You Said a Mouthful (1932) User Reviews (17)

A solid little Joe E. Brown comedy

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 27 February 2010]

This is neither the best or worst thing Joe E. Brown ever did. It was made during his "salad days" over at Warner Brothers/First National where he did his best talking picture work. Brown plays Joe Holt, a shipping clerk who invents an unsinkable bathing suit and dreams of better things as he is constantly hazed and disrespected by his fellow employees. He soon learns he has inherited the estate of a relative in California. However, all he winds up with is five dollars and a young ward, played by Farina of Our Gang fame. Joe's luck soon turns, though, when he is mistaken for a championship swimmer by the same name. Deathly afraid of water, our hero would have confessed the mix-up to his hosts immediately if it were not for two things - the good eats at his hosts' comfy estate and, more importantly, the attention of an attractive young lady, Alice (Ginger Rogers), who just adores good swimmers.

The film has some good Joe E. Brown moments in it, who in many ways had the kind of early talkie career that Buster Keaton could have had if he had not been tied to a studio that so misunderstood his potential (MGM). MGM's forte was drama not comedy, and certainly not physical comedy. Ginger Rogers is in a transitional role here, as she is playing someone who is splitting the difference between her earlier flapper persona and her more hardened chorine image in the Berkeley musicals. Farina does a good job as Joe's ward and the only real friend Joe has. Preston Foster, as Joe's rival for both the championship and Alice, bears a striking resemblance to Ralph Bellamy both physically and in how Bellamy played the cad in some of his earlier screen roles.

A good film from the precode era that doesn't have a precode moment in it, which is odd considering its stars.

A Joe E. Comedy Seasoned With Ginger

[atlasmb · 6/10 · 16 July 2014]

Abandon all connections with reality ye who watch this movie. This is a silly comedy. Joe E. Brown stars as Joe Holt, a dreamer who works in the shipping room of a swimwear company. He is also the target of his bullying coworkers, so when he finds he has inherited a million dollars, he packs and moves to California. The fortune turns out to be much less than imagined. Plus his aunt's will asks that he take charge of the son of the aunt's homemaker. Sam is a young black boy who quickly latches onto Joe as a father figure.

Low on funds, Joe decides to take a job in a hotel on Catalina. Joe is mistaken for a champion long distance open water swimmer and is entered in a race from Catalina to the mainland, though he can't swim.

Ginger Rogers plays Alice Brandon, the young woman who somehow becomes his sweetheart, but promises to stick with him only if he wins the race. At this point in her career, Ginger has become a screen presence, showing much more ease and talent than just a couple of years before.

Joe E. plays his character with his usual physicality, wackiness and indomitable self-confidence. But his trademark big-mouth yell is overused here and becomes tiresome. Also overdone is a long bit where he "waterskis" behind a motorboat. Note that he wears his glasses even when swimming.

Really good Joe E. Brown vehicle

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 17 July 2014]

I wouldn't quite agree with another reviewer who implied that Joe E. Brown is now a mostly forgotten comedian. It's just that his heydey -- in the 1930s -- is a long time ago, and it's easy to forget that he was one of the most popular comedians on the big screen when it graduated into the talkies. But I must admit that I find Brown's films to be rather uneven, with some hilarious and others missing the mark, but I think that's more to do with separating the 1930s from the 2010s.

Of the Brown comedies, which MGM plays every once in a while, this seems to be one of the better ones...or at least one I can relate to a little more.

The one thing that doesn't quite work here is the supposed wimpishness of Joe's character. Difficult to hide his rather nice physique in a bathing suit! The story is generally quite amusing (though not hilariious), and the print shown on TCM is in excellent condition.

Joe E. Brown is his most engaging here. Ginger Rogers...well, she's so young here I'm not sure I would have recognized her if it weren't for the opening credits. Preston Foster...well, never quite understood the attraction...and still don't. Allen 'Farina' Hoskins, as a little Black kid who seems to be taking care of Brown's character, is a hoot; what a talented little guy; and the part doesn't seem overly racially stereotyped.

An enjoyable little film with a great climax.

"I've certainly got more intelligence than a baby duck."

