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Plot

In the tradition of Hellzapoppin', Hi Diddle Diddle is an all-stops-out "screwball comedy" populated by certifiable zanies. Billie Burke plays Mrs. Prescott, the featherbrained mother of bride-to-be Janie Prescott (Martha Scott). When Mrs. P is swindled out of her life savings, Colonel Phyffe (Adolphe Menjou), the con-man father of Janie's fiancé Sonny (Dennis O'Keefe), vows to get her money back -- by any means possible. The plotline is merely an excuse for a series of wild nonsequitur visual and verbal gags, culminating in a cute reverse-cliché finale. Making her first Hollywood appearance in years, silent screen star Pola Negri is hilariously cast as Phyffe's opera-star wife Genya Smetana. Best bits: Mrs. Prescott revealing that a recurring female character is a "special friend of the director"; Leslie Quayle (June Havoc singing a duet with herself); and an outrageous scene in which the wallpaper comes to life during a eardrum-shattering family sing-along (the animation was provided by the Warner Bros. cartoon staff).
MPAA Rating:
Not Yet Rated
Genre(s):
Comedy
Run Time:
72min.
DVD Release Date:
10/26/2004
Distributor(s):
United Artists
Director(s):
Andrew L. Stone
Starring:
Dennis O'Keefe , Martha Scott , Adolphe Menjou , Billie Burke , Pola Negri
Themes:
Wedding Bells,Cons and Scams,Mothers and Daughters
Tone:
Light
Keywords:
bride,con/scam,damsel-in-distress,fiancee,honeymoon,mother,newlywed,officer,rescue,revenge,savings
Language:
English