Look Who's Laughing
Brief Synopsis
A radio star plans to build an airplane plant in a sleepy small town.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Allan Dwan
Director
Edgar Bergen
Edgar Bergen
Charlie Mccarthy
Charlie McCarthy
Jim Jordan
Fibber McGee
Marian Jordan
Molly [McGee]
Lucille Ball
Julie Patterson
Film Details
Also Known As
Look Who's Talking
Genre
Comedy
Release Date
Nov
21,
1941
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 18m
Sound
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
7,094ft
Synopsis
After completing his last radio broadcast of the season, ventriloquist Edgar Bergen hosts an engagement party for his assistant, Julie Patterson, and business manager Jerry Wood. The next day, Edgar and his dummy, Charlie McCarthy, leave for their summer vacation aboard Edgar's new plane. En route, Edgar, who is piloting the craft, becomes lost and lands in Wistful Vista, the home of Fibber and Molly McGee. Fibber is hurrying to a meeting of the Chamber of Commerce where, as president of the organization, he wants to propose that the town try to sell its airstrip to the Horton Aircraft factory. Fibber is opposed by Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve, who is bidding to buy the strip for a friend. The meeting is disrupted by the arrival of Edgar's plane, and the group, believing the aircraft is carrying Hilary Horton, the owner of Horton Aircraft, drives to the airstrip. There Edgar and Charlie are welcomed by Fibber and Molly, who invite them to stay at their house. Learning of Fibber's plans, Edgar offers to convince Hilary, his friend, to build his factory at Wistful Vista. When Edgar invites Hilary to visit the town on Wednesday, Gildersleeve tricks Fibber into paying for an elaborate luncheon to honor their guest. Gildersleeve is secretly working for Sam Cudahy of Ironton Realty, who wants the Horton factory built in Ironton. When Gildersleeve tries to renege on his deal, Cudahy threatens to blackmail him unless he sabotages Wistful Vista's bid for the factory. Soon after, Gildersleeve learns that Charlie wants to leave town and suggests that he send a fake telegram to Edgar, informing him that Julie is ill. On the day that Edgar is to deliver Hilary, he receives the wire and flies back to New York. Upon discovering that Julie is well, Edgar hurries back to Wistful Vista with a protesting Julie in tow. After arriving in town, Edgar learns that Fibber, humiliated, has resigned from the Chamber of Commerce and has been notified that his house is in foreclosure and the airstrip has been purchased by Cudahy. Meanwhile, Jerry and Marge, Julie's replacement as Edgar's assistant and Jerry's former fiancée, drive through the countryside in search of Julie. Back at the McGees', Charlie tells Julie that Gildersleeve suggested sending the telegram, prompting Julie to devise a scheme involving some worthless property that Gildersleeve sold to Fibber. Posing as a Horton employee, Julie tells Cudahy that her employer is really interested in buying Fibber's land for his factory. Soon after, Gildersleeve visits Fibber and offers to trade him his land for the airstrip. With the ownership of the airstrip back in Wistful Vista, Edgar convinces Hilary to fly into town. Meanwhile, Jerry and Marge have decided that they are still in love and get married. Back at the McGees', Molly discovers that Julie is in love with Edgar and advises her to "sabotage" him into marriage. They all then drive to the airstrip to meet Hilary, and as Fibber and Molly wait in Edgar's plane, Edgar and Julie greet Jerry and Marge, who have just driven into town. When Fibber accidentally takes off, Julie and Edgar follow in another plane. After Fibber nearly crashes into his plane, Hilary decides to land in Ironton. Edgar then climbs aboard Fibber's craft, and after safely landing, they all return to the McGee house, where Jerry and Marge announce their marriage. At that moment, Hilary arrives and informs Edgar that he owns a controlling interest in the Horton company and can build a factory wherever he desires. With Fibber's good name restored, Julie embraces Edgar.
