In the early days of talking pictures, many silent stars eased their transition into talkies by remaking some of their silent hits. Will Rogers had starred in the silent film 'Jubilo'. He reprised the role for 'Too Busy to Work', a talkie remake with some minor plot differences which are improvements over the silent original.
Rogers plays a tramp, nicknamed Jubilo for his habit of singing the old spiritual song 'In the Land of Jubilo'. (This song shows up on the soundtrack of almost every Civil War film.) But he was a respectable man once. Back in 1918, Jubilo enlisted in the American Expeditionary Force and went off to fight the Kaiser; he reluctantly parted company with his wife and infant daughter, promising to return. After the Armistice, Jubilo came home to discover that his wife ran off with another man, taking her daughter along. Now, years later, Jubilo roams the byways of America in search of his daughter and wife.
Jubilo comes to the home of Judge Hardy (no; not the one in the Andy Hardy movies). Judge Hardy is a respectable widower with an attractive daughter named Rose (Marian Nixon) and a handsome son, Dan (Dick Powell in an early role). There's a touching scene between Rogers and Nixon when he teaches her to sing 'Jubilo'. Unfortunately, in this sound film Will Rogers proves that his singing is perfect for silent movies.
By now, Jubilo has learnt the truth: Judge Hardy is the man who ran off with Jubilo's wife, who died soon after bearing the judge's son Dan. Rose is Jubilo's long-lost daughter, now an adult. While Jubilo is trying to figure out what to do with this information, he witnesses a bank robbery ... and he sees that Dan Hardy is the driver of the getaway car. As a stranger in town and a vagrant, Jubilo is afraid that the local sheriff will pin the robbery on him, so he leaves.
SPOILER COMING. Dan Hardy is arrested for his role in the bank robbery. To save Rose's half-brother, Jubilo comes forward and reveals the truth: the robbers hijacked Dan's car and forced him at gunpoint to drive it during the robbery. By now, Jubilo realises that Judge Hardy has given Rose a good home, and that Rose sincerely loves the judge as her father (not suspecting the truth). Unwilling to disturb his daughter's happiness, Jubilo takes up his tramping ways again and heads for the next town.
'Too Busy to Work' has more plot (and a better plot) than is typical for a Will Rogers movie, and in many ways it's not a typical Rogers film. Several other actors from this period could have played the role just as well, if not better: in fact, the ending of this movie is very similar to the ending of 'Poppy', starring W.C. Fields ... itself a remake of Fields's silent film 'Sally of the Sawdust'. The ending of 'Too Busy to Work' could have tipped into sentiment, but Rogers and director John Blystone wisely avoid this.
Rogers has one splendid scene of visual comedy. When he tries to mooch a meal at Judge Hardy's house, he's told he'll be fed if he does some work: then he's given a milking-stool and a pail, and ordered to fetch some milk from the cow. The look on Rogers's face is priceless as he reveals that he's utterly ignorant of how to get milk from a cow. He stares at the stool, he stares at the pail, he stares at the cow and tries to figure out where the milk comes from. Hilarious! Unfortunately, Rogers's folksy image works against him here: it's difficult to believe that someone so obviously rural could really be ignorant of how to milk a cow. On the other hand, Dick Powell's slight Arkansas accent (which grated slightly when he played opposite Ruby Keeler in those Warner Bros musicals) stands Powell in good stead here as Dan Hardy.
I'm not much of a Will Rogers fan, but this is one of his better films. I'll rate 'Too Busy to Work' 6 points out of 10. I might have given it a 7, if not for the annoying scenes featuring Louise Beavers as a stereotypical black servant.
Rogers plays a tramp, nicknamed Jubilo for his habit of singing the old spiritual song 'In the Land of Jubilo'. (This song shows up on the soundtrack of almost every Civil War film.) But he was a respectable man once. Back in 1918, Jubilo enlisted in the American Expeditionary Force and went off to fight the Kaiser; he reluctantly parted company with his wife and infant daughter, promising to return. After the Armistice, Jubilo came home to discover that his wife ran off with another man, taking her daughter along. Now, years later, Jubilo roams the byways of America in search of his daughter and wife.
Jubilo comes to the home of Judge Hardy (no; not the one in the Andy Hardy movies). Judge Hardy is a respectable widower with an attractive daughter named Rose (Marian Nixon) and a handsome son, Dan (Dick Powell in an early role). There's a touching scene between Rogers and Nixon when he teaches her to sing 'Jubilo'. Unfortunately, in this sound film Will Rogers proves that his singing is perfect for silent movies.
By now, Jubilo has learnt the truth: Judge Hardy is the man who ran off with Jubilo's wife, who died soon after bearing the judge's son Dan. Rose is Jubilo's long-lost daughter, now an adult. While Jubilo is trying to figure out what to do with this information, he witnesses a bank robbery ... and he sees that Dan Hardy is the driver of the getaway car. As a stranger in town and a vagrant, Jubilo is afraid that the local sheriff will pin the robbery on him, so he leaves.
SPOILER COMING. Dan Hardy is arrested for his role in the bank robbery. To save Rose's half-brother, Jubilo comes forward and reveals the truth: the robbers hijacked Dan's car and forced him at gunpoint to drive it during the robbery. By now, Jubilo realises that Judge Hardy has given Rose a good home, and that Rose sincerely loves the judge as her father (not suspecting the truth). Unwilling to disturb his daughter's happiness, Jubilo takes up his tramping ways again and heads for the next town.
'Too Busy to Work' has more plot (and a better plot) than is typical for a Will Rogers movie, and in many ways it's not a typical Rogers film. Several other actors from this period could have played the role just as well, if not better: in fact, the ending of this movie is very similar to the ending of 'Poppy', starring W.C. Fields ... itself a remake of Fields's silent film 'Sally of the Sawdust'. The ending of 'Too Busy to Work' could have tipped into sentiment, but Rogers and director John Blystone wisely avoid this.
Rogers has one splendid scene of visual comedy. When he tries to mooch a meal at Judge Hardy's house, he's told he'll be fed if he does some work: then he's given a milking-stool and a pail, and ordered to fetch some milk from the cow. The look on Rogers's face is priceless as he reveals that he's utterly ignorant of how to get milk from a cow. He stares at the stool, he stares at the pail, he stares at the cow and tries to figure out where the milk comes from. Hilarious! Unfortunately, Rogers's folksy image works against him here: it's difficult to believe that someone so obviously rural could really be ignorant of how to milk a cow. On the other hand, Dick Powell's slight Arkansas accent (which grated slightly when he played opposite Ruby Keeler in those Warner Bros musicals) stands Powell in good stead here as Dan Hardy.
I'm not much of a Will Rogers fan, but this is one of his better films. I'll rate 'Too Busy to Work' 6 points out of 10. I might have given it a 7, if not for the annoying scenes featuring Louise Beavers as a stereotypical black servant.