrs. P is swindled out of her life savings, Colonel Phyffe (Adolphe Menjou), the con-man father of Janie's fiancé Sonny (Dennis O'Keefe), vows to get her money back -- by any means possible. The plotline is merely an excuse for a series of wild nonsequitur visual and verbal gags, culminating in a cute reverse-cliché finale. Making her first Hollywood appearance in years, silent screen star Pola Negri is hilariously cast as Phyffe's opera-star wife Genya Smetana. Best bits: Mrs. Prescott revealing that a recurring female character is a "special friend of the director"; Leslie Quayle (June Havoc singing a duet with herself); and an outrageous scene in which the wallpaper comes to life during a eardrum-shattering family sing-along (the animation was provided by the Warner Bros. cartoon staff).
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Themes
Keywords
bride, con/scam, damsel-in-distress, fiancee, honeymoon, mother, newlywed, officer, rescue, revenge, savings