THE ATOMIC KID (1954)

Two dummies, I'm talking DUMB AND DUMBER dumb, are wandering around out in the desert looking for uranium when they stumble across a house out in the middle of nowhere.  The house is fully furnished, but it only has mannequins in it so they think that it's a model home.  Yeah, in the middle of the desert.  The one dummy (Robert Strauss) takes the car to go into town to go find help while the other dummy (Mickey Rooney) stays at the house.  Why?!  Why don't they both go?  Anyway, the house is actually at the location of an atomic bomb test that's about to take place. 

The bomb explodes and despite Rooney only being a few hundred yards away from the explosion he somehow lives.  He's taken to a military hospital for treatment and observation.  Naturally his beautiful nurse (played by Rooney's real-life wife at the time...he's had eight total!) falls in love with him, but they have to take it slow because anytime they start to get down to knockin' boots his Geiger counter/watch starts clicking and he might explode.  Hardy-har-har.  But that's not all of the excitement!  Oh no.  There's also a Russia spy out to get information about Rooney.  Hilarious.

Maybe back in 1954 this was a real side-splitter, but I doubt it.  It wasn't funny then and it's even less funny now.  The only giggle I got out of the entire movie was the ridiculously over the top scream Rooney did when he got hit by the kitchen door.  Other than that I was pretty bored.

Not a bad film, but the story is so lazy and juvenile that it was completely lost on me.  Elaine Davis was very beautiful though.

AH, WILDERNESS! (1935)

This delightful little film takes place on July 4th, 1906 in a quiet neighborhood in Connecticut.  Young Eric Linden is head over heels in love with his neighbor Cecilia Parker, but when he sends her some racy poems to her, her father forbids her to see him.  He's heartbroken.  At the same time his drunken uncle (Wallace Beery) comes home for the holidays and brings all kinds of comedic antics home with him.  He's also been courtin' Aline MacMahon for 18 years now and she hasn't budged an inch.  Brother Mickey Rooney blasts off a ton of fireworks in the front yard.  Father Lionel Barrymore and mother Spring Byington try to keep everything under control.

I really liked this film.  The story was fun and the acting lively, but I think the thing that I liked the absolute most was seeing Lionel Barrymore and Wallace Beery together.  As you remember, just three years earlier they were at each others throats in GRAND HOTEL, but her they are laughing and having a great time together if.  I really enjoyed that.

Quick pace, good feelings, an absolutely stunning supporting cast, I can't really think of anything not to like about AH, WILDERNESS! besides the one scene of a dog with firecrackers tied to his tail.  That was some goddamn bullshit right there. Pissed me the fuck off. Poor dog.

Animal cruelty.