Zenobia (1939)

Director:

Gordon Douglas

Writers:

Walter DeLeon (story) &
Arnold Belgard (story) ...

Release Date:

21 April 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

A southern country doctor is called on by a visiting circus man to cure his sick elephant. After the doctor heals the grateful beast...

Plot Keywords:

Attorney | Hillbilly | Sheriff | Pathos | Musician

Cast

Oliver Hardy	...	Dr. Henry Tibbett
Harry Langdon	...	Professor McCrackle
Billie Burke	...	Mrs. Bessie Tibbett
Alice Brady	...	Mrs. Emily Carter
James Ellison	...	Jeff Carter
Jean Parker	...	Mary Tibbett
June Lang	...	Virginia Reynolds
Olin Howland	...	Attorney Culpepper
J. Farrell MacDonald	...	Judge
Stepin Fetchit	...	Zero (as Step'n Fetchit)
Hattie McDaniel	...	Dehlia (as Hattie McDaniels)
Philip Hurlic	...	Zeke (as Phillip Hurlic)
Hobart Cavanaugh	...	Mr. Dover
Clem Bevans	...	Sheriff
Tommy Mack	...	Mr. Miller - the Butcher

Also Known As:

Elephants Never Forget (UK)
It's Spring Again (USA) (working title)
This Time It's Love (USA) (working title)
We the People (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

USA:TV-G (TV rating) | USA:Approved (PCA #5022) | Finland:S | Germany:o.Al. | Sweden:Btl

Company:

Hal Roach Studios Inc.

Trivia:

This film was originally developed as a Laurel and Hardy vehicle, but was re-scripted after Stan Laurel had a falling out with Hal Roach and left the studio for quite some time in 1938-1939.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Of Mice and Men (1939)

Soundtrack:

In the Evening By the Moonlight

Ollie should stick with Stan

I am a great lover of the Laurel and Hardy movies and so it was with some excitement that I was finally able to rent one of only two movies that Oliver Hardy made without Stan Laurel since their teamwork began (the other, Fighting Kentuckian, also stars another one of my favorite actors, John Wayne, and I enjoyed that one quite a bit). This however was a huge disappointment. It seemed to be Hal Roach's attempt at a prestige piece but it belies its poor roots. The story of a country doctor in the 19th century who treats an carnival elephant named Zenobia and then can't lose the elephant and its affections is poorly written, with little real humour. The performances are lackluster, with the exception of Billie Burke as Ollie's long suffering yet dim-witted wife. Her performance injects each scene she is in with the kind of manic craziness the rest of the movie aspires to but can't deliver. Another major bone of contention was the hideously racist performance of Stepin Fetchit as the servant, Zero. Ollie's later speech on equality can not even begin to make up for this truly offensive addition to an already poor movie. An early L&H sound short, Laughing Gravy, was included on the tape and showed us what Ollie could really do when given the proper material with Stan and I laughed out loud many times. I only wish that Zenobia could have made me do that just once.