[utgard14 · 7/10 · 17 July 2014]

Joe E. Brown comedy about an inventor of an "unsinkable bathing suit" who is mistaken for a champion swimmer. Ginger Rogers plays the girl who falls for him but doesn't know the truth. Black child actor Allen 'Farina' Hoskins is great as Brown's ward he inherited from his aunt. I'm not the biggest fan of Joe E. Brown. I often find him to be a very limited comedian, relying solely upon rubberfacing and exaggerated voices -- the kind of stuff that toddlers laugh at. But every once in awhile I come across one of his movies that impresses me. This is one of those movies. Brown actually plays a character here instead of himself, which means he actually acts. My favorite parts were the little bits of business where we'd get to hear Brown's thoughts, which sound like lines from a bad novel. Fans of Brown will undoubtedly like this one but it's also one of his few movies I've seen that I would recommend to non-fans.

He's willing to sacrifice for love, but not to the point of drowning.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 13 December 2018]

In his two 1932 Warner Brothers comedies with Ginger Rogers, nearly forgotten comic Joe E. Brown had two different characterizations to play, and this fast paced farce is the better of the two. Brown had played a rather obnoxious but naive hick in "The Tenderfoot" (one of many variations of "The Butter and Egg Man"), and here, is naive, but also a bit of a milquetoast. Brown is a shipping clerk in a bathing suit company who is desperately trying to invent a non-sinking suit, simply because of his own fear of the water. He is the butt of many jokes at work, set up for a humiliating confrontation with the boss, but as luck would have it, finds out that an old aunt of his has left him her entire estate, which after fees comes down to $5 and some change, as well as being made custodian of the aunt's late maid's son, Allen 'Farina' Hoskins. Yes, the "Our Gang" veteran (over 100 shorts in 11 years), has a big screen role here, and proves to be a smart young boy, helping his new pappy out of many jams and giving many double takes when Brown is about to get into more trouble. While there are a few stereotypical cliches involving his character, he is basically very lovable, and shares several touching moments with Brown that makes their friendship quite warm and fuzzy.

The basic story really starts when Brown and Farina prepare to travel to Catalina where they want to apply for jobs at a hotel, and due to a mistake, Brown is believed to be a champion swimmer. Having a crush on his host's daughter (Ginger Rogers), Brown goes along with the deceit, much to the annoyance of another champion swimmer (Preston Foster) who wants the perky Ginger for himself and wants to prove Brown to be a fraud. This has two lengthy scenes of great farce, a water ski sequence where Brown ends up in several very funny positions as Foster pulls him around the Pacific ocean, and the final swimming sequence where there are some delightful visual gags involving various ocean critters and an ominous message in a passing bottle. This is fast moving and often extremely funny, with Brown's "every man" character over the top in personality but relatable in other ways. Rogers gives an enthusiastic performance that shows her star potential. The water skiing sequence is a formula used by Warner Brothers several times, such as in the 1930 JE Brown musical "Top Speed" and 1931's "Gold Dust Gertie" with Brown's female counterpart, Winnie Lightner.

So, the lessons to be learned are that lying is fine and cheating ain't so bad either!

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 12 March 2020]

"You Said a Mouthful" is a very odd comedy, as you are expected to root for a guy who is a complete fraud and a liar! Strange, but true!

When the story begins, Joe (Joe E. Brown) is fired from the company where he invented an unsinkable bathing suit. Soon, he learns he's the heir to an estate...but ends up gaining only $5 and a new son, Sam (Farina Hoskins). Soon the pair are destitute and Joe needs a job...when he is mistaken for a Canadian swimming champion bound for a big race at Catalina Island. Instead of admitting the mistake, Joe goes along with it and soon falls for Alice (Ginger Rogers). So what will he do when the race day finally arrives? Well, he'll do what any hero would do...cheat, cheat and cheat some more!

The message in this film is twisted if you think about it. Lie and cheat...that's the secret to success in this movie!! But if you can ignore this, the film is pleasant and enjoyable...and Farina (from the Little Rascals) is a nice sidekick for Joe and it's nice that the expected black jokes did NOT occur in the film. Overall, worth seeing even with a strange moral!

A big mouth!

[JohnHowardReid · 7/10 · 2 March 2018]

Producer: Raymond Griffith. A Warner Bros Picture. Copyright 8 December 1932 by First National Pictures, Inc. New York opening at the Winter Garden: 18 November 1932. 8 reels. 75 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: Madcap invents an unsinkable swimming suit.

