I found myself hardly laughing at this unfunny comedy that must read funnier than it plays. With a mistaken identity plot, a crazed gunman running loose, two policemen thought murdered and trapped in the sewer system, an inept detective impersonating a butler to get at the murderer and a fan dancer and her husband pretending to be Lyon's fiancée and her father, this had the makings of a really funny movie. If it weren't for Walter Catlett and Pert Kelton, however, the movie would have been a total waste. It's unfortunate that such a fine actor as Ben Lyon took this role, because he seems to have no flair for comedy. He and friend 'Skeets' Gallagher should have had better lines to play against one another, although I'm not sure Lyon could have pulled it off. Thelma Todd, as his fiancée, is very beautiful, but can't act very well. Her father, Jonathan Hale, gives his usual competent performance, although he often looks as if he can't wait to go home. And Laura Hope Crews, as the rich dim-witted aunt who mistakes Kelton for her future niece, tries hard, but can't rise above the material. The problem may have been related to the fact that Todd, Kelton, Gallagher and Chick Chandler had one film to be made to fulfill their contracts with RKO, and this was it.
8 Reviews
Confusion Galore
DKosty12314 March 2016
Warning: Spoilers
This early effort of screwball comedy just comes off as strange. There is so much wrong, I should point out it's best point- it is short. Several things make very little sense.
Thelma Todd is considered the female lead in this film. Yet Pert Kelton as Fay the Fan Dancer actually gets more of a role and screen time. Pert would become a character actress in other films later and become the first Alice Kramden on the very early Honeymooners on Cavalcade of Stars before Dumont made the Classic 39 episodes. She is actually quite capable in her role here.
The plot makes almost no sense. There is a murder in a mansion of the butler, yet the murderer for some unknown reason keeps hanging around the place until he finally gets caught. Thelma Todd and her father only show up halfway into the movie. They just add to the confusion as Steve is observed carrying the attractive young Fay the Fan Dancer (Kelton) on the balcony at the front of the house when Todd (Judy Nelson) arrives. This is after the murder.
I guess you could say this one paved the way for better screwball comedies that would come after this one.
Thelma Todd is considered the female lead in this film. Yet Pert Kelton as Fay the Fan Dancer actually gets more of a role and screen time. Pert would become a character actress in other films later and become the first Alice Kramden on the very early Honeymooners on Cavalcade of Stars before Dumont made the Classic 39 episodes. She is actually quite capable in her role here.
The plot makes almost no sense. There is a murder in a mansion of the butler, yet the murderer for some unknown reason keeps hanging around the place until he finally gets caught. Thelma Todd and her father only show up halfway into the movie. They just add to the confusion as Steve is observed carrying the attractive young Fay the Fan Dancer (Kelton) on the balcony at the front of the house when Todd (Judy Nelson) arrives. This is after the murder.
I guess you could say this one paved the way for better screwball comedies that would come after this one.
Static and unfunny
gridoon202416 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Unfunny and unsuspenseful, this comedy-mystery is an almost total dud. The "plot" is based on such a stupid misunderstanding that it could be resolved in about 5 seconds (and eventually does in as much). It has an unusually high-profile cast for such a quickie, low-budget production, but the only part maybe worth seeing is Pert Kelton's "fan dance"; Thelma Todd is wasted in a straight role. *1/2 out of 4.
Dull and unfunny...which is a problem since it's supposed to be comedy!
planktonrules10 March 2016
"Lightning Strikes Twice" is a dull murder mystery comedy...and, unfortunately, it's not especially funny due to the poorly written dialog. It begins with some apparent murders but a couple of the supposed dead guys are idiot cops who get stuck in the sewers. This bit wasn't funny...and was repeated throughout the film. The rest centers on some confidence men/women and a psychotic murderer...none of which really entertain.
