Scratch-As-Catch-Can (1931)

Hmmm. I struggled a bit with this. Bobby Clark and Paul McCullough find themselves arriving, Cleopatra-style, in a gymnasium where they encounter a man pleasantly enjoying a steam bath. In the course of their rather strained antics, they manage to trap him in the machine with the steam and the freeze settings on full blast! Meantime, "Sandow" (Charlotte Ogden) is under huge pressure to get wealthy industrialist "Clackworthy" to sign an insurance policy. Her team are so useless she reckons any old man off the street could do a better job. Guess who gets picked? They are misdirected to the home of "Gilfoil" (James Finlayson) who is President of the very same insurance company and Clark convinces him to buy a $100,000 policy whilst his pal works on his guest. They don't quite use persuasion and rational chat, they use wrestling - and pretty soon a combination of pain, panic and the ruination of his home ensures that "Gilfoil" signs and his mate, well it turns out that they've met before! The dialogue is relentless and though there is the odd wise-crack in there to raise a smile, there just isn't nearly enough to sustain this story. It's disjointed and at times quite irritating and though I didn't hate it, I doubt I'll ever watch it again.