This wacky vaudeville-style romp casts the irreverent comedy team as feuding co-owners of a drug company.This wacky vaudeville-style romp casts the irreverent comedy team as feuding co-owners of a drug company.This wacky vaudeville-style romp casts the irreverent comedy team as feuding co-owners of a drug company.
George Barton
- Chauffeur
- (uncredited)
Alan Bruce
- Attendant
- (uncredited)
Jack Carson
- Cop
- (uncredited)
William Corson
- Smith
- (uncredited)
Charlotte Dabney
- Bit
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaRobert Woolsey was in constant pain during the filming due to a severe kidney ailment that eventually took his life in late 1938.
- Quotes
William Hobbs: C'mon, drink your milk. It'll make your hair curly.
Claude Horton: I hate curly hair. I don't even like rosy cheeks!
- ConnectionsVersion of A Pair of Sixes (1918)
- SoundtracksOne Happy Family
(1937)
Music and Lyrics by Dave Dreyer and Herman Ruby
Sung and Danced by Bert Wheeler (uncredited), Robert Woolsey (uncredited) and chorus
Later Sung a cappella by Robert Woolsey (uncredited)
Played often in the score
Featured review
As a Wheeler and Woolsey fan, I have run across a few people here and there who cannot stomach W&W at all. While the duo can be an acquired taste in general, I would imagine if this movie was my first exposure to W&W, I probably would not have looked too much further into their work. This is not a good vehicle and they seem a little tired in general. Possibly explained by Woolsey's health issue mentioned in the trivia section.
We start with the concept of the duo as enemies. Half the fun of a Wheeler and Woolsey film is watching them get out of trouble together. They occasionally stab each other in the back, but the underlying friendship is always there. From the start of On Again, Off Again, they are at odds, and their cinematic chemistry suffers as well. The comedy seems more forced than madcap.
The plot has them owning a big pharmaceutical company, but since they argue all the time, nothing gets done. They decide to wrestle for ownership of the company. Loser becomes the winners servant for a year. There have been worse premises, but this just goes nowhere.
Luckily, their next and final film, High Flyers, would end the duo's film career on a better note. Woolsey seems more like himself in that one and does some sublime dancing.
We start with the concept of the duo as enemies. Half the fun of a Wheeler and Woolsey film is watching them get out of trouble together. They occasionally stab each other in the back, but the underlying friendship is always there. From the start of On Again, Off Again, they are at odds, and their cinematic chemistry suffers as well. The comedy seems more forced than madcap.
The plot has them owning a big pharmaceutical company, but since they argue all the time, nothing gets done. They decide to wrestle for ownership of the company. Loser becomes the winners servant for a year. There have been worse premises, but this just goes nowhere.
Luckily, their next and final film, High Flyers, would end the duo's film career on a better note. Woolsey seems more like himself in that one and does some sublime dancing.
- LynxMatthews
- Jul 13, 2006
- Permalink
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $214,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 8 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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