By Violet Levoit
Everything's Rosie
Brief Synopsis
A carnival con artist tries to mend his ways when his adopted daughter gets engaged.
Cast & Crew
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Clyde Bruckman
Director
Robert Woolsey
Dr. J. Dockweiler Droop
Anita Louise
Rosie
John Darrow
Billy Lowe
Florence Roberts
Mrs. Lowe
Clifford Dempsey
Sheriff
Film Details
Also Known As
Going, Gone
Genre
Comedy
Release Date
Jun
13,
1931
Premiere Information
New York opening: week of 22 May 1931
Production Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Location
Sherwood Forest, California, United States
Technical Specs
Duration
60m
Film Length
8 reels
Synopsis
In a small town in 1916, carnival tonic huckster Dr. J. Dockweiler Droop stumbles across Rosie, an abused orphan toddler, and unwittingly becomes her foster father. Fourteen years later, Rosie meets handsome law student Billy Lowe while traveling through a town with Droop and his rotating carnival act. Charmed by Billy, Rosie begs Droop to give up the nomadic life and settle in the town. The ever resourceful Droop, who had been posing as a fortune-teller, then convinces Al Oberdorf, a failing jewelry store owner, to hire him to auction off the store's merchandize. After a few weeks, Droop, an incorrigible braggart, saves the store from bankruptcy and, while Rosie falls in love with the equally enamored Billy, ingratiates himself with the townspeople. Just before Billy's twenty-first birthday, however, Rosie meets Madeline Van Dorn, Billy's sophisticated would-be fiancée, and concludes that Billy is not truly in love with her. Although hurt, Rosie agrees to attend Billy's birthday party with Droop, who has convinced Billy's parents that he is a nobleman of European extraction. At the party, Droop humors all of the well-to-do guests with his unabashed silliness, then tricks them into betting on a crooked shell game. While Droop is making a small fortune with his shells, Rosie overhears Billy tell Madeline that he wants to marry the orphan. Overjoyed, Rosie rushes to her father's side and insists that he play one last, honest game at double-or-nothing stakes. Although Droop returns his ill-gotten winnings, the suspicious town sheriff exposes the game as phony, and Droop and Rosie are forced to leave. Later that night, Droop is accused of robbing the jewelry store safe and is thrown in jail, while Rosie is sent to an orphanage. Eventually Droop escapes from the jail and rescues Rosie from the orphanage. While racing from the town, Droop and Rosie are overtaken by the sheriff and Billy, who announce that the real robbers have been apprehended. Rosie then happily accepts Billy's marriage proposal and says a tearful goodbye to her irrepressible foster father.
Director
Clyde Bruckman
Director
Cast
Robert Woolsey
Dr. J. Dockweiler Droop
Anita Louise
Rosie
John Darrow
Billy Lowe
Florence Roberts
Mrs. Lowe
Clifford Dempsey
Sheriff
Lita Chevret
Madeline Van Dorn
Alfred James
Al Oberdorf
Frank Beal
Mr. Lowe
Crew
Videos
Movie Clip
Film Details
Also Known As
Going, Gone
Genre
Comedy
Release Date
Jun
13,
1931
Premiere Information
New York opening: week of 22 May 1931
Production Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Location
Sherwood Forest, California, United States
Technical Specs
Duration
60m
Film Length
8 reels
Articles
Everything's Rosie
The leading comics at RKO Pictures in the early '30s were Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey, a duo who had scored on Broadway when Florenz Ziegfeld teamed them for Rio Rita and brought the act to the screen in the musical's 1929 film version. With nonsensical plots and rapid-fire gags, their films were huge hits, particularly among lower-income audiences. As a result, RKO tried to double their box office by trying the pair in solo films. Wheeler romanced frequent leading lady Dorothy Lee in Too Many Cooks (1931), while the older Woolsey played a carnival con artist who adopts orphan Anita Louise in this film. When she falls for a handsome law student, he settles down in the youth's small town, using his carnival pitch to save a local auction house and charming the local society by pretending to be European royalty. Everything's Rosie has an impeccable comic pedigree. Director Clyde Bruckman and writer Al Boasberg had worked on some of Buster Keaton's greatest films. Co-writer Tim Whelan had written for Harold Lloyd and Harry Langdon, while dialogue writer Ralph Spence had written titles for some of Marion Davies's best comedies. Throw in the beauty of the 16-year-old Louise, and you have a charming little film. Sadly, Woolsey without Wheeler wasn't as much of a draw as Woolsey with Wheeler, so the studio didn't give them any other solo assignments.
By Violet Levoit
By Violet Levoit
Everything's Rosie
The leading comics at RKO Pictures in the early '30s were Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey, a duo who had scored on Broadway when Florenz Ziegfeld teamed them for Rio Rita and brought the act to the screen in the musical's 1929 film version. With nonsensical plots and rapid-fire gags, their films were huge hits, particularly among lower-income audiences. As a result, RKO tried to double their box office by trying the pair in solo films. Wheeler romanced frequent leading lady Dorothy Lee in Too Many Cooks (1931), while the older Woolsey played a carnival con artist who adopts orphan Anita Louise in this film. When she falls for a handsome law student, he settles down in the youth's small town, using his carnival pitch to save a local auction house and charming the local society by pretending to be European royalty. Everything's Rosie has an impeccable comic pedigree. Director Clyde Bruckman and writer Al Boasberg had worked on some of Buster Keaton's greatest films. Co-writer Tim Whelan had written for Harold Lloyd and Harry Langdon, while dialogue writer Ralph Spence had written titles for some of Marion Davies's best comedies. Throw in the beauty of the 16-year-old Louise, and you have a charming little film. Sadly, Woolsey without Wheeler wasn't as much of a draw as Woolsey with Wheeler, so the studio didn't give them any other solo assignments.
By Violet Levoit
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was Going, Going, Gone (also spelled Going! Going! Gone!). Robert Woolsey, who was part of RKO's popular comedy team "Wheeler and Woolsey," made his debut as a solo screen star in this production. According to an April 1931 Film Daily production news item, "an important event in sound recording was achieved when the...'Going! Going! Gone!' company succeeded in recording the rustling of leaves, bird calls and natural wind effects during a location trip to Sherwood Forest, 35 miles from Hollywood." The recording was accomplished by the "silencer and ground noise eliminator" invented by RKO sound man Hugh McDowell, Jr. A Film Daily news item adds William Halligan, James Quinn, George Chandler, Charles Gillette, Ford West, Edward Peil and Leo Willis to the cast, but their participation in the final film has not been confirmed.