So is the film worth seeing? No. But if you must watch it, there are two things you should look for in the movie. First, the two female stars are mildly interesting due to their life outside films. Thelma Todd is famous for her suicide which many think was actually a mob murder and Pert Kelton was the first Alice Kramden on "The Honeymooners" but her career was damaged due to her politics and the Red Scare. Additionally, although this is technically a Post-Code film, I was surprised that the picture showed folks in bed together- -something specifically forbidden by the code. Plus two of them were guys...a definite no-no for this tough code! You know it's bad when I am looking at these sort of things to provide SOME interest.
So is the film worth seeing? No. But if you must watch it, there are two things you should look for in the movie. First, the two female stars are mildly interesting due to their life outside films. Thelma Todd is famous for her suicide which many think was actually a mob murder and Pert Kelton was the first Alice Kramden on "The Honeymooners" but her career was damaged due to her politics and the Red Scare. Additionally, although this is technically a Post-Code film, I was surprised that the picture showed folks in bed together- -something specifically forbidden by the code. Plus two of them were guys...a definite no-no for this tough code! You know it's bad when I am looking at these sort of things to provide SOME interest.
It Should Strike The Film Makers
boblipton12 April 2022
What do you get with a cast that includes Thelma Todd, Pert Kelton, Chick Chandler, Walter Catlett, Jonathan Hale and Fred Kelsey as a dumb cop? Well, if it's it's this film, a not particularly funny "comedy" that makes Skeets Gallegher look like a decent dramatic actor. It's a thorough-going waste of everyone's time. Including lead Ben Lyon's, but particularly mine.
A lot of laughs but it's a trickle, not a storm.
mark.waltz6 January 2019
Warning: Spoilers
After a promising opening concerning a lightning storm that is loud and becomes even louder when gunshots are heard, this RKO farce turn silly and convoluted as soon as the characters are brought together. The murder story is uninteresting and secondary, although it does bring in the detective Fred Kelsey to try to solve everything. In typical Hollywood tradition, Kelsey is once again typecast as the dumb detective and it is easy to see why that classic cartoons used his image as that characterature. it's also a disappointment for the fans of Thelma Todd who we are used to seeing her as sexy young ladies who were adept at wisecracks or seducing a naive hero. Here, she is so sweet that butter wouldn't even melt in her mouth, and her role even though she gets top female billing, is actually rather boring and limited.
Todd is the fiance of Ben Lyon, and on the night of the murders, they aid a couple of stranded motorists (Walter Catlett and Pert Kelton) who seem to be involved in type some type of insurance scam. But that plot line is dropped after several scenes where they fake injuries while in the same bed (this must have been released just before the code came in) and turns them into a Vaudeville routine showing Kelton join her drunken fan dance and Catlett, obviously using a stand-in, doing some difficult gymnastics.
Lyon and his pal, Richard "Skeets" Gallagher, are suddenly interrupted by the arrival of lions wacky aunt, Laura Hope Crews, who for some reason thinks that Kelton is engaged to Lyon, not Todd. Although only stopping in for a brief visit, her stay becomes longer after believing that she is wanted to stay for the wedding. The film is a convoluted mess of some funny hijinx but little plot, and that takes this into an area of ridiculousness that it never recovers from. Kelton gets the best lines, at one point proclaiming that she broken two ribs and 8th Commandments. Obviously the ribs are alive, but the commandments, I definitely believe.
Todd is the fiance of Ben Lyon, and on the night of the murders, they aid a couple of stranded motorists (Walter Catlett and Pert Kelton) who seem to be involved in type some type of insurance scam. But that plot line is dropped after several scenes where they fake injuries while in the same bed (this must have been released just before the code came in) and turns them into a Vaudeville routine showing Kelton join her drunken fan dance and Catlett, obviously using a stand-in, doing some difficult gymnastics.