COMMENT: Joe E. Brown had some good vehicles in his time, but in this one he comes across as a pretty charmless comedian with just one claim to fame - a big mouth. The script of this film is so lacking in humor that he is forced to fall back on his trademark to such an extent as even to tire his most devoted fans.

Still what the film lacks in its feeble attempts at humor, it makes up in other directions - particularly in the direction of Miss Ginger Rogers, exquisitely costumed in Orry-Kelly gowns and very attractively photographed (when the camera-hogging Joe E. gives her a chance!) by Richard Towers.

The support cast is quite effective, particularly Harry Gribbon as an office practical joker. Also the climactic race with Joe E. doing this own swimming and stunts emerges as mildly exciting. The chucklesome spoofing of the off-camera thinking in Strange Interlude will be lost on audiences today, but viewers will appreciate the reasonably pacey direction by Lloyd Bacon at his early sound movie liveliest. And there's a pleasant music score too!

cute

[HandsomeBen · 5/10 · 31 December 2023]

I almost couldn't get into this movie and probably would have turned it off it wasn't for the little boy sam. I thought he was adorable and his dynamic with the leading man was cute and charming, despite the racist imaginary on the movie cover, and how they made sam talk compared to his white counterparts. Also glad he had actual things to do to move the plot forward, instead of being a mascot or a pet. The ending is also adorable. And the film as a whole is watchable and family friendly. It could have been shorter, the beginning should have been more condensed and more to the point. It was more entertaining towards the middle and end when the stakes were high.

Joe E. Brown comedy

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 2 July 2022]

Lowly shipping clerk Joe Holt (Joe E. Brown) gets bullied at work. He inherits an estate from his rich aunt Minnie but it's all vanished. He does gain a ward in Sam Wellington, the son of her loyal servant. They end up homeless and jobless. Alice Brandon (Ginger Rogers) spots him in the harbor to Catalina Island. She mistakes him for a different Joe Holt. The water-phobic Joe is assumed to be the swimming champion Joe Holt and is expected to compete in a swimming race. Macho Ed Dover challenges him and Alice is desperate for him to beat Dover.

Joe E. Born has his gaping mouth and facial comedy. The premise is functional screwball comedy. It doesn't really make sense that he gets up after coming up with his great injury excuse. It would take a lot more to get a rise out of him. It would take Ginger Rogers sexing it up. This is pre-Code after all. The premise loses steam over time. This is fine but nothing that great.

you said a mouthful

[mossgrymk · 5/10 · 5 August 2022]

Aside from white Catalina society circa 1932 showing unusual restraint and aplomb in tolerating the fact that Joe E Brown has a black child there is nothing even faintly interesting about this massively unfunny film. Perhaps most discouraging is how dull Ginger Rogers is. Solid C.

Antediluvian, yet sprightly

[jayson-4 · 8/10 · 28 July 2003]

Joe E. Brown is a member of that exclusive club of actors (such as "Singin' in the Rain's" Jean Hagen) who would probably be forgotten but for one role that made them immortal. (You may at one time have been exposed to Brown's "Nobody's perfect.") Before today, I'd have run out of Brown roles after a second (Cap'n Andy in "Showboat").

But TCM, bless its heart, has been running a festival of Brown films from the early sound era, which showcase the young Joe as a superb physical comedian as well as the yowling rubberface we remember so fondly.

"You Said a Mouthful" seems typical of Brown's early films: The naive and good-hearted Joe gets himself caught up in a sticky situation that is ultimately resolved through a display of goofy yet surprisingly impressive physical prowess (reminiscent of, although nowhere nearly as surreal as, Keaton's). And because of the physical nature of the comedy, much of the action takes place outdoors, which makes the films seem fresher and more grounded in reality, in spite of all the old cars and "funny" clothes. Also (even though I've seen nothing I would call vulgar or even risque), the fact that these films were made before the stranglehold of the Production Code seems to allow for a much fresher attitude towards physical expression (including the occasional glimpse of a little harmless flesh) than you'd see in films made just a few years later (and which now seem far more antique).

Is it time for a re-appreciation of Joe E. Brown?

Brown's Comedy Stays Afloat

[Ron Oliver · 10/10 · 15 October 2003]

A penniless inventor is mistaken for a Canadian swimming champ and swept into competing in a swimming race from Santa Catalina Island to the California mainland.

