Cracked Nuts
| Cracked Nuts | |
|---|---|
_Movie_Poster..jpg)
Cracked Nuts (1931) film poster
|
|
| Directed by |
Edward F. Cline Fred Fleck (assistant) |
| Produced by |
William LeBaron Douglas MacLean (associate) |
| Written by |
Al Boasberg Ralph Spence |
| Starring |
Bert Wheeler Robert Woolsey Dorothy Lee |
| Music by | Max Steiner |
| Cinematography | Nicholas Musuraca |
| Edited by | Arthur Roberts |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
65 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $261,000 |
| Box office | $617,000 |
Cracked Nuts is a 1931 American Pre-Code comedy film directed by Edward F. Cline, from an original screenplay written by Al Boasberg and Ralph Spence. The film stars the comedy duo Wheeler & Woolsey (Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey), as well as Dorothy Lee. It also features Boris Karloff in a small supporting role. The film was one of RKO's only financial successes of the year.
Wendell Graham (Bert Wheeler), while a millionaire through inheritance, is incredibly irresponsible. On a trans-Atlantic crossing, he meets the lovely Betty Harrington (Dorothy Lee), and her stuffy, over-protective aunt, Minnie Van Varden (Edna May Oliver). Wendell is definitely interested, and his interest is reciprocated by Betty; however Aunt Minnie takes an instant dislike to the young man. On the same ship are several dissidents who are seeking financial support for their revolution back home in the fictional country of El Dorania. Wendell believes that if he offers them financial support in their revolutionary pursuits, this will enhance his position with Aunt Minnie, who owns a large estate in El Dorania, and has been vocal about her displeasure with the current monarch. Wendell agrees to furnish the revolutionaries with $100,000 to further their cause.
Meanwhile, back in El Dorania, Zander Ulysses Parkhurst (Robert Woolsey), better known by his acronym, Zup, is a casino owner. One night he believes he has hit the jackpot when he wins the crown of the country in a crap game with King Oscar (Harvey Clark), the owner of which becomes king of the country. Unbeknownst to Zup, Oscar has deliberately lost the crown, since he realizes that whoever the king is targeted for death. After he is crowned king, Zup learns from Queen Carlotta (Leni Stengel) that a king's reign in El Dorania has averaged a single month over the past year, after which they are assassinated.
Wendell is told by the revolutionaries as they near El Dorania, that after they overthrow the current monarch, they intend to make him their king. This sits well with Wendell, who feels that this will prove his worth to Aunt Minnie. When he arrives in the country, he realizes that the current monarch is his old friend from Brooklyn, Zup. Their celebratory reunion is short-lived when Wendell realizes that he needs to kill Zup in order to assume the throne. Wendell discovers that the assassinations are the brainchild of General Bogardus (Stanley Fields), who agrees to allow Zup to be killed in the modern fashion, with bombs dropped from airplanes.
...
Wikipedia