. . . is not as much fun as it sounds. Charlie McCarthy plays himself here as the gridiron star for "Flunk Well College." However, the only thing that this blockhead seems good at is sustaining concussions. He's suffered so many episodes of unconsciousness on the playing field that he comes off as a cross between O.J. Simpson and Aaron Hernandez, threatening to strangle or drown any coed who crosses him. Later, we see Charlie at what must be a fraternity party, making even more unwanted passes than he managed to dole out between the chalk lines. Charlie cannot take "No!!!" for an answer, hoping to wear down his unreceptive sorority sisters by propositioning them five or six times apiece. Charlie's obviously a "one and done" recruit (like Kentucky and Duke's freshmen drop-outs basketball squads). He has no ability for third grade academics, let alone work at the collegiate level. No league affiliation is provided here for FWC, but my guess would be the Southeastern Conference, as Mr. McCarthy has about as much between his ears as the average Crimson Tide or Razorback star during a post-game interview.
3 Reviews
Tiresome Bergen-McCarthy short falls into so-so category...
Doylenf23 February 2008
Boring and poorly executed EDGAR BERGEN/CHARLIE McCARTHY short, in which Charlie is improbably being touted as a football hero who will be expelled from college unless he passes the next exam.
What might have been a promising comedy short becomes terribly dull from the opening scene onward, without an ounce of wit in the script and with Charlie not looking quite the way he would once Bergen had polished and perfected his act in the '40s.
Poor performances from the supporting cast doesn't help and the whole thing is quite forgettable with nary a genuine laugh in sight. My only reason for watching is that it's featured on the CAPTAIN BLOOD DVD as a short subject from Warner Bros.
What might have been a promising comedy short becomes terribly dull from the opening scene onward, without an ounce of wit in the script and with Charlie not looking quite the way he would once Bergen had polished and perfected his act in the '40s.
Poor performances from the supporting cast doesn't help and the whole thing is quite forgettable with nary a genuine laugh in sight. My only reason for watching is that it's featured on the CAPTAIN BLOOD DVD as a short subject from Warner Bros.
Puppets Shouldn't Play Football
Michael_Elliott22 March 2012
All-American Drawback (1935)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Edgar Bergen/Charlie McCarthy comedy set at a college where McCarthy is a major football star. One day coach Bergen gets called into the office and is told that his star is failing all of his classes so he'll have to get his grades up or else there will be no more football. If you've seen any of these shorts then you should already know what to expect. I find all of them to be quite hit and miss and while this here isn't one of the best it's certainly far from the worst. The strange thing is that we're introduced to this story of McCarthy failing early on and yet it really doesn't factor into anything that follows. We get two more sequences where we get the typical Bergen-McCarthy act. One takes place on the football sidelines and the other at a dance where of course McCarthy does a lot of flirting. There are a few funny moments to be found here but there's simply not enough to carry the small 8-minute running time. There are some funny moments on the sideline including when they need a full stretcher to take McCarthy off the field. The rest of the film has the type of humor you'd expect and most of it doesn't work. Still, if you can put up with the duo this one here isn't that bad.
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Edgar Bergen/Charlie McCarthy comedy set at a college where McCarthy is a major football star. One day coach Bergen gets called into the office and is told that his star is failing all of his classes so he'll have to get his grades up or else there will be no more football. If you've seen any of these shorts then you should already know what to expect. I find all of them to be quite hit and miss and while this here isn't one of the best it's certainly far from the worst. The strange thing is that we're introduced to this story of McCarthy failing early on and yet it really doesn't factor into anything that follows. We get two more sequences where we get the typical Bergen-McCarthy act. One takes place on the football sidelines and the other at a dance where of course McCarthy does a lot of flirting. There are a few funny moments to be found here but there's simply not enough to carry the small 8-minute running time. There are some funny moments on the sideline including when they need a full stretcher to take McCarthy off the field. The rest of the film has the type of humor you'd expect and most of it doesn't work. Still, if you can put up with the duo this one here isn't that bad.
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