The Fuller Brush Girl

Did you catch that bit of 50s xenophobia from the LAPD detective when he comes to a house, hears Spanish spoken, and says to his partner, "Sounds like foreigners in there"? If this had been a funnier film I either wouldn't have commented on or noticed it. But in the long intervals between laughs (sorry, lynpalmer1) in this movie one tends to pick up on such noxious social practices that serve to remind us not only that the 50s sucked but that Lucy was a big part of the era.

What this movie really needed was Bob Hope. This is the kind of hectic farce, complete with mistaken identities and dead bodies, that Hope specialized in during this time period. Ball is fine as a working girl caught up in murder schemes and crazy plots, but Eddie Albert just is no substitute for the wise cracking male presence that this type of farce needs. Ball and Hope would have been a riot. Another thing is that the slapstick wears out it's welcome before the end, as it becomes increasingly sillier. All in all, not a bad example of mid 20th century American farce, but not a standout either. Lucille Ball went on to be much funnier in a TV series, as did Eddie Albert on a lesser level.

Frantic follow-up to 1948's "The Fuller Brush Man", with that film's star--Red Skelton--making an amusing cameo. Here, Lucille Ball, out of work and needing money to help pay for her and future husband Eddie Albert's new house, auditions to be a door-to-door cosmetics saleslady. She's quite efficient at it, but smart and efficient in a slapstick comedy just won't do, and so writer Frank Tashlin throws in misunderstandings, accusations, exploding switchboards, and the murder of a rich suburban woman who is 'keeping' a shady husband--Ball's former employer. About as funny as it sounds, with rampant silliness. Seen today, the only joy one can get from it is in watching Ball trying out her Lucy Ricardo act before she became a television staple...and from those nifty house-fronts on the Columbia lot. Albert is wasted on stupid material, and the character actors dotting the supporting cast are equally at the mercy of a witless script. *1/2 from ****

I managed to find this movie on a TV channel that specializes in older movies. Lucille Ball was in her late 30s, Eddie Albert who plays her boyfriend was in his mid 40s. Black and white. This movie came out right before the TV series "I Love Lucy" started in 1951. Her character here is very similar to the dimwitted Lucy character she plays in the series. She and Albert are fine together, this is not a meaningful movie other than its position in Ball's career, it is standard slapstick.

I am so glad I decided to give this one a try. I was ready for some laughs, and I surely did laugh! There is an undercurrent of suspense which surprised me. The stunts are never-ending, too. Good, clean fun.

Sally Elliot (Lucille Ball) and boyfriend Humphrey Briggs (Eddie Albert) struggle to make the down payment for their dream home. Humphrey gets a surprise promotion but he's actually being setup as the fall guy by his boss. Sally's friend Jane is a Fuller brush girl selling cosmetics door-to-door. When Sally gets fired for blowing up the switchboard, she tries to join Jane as a Fuller brush girl but it leads to door-to-door misadventures. Lucy is being the Full Lucy. She's hanging on a line, steamed like a roll, rolled like a wheel, drinking like a fish, and gets real blown up. I like babysitting and bad perms. The whole smuggling premise is convoluted and messy. It does allow her to do all crazy physical comedy. It would be funnier if it all flows directly out of her door-to-door sales. Humphrey is a side character and is almost unnecessary. This is all Lucy. She could have done this solo.

This was a nice surprise. I didn't know what to expect, but what I got was a lot of laughs. Sure, many of the gags were simple slapstick stuff but it worked. This was truly a funny movie and Lucille Ball and Eddie Albert made a great pair. This film also was a good preview of what audiences were going to see down the road when Ball became super-famous on television. She plays a similar type of character: a well-meaning ditz who gets into one jam after another. Here, she winds up an innocent victim and has gangsters chasing her and Albert all over town. I only wish this was out on DVD or even on a good VHS tape in the United States. With only a couple of reviews, apparently most people have never heard of it. It's worth seeing and owning, believe me.