Parlor, Bedroom and Bath (1931)

Parlor, Bedroom and Bath (1931)




Synopsis

Based on the stage comedy by Charles W. Bell and Mark Swan (previously filmed in 1920), Parlor, Bedroom and Bath is a curious mixture of all that was good and everything that was bad in Buster Keaton's talkie features. Keaton plays Reginald Irving, a dimwitted bill-poster who finds himself the pawn in a scheme cooked up by wealthy Jeffrey Haywood (Reginald Denny). It seems that Jeffrey will not be permitted to marry Virginia Embrey (Sally Eilers) until a suitable husband is found for Virginia's older sister Angelica (Dorothy Christy). Since Angelica has rejected all the available suitors, Jeffrey schemes to offer Reginald as an eligible mate. First, however, he has to transform our dopey hero into a gentleman -- and a great lover. Somehow or other, poor Reginald innocently ends up in a compromising situation involving vampish Polly Hathaway (Charlotte Greenwood) and the very married Nita Leslie (Joan Peers) at a posh no-tell hotel. Keaton is permitted a few choice pantomimic moments in Parlor Bedroom and Bath, notably his scenes with the aggressive Charlotte Greenwood and a spectacular sight gag "borrowed" from his 1920 silent classic One Week. On the whole, however, Keaton is lost in a sea of unfunny dialogue and tired farcical situations -- a not untypical pitfall of his MGM talkies. Long unavailable due to legal complications, Parlor, Bedroom and Bath can be purchased from any of the public-domain video companies proliferating in the U.S. (Incidentally, that baronial "upstate New York" mansion in the film's early scenes was actually Buster Keaton's Beverly Hills home)

What Critics Say


No Hollywood.com review at this time
Spill.com puts a whole new spin on the "classic" movie review; turning dorky and dry into hilarious and hip. Spill's reviews are high-quality animated videos featuring a regular cast of comic personalities.

Rovi Data Solutions, Inc. - Portions of Content Provided by Rovi Data Solutions © 2009 Rovi Data Solutions, Inc.

Advertisement

Create a Fan Site
Are you a Parlor, Bedroom and Bath (1931) superfan? Create your own fan site on Hollywood.com Click Here!
Advertisement

Whats on Hollywood.com

Actors 302,663

Photos 461,566

Videos 12,838

Fan Pages 128,090

Reviews 2,466

Trailers 5,117

TV 129,006

Movies 269,397




Isn't It Time You Went Hollywood ®
©1999-2012 Hollywood.com, LLC