Million Dollar Legs
Encyclopedia
Million Dollar Legs is an American comedy film
, directed by Edward F. Cline
and released by Paramount Pictures
. It was inspired by the 1932 Olympics, held in Los Angeles.
, win the weightlifting competition, and collect a large cash reward that has been offered to medalists by Tweeny's employer. Tweeny then sets out to find athletes to make up Klopstokia's Olympic team, and quickly discovers that the country abounds in athletes of preternatural abilities. The team, with Tweeny as their trainer, boards a steamship bound for America.
Meanwhile, the rebellious cabinet ministers, who are determined to sabotage Klopstokia's Olympic bid, have enlisted the services of "Mata Machree, the Woman No Man Can Resist" (Lyda Roberti), a Mata Hari
-based spy character who sets out to destroy the Klopstokian team's morale by seducing each athlete and then setting them against each other in a collective brawl. Her efforts have the intended effect: when the team arrives in Los Angeles they are in no condition to compete. After a pep talk from Tweeny fails to inspire them, Angela tracks down Mata, defeats her in an underwater fight, and forces a confession from her before the assembled team, which restores the athletes' fighting spirit. They take to the field and begin winning events.
By the time the weightlifting competition begins, Klopstokia needs only three more points for victory. In the film's final scene, Tweeny excites The President's fierce temper in order to inspire him to a final superhuman effort. The President throws a 1000-lb weight at Tweeny, missing him but winning both the weightlifting competition and the shot put
for Klopstokia.
writer David Denby
called the movie "about as close as Hollywood (in this case, Paramount) ever came to the spirit of Dada
. The movie is so silly that it seems both artless and weirdly avant-garde, a style that the studios never quite explored again. Sequences begin and end abruptly; lovers talk parodistic nonsense to each other; Lyda Roberti
, a comic dancer and singer with a delicious pan-European accent and alarmingly active hips (she makes Kim Cattrall
look inhibited), turns up as a femme fatale, apparently based on Marlene Dietrich
. The film bears some resemblance to the Marx Brothers
’ manic Duck Soup, which came out the following year and is actually more disciplined."
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
, directed by Edward F. Cline
Edward F. Cline
Edward Francis Cline was a screenwriter, actor, writer and director. He was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin and died in Hollywood.-Career:...
and released by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
. It was inspired by the 1932 Olympics, held in Los Angeles.
Cast (in credits order)
- Jack OakieJack OakieJack Oakie was an American actor, starring mostly in films, but also working on stage, radio and television.-Early life:...
as Migg Tweeny - W. C. FieldsW. C. FieldsWilliam Claude Dukenfield , better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler and writer...
as The President - Andy ClydeAndy ClydeAndy Clyde was a Scottish movie and TV actor whose career spanned more than four decades. He broke into silent films in 1925 as a Mack Sennett comic...
as The Major-Domo - Lyda RobertiLyda Roberti-Life and career:Born in Warsaw, Poland, Roberti was the daughter of a clown and as a child performed in the circus as a trapeze artist, and as a vaudeville singer. As the family toured Europe and Asia, Roberti's mother left her husband, settling in Shanghai, China where the younger Roberti earned...
as Mata Machree - Susan FlemingSusan FlemingSusan Fleming was an American actress known as the "Girl with the Million Dollar Legs" for a role she played in the W. C. Fields film Million Dollar Legs...
as Angela - Ben TurpinBen TurpinBen Turpin was a cross-eyed American comedian and actor, best remembered for his work in silent films.-Personal life:...
as 'mysterious man' - Hugh HerbertHugh HerbertHugh Herbert was a motion picture comedian. He began his career in vaudeville, and wrote more than 150 plays and sketches.-Career:...
as Secretary of the Treasury - George BarbierGeorge BarbierGeorge Barbier was one of the great French illustrators of the early 20th century. Born in Nantes, France on October 10, 1882, Barbier was 29 years old when he mounted his first exhibition in 1911 and was subsequently swept to the forefront of his profession with commissions to design theatre and...
