Sealskins

Seal Skins (1932)

** (out of 4)

Fair entry in the Zasu Pitts and Thelma Todd series has a few laughs but in the end not enough to make it worth viewing to anyone other than fans. Todd is working as a typist for a newspaper when she learns that a "seal" has been stolen. The "seal" is actually a jewelry piece but Todd thinks it's the animal so she grabs Pitts and heads out to a creepy castle to follow a source. This is a pretty fast and wild entry in the series but I'm guessing there was a reason why two directors were credited here. The overall pacing of the film seems a tad bit off and the story never comes together like it should have. The biggest problem is the uneven feel of the film because it was rather hard to get involved in the thing when you'll be getting jerked one way only to then get the rugged pulled out from other you and it seems as if you're watching a different film. The opening piece inside the office has a couple pretty lame jokes including one where Todd's fast-typical skills are put to the test. The second portion of the film is when many horror elements come into play. We get a strange looking butler, a scary midget, a man in a skeleton outfit, a beyond tall man and of course the wild gorilla. None of them elements are very entertaining on their own but in a weird way they actually build up a rather strange atmosphere that at least keeps the film moving. Todd is clearly the star here as she's given the majority of the "jokes" while Zasu stays in the background. The highlight of the film is when the girls, one by one, get into bed not knowing the seal is there.