Peach-O-Reno is a 1931 pre-Production Code comedy film starring Bert Wheeler, Robert Woolsey, Dorothy Lee, and Zelma O'Neal. It was released on Christmas Day of 1931. The title is a pun on "peacherino," then-popular slang for something more desirable or intense than just a simple peach, itself a complimentary term.
| Peach O'Reno | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | William A. Seiter |
| Written by | Tim Whelan Ralph Spence (adaptation and dialogue) Eddie Welch (adaptation and dialogue) |
| Produced by | William LeBaron John E. Burch (supervisor)[1][2] |
| Starring | Bert Wheeler Robert Woolsey Dorothy Lee Zelma O'Neal Joseph Cawthorn Cora Witherspoon |
| Cinematography | Jack MacKenzie |
| Edited by | Jack Kitchin |
| Music by | Harry Akst (composer) Grant Clarke (composer) Richard A. Whiting (composer) Ray Heindorf (orchestrator) Max Steiner (musical director) |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 63 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $293,000[3] |
| Box office | $570,000[3] |
A copy is preserved in the Library of Congress collection.[4]
Plot
edit
Aggie Bruno (Cora Witherspoon) has had enough of her husband, Joe (Joseph Cawthorn), and decides to get a divorce in Reno. She meets with lawyers Wattles and Swift (Wheeler and Woolsey), the latter of the two agreeing to represent Aggie in court. Swift suggests that Aggie be "caught" with another man. Meanwhile, Joe Bruno has also headed to Reno, and is being represented in court by Wattles. Wattles suggests that Joe be "caught" with another woman.
Meanwhile, Ace Crosby (Mitchell Harris), an angry Arizona gambler, wants to shoot Wattles for representing his wife in a previous divorce case. Swift suggests that Wattles dress as a woman in order to avoid being found by the gambler. That evening, Wattles and Swift do the same thing that they do every evening: turn their office into a casino. Swift arrives at the casino pretending to be Aggie Bruno's love interest. To add to the confusion, Wattles (dressed as a woman) shows up with Joe Bruno, pretending to be his love interest.
Cast
edit- Bert Wheeler as Wattles
- Robert Woolsey as Julius Swift
- Dorothy Lee as Prudence Bruno
- Zelma O'Neal as Pansy Bruno
- Joseph Cawthorn as Joe Bruno
- Cora Witherspoon as Aggie Bruno
- Sam Hardy as Judge Jackson
- Mitchell Harris as Ace Crosby, the Gambler
- Arthur Hoyt as Secretary
- Josephine Whittell as Mrs. Doubleday-Doubleday
- Harry Holman as Counselor Jackson #2 (uncredited)
- Frank Darien as Counselor Jackson #3
- Eddie Kane as Radio Announcer in Courtroom (uncredited)
- Monte Collins as Courtroom Vendor (uncredited)
Production
editA rather notorious scene involving a wrestling match between Julis Swift (Robert Woolsey) and Pansy Bruno (Zelma O'Neal) was cut from the film.[citation needed]
Reception
editAccording to RKO records, the film made a profit of $90,000.[3]
Home media
editPeach O'Reno was released with Girl Crazy on DVD by Warner Brothers on December 17, 2010.
References
edit- ^ a b c "Peach-O-Reno". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on January 16, 2015. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
- ^ Jewell, Richard B.; Harbin, Vernon (1982). The RKO Story. New York: Arlington House. p. 44. ISBN 0-517-546566.
- ^ a b c Richard Jewel, 'RKO Film Grosses: 1931-1951', Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol 14 No 1, 1994 p39
- ^ Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artists Collection at The Library of Congress, (<-book title) p.139 c.1978 American Film Institute
External links
edit- Peach-O-Reno at IMDb
- Peach O'Reno at the TCM Movie Database
- Peach O'Reno at AllMovie
- Peach-O-Reno at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films