as Mr. Baldwin - Dickie Moore as Willie - Angela's brother
Synopsis
While visiting the mythical country of Klopstokia on business, brush salesman Migg Tweeny (Jack Oakie) collides with a young woman (Susan Fleming) on the street and the two fall instantly in love. Her name is Angela—all the women in Klopstokia are named Angela—and she is the daughter of Klopstokia's President (W. C. Fields), whose country is bankrupt, and who relies upon his great physical strength to dominate a cabinet that is conspiring to overthrow him. Tweeny, hoping to win the hand of The President's daughter in marriage, presents him with a plan to remedy Klopstokia's financial woes: The President is to enter the 1932 Olympic GamesOlympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, win the weightlifting competition, and collect a large cash reward that has been offered to medalists by Tweeny's employer. Tweeny then sets out to find athletes to make up Klopstokia's Olympic team, and quickly discovers that the country abounds in athletes of preternatural abilities. The team, with Tweeny as their trainer, boards a steamship bound for America.
Meanwhile, the rebellious cabinet ministers, who are determined to sabotage Klopstokia's Olympic bid, have enlisted the services of "Mata Machree, the Woman No Man Can Resist" (Lyda Roberti), a Mata Hari
Mata Hari
Mata Hari was the stage name of Margaretha Geertruida "M'greet" Zelle , a Dutch exotic dancer, courtesan, and accused spy who was executed by firing squad in France under charges of espionage for Germany during World War I.-Early life:Margaretha Geertruida Zelle was born in Leeuwarden, Friesland,...
-based spy character who sets out to destroy the Klopstokian team's morale by seducing each athlete and then setting them against each other in a collective brawl. Her efforts have the intended effect: when the team arrives in Los Angeles they are in no condition to compete. After a pep talk from Tweeny fails to inspire them, Angela tracks down Mata, defeats her in an underwater fight, and forces a confession from her before the assembled team, which restores the athletes' fighting spirit. They take to the field and begin winning events.
By the time the weightlifting competition begins, Klopstokia needs only three more points for victory. In the film's final scene, Tweeny excites The President's fierce temper in order to inspire him to a final superhuman effort. The President throws a 1000-lb weight at Tweeny, missing him but winning both the weightlifting competition and the shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
for Klopstokia.
Reviews
After a June 2010 screening in Tribeca, New YorkerThe New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
writer David Denby
David Denby (film critic)
David Denby is an American journalist, best known as a film critic for The New Yorker magazine.-Background and education:Denby grew up in New York City. He received a B.A...
called the movie "about as close as Hollywood (in this case, Paramount) ever came to the spirit of Dada
Dada
Dada or Dadaism is a cultural movement that began in Zurich, Switzerland, during World War I and peaked from 1916 to 1922. The movement primarily involved visual arts, literature—poetry, art manifestoes, art theory—theatre, and graphic design, and concentrated its anti-war politics through a...
. The movie is so silly that it seems both artless and weirdly avant-garde, a style that the studios never quite explored again. Sequences begin and end abruptly; lovers talk parodistic nonsense to each other; Lyda Roberti
Lyda Roberti
-Life and career:Born in Warsaw, Poland, Roberti was the daughter of a clown and as a child performed in the circus as a trapeze artist, and as a vaudeville singer. As the family toured Europe and Asia, Roberti's mother left her husband, settling in Shanghai, China where the younger Roberti earned...
, a comic dancer and singer with a delicious pan-European accent and alarmingly active hips (she makes Kim Cattrall
Kim Cattrall
Kim Victoria Cattrall is an English actress. She is known for her role as Samantha Jones in the HBO comedy/romance series Sex and the City, and for her leading roles in the 1980s films Police Academy, Big Trouble in Little China, Mannequin, and Porky's...
look inhibited), turns up as a femme fatale, apparently based on Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress and singer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films...
. The film bears some resemblance to the Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
’ manic Duck Soup, which came out the following year and is actually more disciplined."
External links
- http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/notebook/2010/06/07/100607gonb_GOAT_notebook_denby