YOU SAID A MOUTHFUL gave rubber-faced comic Joe E. Brown a fine vehicle to show off his talents. Whether he's attempting to demonstrate his unsinkable bathing suit, trying to learn to swim in an ornate bathtub or encountering numerous difficulties on the 22-mile aquatic contest, Brown is never less than hilarious. Here, he is given fine support by perky, pretty Ginger Rogers, who lends her special magic to light up the screen.

OUR GANG's Allen ‘Farina' Hoskins proves a good sidekick for Brown; this would be one of his last significant film roles. Preston Foster plays Brown's romantic rival; movie mavens will recognize an uncredited Guinn ‘Big Boy' Williams as the hapless real swim champ.

Actual location filming at Avalon on beautiful Catalina Island greatly adds to the ambiance of the picture.

Farina Rules!

[vert001 · 8/10 · 29 January 2016]

One of Joe E. Brown's better efforts, YOU SAID A MOUTHFUL also provides Allen 'Farina' Hoskins with one of his finest roles as Brown's comical sidekick and gives us Ginger Rogers on the brink of stardom, her natural exuberance throwing off sparks in a role in which most actresses would pretty much disappear. Brown, a mild-mannered office worker who has invented an unsinkable bathing suit in his spare time, has the misfortune to work with an awfully mean bunch of fellow workers who torment him mercilessly until he learns that an aunt out west has passed away and left Brown as her sole heir. Spending his last penny to get to California, Brown discovers in a very funny scene that the stock market crash has also crashed his aunt's fortune, leaving him with only five dollars and a young black ward, Allen Hoskins playing essentially his Farina character from the Our Gang comedies.

A comedy of errors lead Brown and Hoskins to Catalina (and it's a shame that this couldn't have been filmed in color) and entrance in a marathon swimming race at the behest of beautiful and bubbly socialite Ginger Rogers, a swimming enthusiast. There are plenty of laughs in Farina's attempts to teach his "new pappy" to swim, and in Brown's efforts to overcome his fear of water, all in the quest to win the heart of the adorable Miss Rogers. Ironically, the unsinkable swimming suit does more for his confidence than anything else. The slapstick antics of the race itself is a marvelous example of its kind.

This was the second film in which Rogers had played Brown's love interest. In her autobiography she was effusive in her praise of him, apparently as kindly a gentleman as he was a funny burlesque comedian. I find his films inconsistent, but this one is highly recommended.

A moment of history

[jacksflicks · 8/10 · 22 March 2010]

1932. The snappy opening music. The Dilbert with his Big Idea, laughed out of the office. Goes to L.A. to get an inheritance. Thanks to a shyster lawyer, ends up with only 5 dollars and a pickaninny. Destitiute, As it happened, our hero and ward were bound for Catalina for a $6 day job, when fate stepped in. Mistaken for a marathon swimmer and ends up in the Catalina race for $25,000, though he can't swim. Plug Joe E. Brown into this farce, and you have an early talkie classic. Of course, much of this will offend the politically correct, and much of the humor will escape current audiences. But there are so many fun moments -- the mock-cerebral inner dialogs of the half-wit hero, the amazing costumes (were they serious back then?), the vintage shots of Catalina Island, Ginger Rogers' fresh plump face, the wonderful "I found my heart in Avalon" soundtrack....

In real life, Wrigley had offered a $25,000 prize for swimming first from Catalina to the mainland. And some actually entered who couldn't swim. But 1932 was the Depression, and people would do anything for a windfall, even if they couldn't.

Of course, much of this seems corny and dated, but watch it more than once, and I think the rustic charm will grow on you. There will never be another Joe E. Brown. After all, "Nobody's perfect."

Lost Classic: You Said A Mouthful (1932)

[robfollower · 8/10 · 18 June 2020]

Director: Lloyd Bacon Writers: Robert Lord (screen play), Bolton Mallory (screen play) Stars: Joe E. Brown, Ginger Rogers, Preston Foster

1932's You Said a Mouthful is a charming and funny vehicle for Brown that overcomes its overstuffed, uninspired plotting with plenty of gut-busting gags.

