Shipping clerk Joe Holt is mistaken for a swimming champion and expected to compete in a long-distance swim race off Catalina Island.Shipping clerk Joe Holt is mistaken for a swimming champion and expected to compete in a long-distance swim race off Catalina Island.Shipping clerk Joe Holt is mistaken for a swimming champion and expected to compete in a long-distance swim race off Catalina Island.
Preston Foster
- Ed Dover
- (as Preston S. Foster)
Allen 'Farina' Hoskins
- Sam Wellington
- (as Farina)
Oscar Apfel
- Armstrong
- (uncredited)
Spencer Bell
- Porter
- (uncredited)
Don Brodie
- Judge's Assistant
- (uncredited)
William Burress
- Roger Colby
- (uncredited)
A.S. 'Pop' Byron
- Elliott
- (uncredited)
Eddy Chandler
- Harbor Steward
- (uncredited)
James Eagles
- Messenger
- (uncredited)
Bess Flowers
- Race Fan on Boat
- (uncredited)
June Gittelson
- Fat Swimmer in Lane #1
- (uncredited)
Frank Hagney
- Holt's Manager
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAccording to studio records, shooting took 31 days.
- GoofsSam helps Joe grease up for the big swimming race. In the first shot (close-up), he is greasing Joe's right thigh, and Joe's leg below the knee is clean. The next close-up shows Sam working his way down Joe's calf. In a subsequent long shot, Joe's right calf is greased up to the knee, but his thigh is clean.
- Quotes
Harry Daniels: Now, everybody, back to your desks and into depression.
- SoundtracksAvalon
(uncredited)
Composed by Vincent Rose
Based on "E lucevan le stelle" from "Tosca" by Giacomo Puccini
[Played during the opening photo credits and often in the score]
Featured review
Antediluvian, yet sprightly
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?
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?
helpful•242
- jayson-4
- Jul 28, 2003
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Galopperande fisken
- Filming locations
- William Wrigley Jr. Summer Cottage or Mt. Ada, 76 Wrigley Road, Avalon, Santa Catalina Island, California, USA(outdoor balcony overlooking Avalon Bay)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $223,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 10 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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