Will Rogers Collection, Vol. 2 (Ambassador Bill / David Harum / Mr. Skitch / Too Busy to Work)
Movie fans unfamiliar with the great wit of Will Rogers are in for a treat. The second volume of theWill Rogers Collectionfeatures some of Rogers' lesser-known talkie titles, but all showcase the humor and plainspokenness that America in the '20s and '30s ate up by the heaping spoonful. Included in this set areAmbassador Bill(1931), a Marx Brothers-esque romp through the world of international relations;David Harum(1934), in which Rogers plays horse race enthusiast betting on revenge against those who've pull fast ones on him;Mr. Skitch(1933), with the bubbly Zazu Pitts as Rogers' wife, a screwball comedy of the highest order; andToo Busy to Work(1932), in which Rogers re-creates his fan-fave role as Jubilo, a '30s-era hobo who tramps from town to town, avoiding work while trying to track down news of his missing family. The films are as valuable for their snapshots of the early years of the Depression as they are as showcases for the humor of Rogers. The boxed set includes several small, not-to-be-missed featurettes, including "Jane Withers Remembers," all of which are a tribute to a golden bygone era. "People are kind of funny," says Rogers as Jubilo. "They'll believe any kind of a lie if it sounds like the truth, but they won't believe the truth if it sounds like a lie."--A.T. Hurley