Director
Allan Dwan
Director
Cast
Edgar Bergen
Edgar Bergen
Charlie Mccarthy
Charlie McCarthy
Jim Jordan
Fibber McGee
Marian Jordan
Molly [McGee]
Lucille Ball
Julie Patterson
Lee Bonnell
Jerry [Wood]
Dorothy Lovett
Marge
Harold Peary
[Throckmorton P.] Gildersleeve
Isabel Randolph
Mrs. [Abigail] Uppington
Walter Baldwin
Bill
Neil Hamilton
Hilary Horton
Charles Halton
[Sam] Cudahy
Harlow Wilcox
Mr. Collins
Spencer Charters
Hotel manager
Jed Prouty
Mayor
George Cleveland
Kelsey
Sara Berner
Mrs. Goldfarb
Sterling Holloway
Rusty
Florence Wright
Evelyn
Charles Lane
Club secretary
Edna Holland
Mrs. Hargrave
Dell Henderson
Mr. Wentworth
Jac George
Orchestra leader
Eddie Parker
Joe
James Farley
First officer
Matty Kemp
Harry
Louise Currie
Jane
Chester Clute
Mr. Blaize
Dot Farley
Mrs. Blaize
Marjorie Wood
Mrs. Collins
Louis Payne
Butler
Joe Hickey
Dancing partner
James Conlin
Mop salesman
Vic Potel
Postman
Tom Fadden
Milkman
George Chandler
Alex
William Blees
Tommy
Reed Hadley
Master of ceremonies
Dorothy Lloyd
Maisie and Matilda
Bill Thompson
Donald Kerr
Sally Cairns
Eleanor Counts
Yvonne Chenal
Crew
C. Bakaleinikoff
Music Director
John L. Cass
Recording
Edward Donahue
Assistant Director
Allan Dwan
Producer
Al Herman
Art Director Associate
James V. Kern
Story and Screenplay
Dorothy Kingsley
Material for Edgar Bergen
Zeno Klinker
Material for Edgar Bergen
Leonard L. Levinson
Material for Fibber McGee and Molly
Van Nest Polglase
Art Director
Don Quinn
Material for Fibber McGee and Molly
Frank Redman
Director of Photography
Edward Stevenson
Gowns
Sherman Todd
Editing
Vernon L. Walker
Special Effects
Roy Webb
Music
Film Details
Also Known As
Look Who's Talking
Genre
Comedy
Release Date
Nov
21,
1941
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 18m
Sound
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
7,094ft
Articles
Look Who's Laughing
Directed by old Hollywood pro Allan Dwan, this first feature length appearance of much-beloved popular radio personalities Fibber McGee and Molly (married couple Jim and Marian Jordan) also stars the equally popular radio ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his dummy Charlie McCarthy. (Lucille Ball also appears as Bergen's secretary.) When Bergen and Charlie get lost in Fibber's small town of Wistful Vista en route to their summer vacation, they get tangled up in a scheme to bring an airplane factory to their town. But when their plans are thwarted by Fibber's neighbor Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve (Harold Peary), hijinks ensue. While many of the gags are recycled from the radio show (such as Jim Jordon's trademark tongue-twisting alliterations), the visual medium allows for some new laughs, like finally getting to see what tumbles out of Fibber's notoriously messy closet. This motion picture premiered weeks after Pearl Harbor, a tough act for any comedy to follow. But a war-rattled America was hungry for the familiar landscape of Wistful Vista. This movie made more money for RKO than any other release that year, and encouraged future productions starring radio stars.
Look Who's Laughing
Directed by old Hollywood pro Allan Dwan, this first feature length appearance of much-beloved popular radio personalities Fibber McGee and Molly (married couple Jim and Marian Jordan) also stars the equally popular radio ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his dummy Charlie McCarthy. (Lucille Ball also appears as Bergen's secretary.) When Bergen and Charlie get lost in Fibber's small town of Wistful Vista en route to their summer vacation, they get tangled up in a scheme to bring an airplane factory to their town. But when their plans are thwarted by Fibber's neighbor Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve (Harold Peary), hijinks ensue. While many of the gags are recycled from the radio show (such as Jim Jordon's trademark tongue-twisting alliterations), the visual medium allows for some new laughs, like finally getting to see what tumbles out of Fibber's notoriously messy closet. This motion picture premiered weeks after Pearl Harbor, a tough act for any comedy to follow. But a war-rattled America was hungry for the familiar landscape of Wistful Vista. This movie made more money for RKO than any other release that year, and encouraged future productions starring radio stars.
Quotes
What fools we morons be.- Rusty
Marriage is a strong institution, Charlie.- Julie Patterson
So is Alcatraz, but I wouldn't want to live there.- Charlie McCarthy
I'll knock his face so far down into his Oxfords that they'll call him puss in boots.- Fibber McGee
Just like eating lettuce nothing to it- Fibber McGee
Trivia
This movie was the most profitable RKO production for 1941.
Notes
The working title of this film was Look Who's Talking. In the film's opening credits, the two "O's" in the word "look" become eyeballs and the "O" in the word "who" turns into a laughing mouth. Although the characters of "Fibber McGee and Molly" are identified as Jim and Marian Jordan in the end credits, in the opening credits they are identified only as "Fibber McGee and Molly." According to a pre-production news item in Hollywood Reporter, David Hempstead was originally slated to produce this picture, but decided to remain in New York to work with Ben Hecht on the screenplay for Journey Into Fear instead. An early Hollywood Reporter production chart adds Irving Bacon and Chester Clute to the cast, but their participation in the final film has not been confirmed. Although actor Bill Thompson is listed in the CBCS in two different parts, it has not been confirmed that he played two different roles. Another pre-production news item in Hollywood Reporter adds that although the studio originally designated the film as a medium budget production to attract radio listeners, it later decided to raise the budget to a big-scale production. According to that news item, Desi Arnaz was to star in the cast with Lucille Ball. The film was described in the Hollywood Reporter review as a "collaboration between the radio comedians' gag writers and screenwrtier James Kern." A Hollywood Reporter news item published after the film's release noted that this was the most profitable RKO production of 1941, and its success prompted the studio to sign more radio personalities.