At a brisk seventy minutes, You Said a Mouthful is both very simple and strangely overcomplicated. Brown stars as Joe Holt, a clerk in a swimwear company who designs a no-sink bathing suit, solely because he is deathly afraid of water. Of course, then, the big idea of the movie should be to get this fella swimming. And it is... but the script by Robert Lord and Bolton Mallory seems to run itself ragged just to cook up a semi-plausible series of events that will lead to the scaredy-cats getting in the water.

Joe E. Brown gets needed help form of an unexpected sidekick. That's Allen Hoskins, or, as he was known with the rest of "Our Gang", Farina as Sam. Here he's the accidental adopted son of hapless inventor Joe Holt (Brown). What's nice? No one seems to really notice Farina's race. He's a wacky, bossy kid who gets to push our hero to greater things. He's a sidekick, but smarter and save's his father's butt more than once, even if it involves dropping an anchor on his head. Very hilarious gag routine.

High jinks ensue when he's mistaken for a world champion swimmer, with the possibility of beautiful Alice (Rogers) being the prize. The mistaken identity leads the cowardly Joe into a number of situations where he desperately tries to fake sick or cheat, but he ends up making a treacherous marathon swim from Catalina to the shore while Alice and Sam cheer him on.

The final race sequence is particularly madcap, cobbled together from moments shot on location and in a studio tank -- Brown is even great at physical comedy under ten feet of water! You Said A Mouthful showcases Brown's energy at its peak, the actor turns the film into a laugh riot. 8/10

"You Said a Mouthful" is a Serious Cinematic Comedy Treat!

[glennstenb · 8/10 · 27 February 2022]

It has been a few days since I viewed "You Said a Mouthful," but it has stayed in memory so strongly, even with having seen other films since then. There are several things about this film that I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated. The film, no doubt, has a comedic undercurrent, with the story swirling in impracticality, but it has a near-serious air nonetheless, albeit built on an absurd premise. The wilder moments of hilarity are kept wisely to a successful few. The beautifully accomplished editing in this program must have been a challenge.

Joe E. Brown gives a thoughtful and admirable acting performance between his bouts of comedic antics. His physicality is impressive, too. The interdependent relationship between Brown and young Allen Hoskins is highly affecting and serves to ameliorate Brown's too-easy shedding of personal integrity in his effort to do something of value for the world, in particular inventing the unsinkable bathing suit. As the film moves along we come to feel sympathy for Brown's constantly finding himself a victim of ridicule and bad luck, so we also come to forgive him for his habitual disregard of scruples.

The film is given sexual energy by Ginger Rogers' presence, who provides a stabilizing and glamorous softness to the film; she is, of course, the primary reason Brown's character enters the swim competition and strives to win the race. Rogers seems quite comfortable in her interplay with Brown.

The movie has some eerily atmospheric moments underwater, too, which only make the movie all the more different and captivating. Additionally, the scenes around 1930's Avalon are bonus treats for the viewer. I can remember when swims across the channel were followed with much curiosity and passion many decades ago, so in this way the film serves as a historical document of sorts, too. It is also nostalgic to see the legendary SS Catalina moving into the harbor in Avalon.

In summary, "You Said a Mouthful" has a lot going for it and deserves recognition as a respectable and highly entertaining film. Fans of 1930's films need to give it a chance, while fans of Joe E. Brown and/or Ginger Rogers definitely should see it.

Peak Brown

[boblipton · 8/10 · 24 January 2024]

Joe E. Brown is a shipping clerk at a swimsuit manufacturer. He's the butt of all the office jokes, is afraid of water, and has invented an unsinkable swimsuit no one is interested in. When his aunt Minnie dies, he goes to Los Angeles to collect his fortune. It consists of $5 and guardianship of Allen Hoskins, better known as Farina from Our Gang. Mistaken for champion swimmer 'Big Boy' Williams, he is whisked to Catalina, where he is expected to win the $25,000 cross-channel race against arrogant Preston Foster; Ginger Rogers is already in love with whom she imagines him to be.

Will he win the race? This is a Joe E. Brown comedy, not a Preston Foster one. In any case, there is a lovely combination of real and mock problems to be solved by the usual Brown combination of happenstance and gags. Lloyd Bacon knows how to direct a comedy, producer Raymond Griffith has a few ideas on the subject, and the location shooting on Catalina helps too. With Harry Gribbon, Edwin Maxwell, and Spencer Bell.