Gar is a motivational speaker who spews shit so often he eventually must turn it into a Golden Gate or, more precisely, ersatz rubber! Mervyn Leroy’s direction is so swift that the film eschews a credit sequence (only a title card) and rushes right into the story. I’ve seen the credit sequence repeated at the end of a few Pre-Code films but have never seen one begin without announcing the cast of characters! Also atypical is the first look at the usually dapper William Powell: here, he is unshaven and blackout drunk! William Powell as Gar is barely recognizable before he regains his natural charm and grace.
The plot is absurd: Gar is seduced by the prospect of alchemy by a man who says he knows the secret of turning sewage into rubber. When sober, Gar can talk anybody into anything, so he begins the facade of big business and selling stock, awaiting the Chemist who will appear with the samples. Chaos and hilarity ensue. We get Guy Kibbee as a supporting character, the lovely but underwritten Evelyn Brent as Gar’s emotional sparring partner, the precocious Evalyn Knapp as a secretary, Frank McHugh as gar’s best buddy (who needs enemies with friends like this?), and George Sidney as the flabbergasted partner in search of his Chemist. This film soon ascends into Monty Python-like buffoonery (which is a compliment). Everything ends well for our rascally protagonists as they take the money and run (literally) but one fears for the Alaskan environment.
Final Grade: (C+)