First up tonight, "The Goose and the Gander," a 1935 WB farce in which Kay Francis tries steal back her ex-husband from, Genevieve Tobin, who stole him from her, and winds up roping in George Brent and, inadvertently, a couple of jewel thieves into her plot.
"The Goose and the Gander" falls in that interregnum between pre-Code and screwball, so doesn't quite fit either. It's not risque like the one and lacks the madcap zaniness of other, though you can see how it could go either way if it had been a year or two earlier or later.
"Merry Wives of Reno," another WB comedy, is a pre-Code, though a late one from 1934. Ruth Donnelly and Margaret Lindsay go to Reno to get divorces from Guy Kibbee and Donald Woods, respectively. Glenda Farrell and Hugh Herbert - and a sheep - are along for the ride.
"Merry Wives of Reno" is fun just because it has so many familiar WB faces in it. Frank McHugh's there, too. The second half, when they're in Reno, is the funnier one. Hobart Cavanaugh, as Lindsay and Donnelly's lawyer, has a great running gag that pays of hilariously at the end.
I'd seen "Merry Wives of Reno" before, though it must've been quite a few years ago. I didn't remember the sheep, but I did remember the coats.
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