Lyon and his pal, Richard "Skeets" Gallagher, are suddenly interrupted by the arrival of lions wacky aunt, Laura Hope Crews, who for some reason thinks that Kelton is engaged to Lyon, not Todd. Although only stopping in for a brief visit, her stay becomes longer after believing that she is wanted to stay for the wedding. The film is a convoluted mess of some funny hijinx but little plot, and that takes this into an area of ridiculousness that it never recovers from. Kelton gets the best lines, at one point proclaiming that she broken two ribs and 8th Commandments. Obviously the ribs are alive, but the commandments, I definitely believe.
Early farce has plenty of laughs
16mmRay1 May 2008
This is a fast-moving farce, the type of thing that Leon Errol would be doing at RKO a few years later. Ben Lyon and Skeets Gallagher, drunk after a stag party, cause a slight accident with Pert Kelton and hubby Walter Catlett. The latter pair wind up disguising themselves as Lyon's fiancé and her father. Laura Hope "Aunt Pittypat" Crews is Lyon's loony aunt who finds the bogus pair charming. All the while John Davidson is sneaking around as a supposed murderer. Great comedy cast topped off in the third act by the entrance of Fred Kelsey as the detective. Thelma Todd is lovely (of course) as Lyon's real fiancé and her role is limited in that respect. Skeets steals the show and, for once, Chick Chandler's excessive mugging is charming and whimsical. All in all, lots of smiles for this fluffy RKO quickie.
Screwball Buddy Comedy
Better_Sith_Than_Sorry2 April 2024
I wasn't super-motivated to write a review on this one, but after coming here and seeing the ridiculous negativity, I decided to voice my dissent.
Plot In a Nutshell: A man and his pal try to rid themselves of two scammers while dealing with a ditzy housemaid, a nosy aunt, bumbling cops, a dogged reporter and a crazed butler, and at the same, trying to create a semblance of normalcy for when his fiancée and her father arrive. Good luck!
That sounds screwball, doesn't it? And it sure delivers on that score. One reviewer wrote that the film was confusing. I wasn't confused in the least. I found it very easy to follow. Someone else wrote that it doesn't make sense. It made sense to me. The only part one might argue is why the butler stuck around. But it was established at the end that the butler was clearly unbalanced, so you can't really apply logic to his decisions, can you?
I only watched this film because I recently read a book about the mysterious circumstances of Thelma Todd's premature death in the 1930s. So I try to check out any of her films I come across. And this turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It's barely over an hour, so it doesn't wear out its welcome. The two male leads have an engaging chemistry that makes their friendship believable. The plot, although clearly a bit silly, is also clearly meant to be that way. And there were several scenes that made me laugh so hard I had to rewind and watch them again!
All in all, I enjoyed this film thoroughly and did not at all find it a waste of my time.
8/10. Would I watch again (Y/N)?: Yes, absolutely.
Plot In a Nutshell: A man and his pal try to rid themselves of two scammers while dealing with a ditzy housemaid, a nosy aunt, bumbling cops, a dogged reporter and a crazed butler, and at the same, trying to create a semblance of normalcy for when his fiancée and her father arrive. Good luck!
That sounds screwball, doesn't it? And it sure delivers on that score. One reviewer wrote that the film was confusing. I wasn't confused in the least. I found it very easy to follow. Someone else wrote that it doesn't make sense. It made sense to me. The only part one might argue is why the butler stuck around. But it was established at the end that the butler was clearly unbalanced, so you can't really apply logic to his decisions, can you?
I only watched this film because I recently read a book about the mysterious circumstances of Thelma Todd's premature death in the 1930s. So I try to check out any of her films I come across. And this turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It's barely over an hour, so it doesn't wear out its welcome. The two male leads have an engaging chemistry that makes their friendship believable. The plot, although clearly a bit silly, is also clearly meant to be that way. And there were several scenes that made me laugh so hard I had to rewind and watch them again!
All in all, I enjoyed this film thoroughly and did not at all find it a waste of my time.
8/10. Would I watch again (Y/N)?: Yes, absolutely.
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