The Passionate Plumber (1932)

Director:

Edward Sedgwick

Writers:

Jacques Deval (play)
Laurence E. Johnson (writer)

Release Date:

6 February 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Elmer Tuttle, a plumber in Paris, is enlisted by beautiful Patricia Alden to help her make her lover Tony Lagorce jealous...

Plot Keywords:

Duel | Casino | Roulette Wheel | Knife Throwing | Plumber

Cast

Buster Keaton	...	Elmer E. Tuttle
Jimmy Durante	...	Julius J. McCracken
Irene Purcell	...	Patricia Alden
Polly Moran	...	Albine
Gilbert Roland	...	Tony Lagorce
Maude Eburne	...	Aunt Charlotte
Mona Maris	...	Nina Estrados
Henry Armetta	...	Bouncer
Paul Porcasi	...	Paul Le Maire
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fred Malatesta	...	Tony's second

Runtime:

73 min | Germany:63 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Charlotte Greenwood, Buster Keaton's co-star from Parlor, Bedroom and Bath (1931), was originally slated to take a character role opposite him again here, but was not available for filming.

Movie Connections:

Featured in So Funny It Hurt: Buster Keaton & MGM (2004) (TV)

Comic masterpiece

The traditional knowledge about Buster Keaton's career is that he threw it away once he signed the contract with MGM. That's possibly true. Maybe his talkies flopped big time back in the 1930s. But the three I watched tonight told a totally different story. Keaton completely retained his comic talent in the early days of the talkies. Not only does he utilize his marvelous physical prowess in these films, but he shows an enormous ear for comic timing with dialogue. As I said, tonight I watched three of them, What, No Beer?, Sidewalks of New York, and The Passionate Plumber. The Passionate Plumber was the best of the three by far, and, in my opinion, Keaton was only better in Sherlock Jr. Add to the mix a hilarious Jimmy Durante, beautiful Irene Purcell, and firey Mona Maris and you've got one of the best comedies of the 1930s. Of all times, really. It's a shame, a real shame that I am only the tenth person on imdb to vote for the film, and that it is not on video. God, I wish I had looked ahead on the TV schedule and taped it! 10/10.