All Over Town (1937)
Directed by James W. Horne, All Over Town is a zany comedy-mystery hybrid starring the energetic vaudeville duo Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson. Released by Republic Pictures, this 62-minute film is a whirlwind of slapstick, mistaken identities, and theatrical mayhem—all set against the backdrop of a haunted theater with a deadly past.
Plot Summary
Olsen and Johnson play exaggerated versions of themselves—vaudeville entertainers from Oklahoma who land in New York City and take up residence at Mother Wilson’s Home for Ladies and Gentlemen of the Vaudeville Profession. Alongside their pet seal Sally and their friend Don Fletcher (Harry Stockwell), they get involved in staging a show at the Eldridge Theater, which has a reputation for being cursed due to an unsolved murder. When a new murder occurs, the duo must navigate ghostly rumors, greedy investors, and their own chaotic antics to solve the mystery and save the show.
Cast Highlights
- Ole Olsen as Olsen
- Chic Johnson as Johnson
- Mary Howard as Joan Eldridge
- Harry Stockwell as Don Fletcher
- Franklin Pangborn, James Finlayson, and Fred Kelsey add comedic flair as eccentric supporting characters
- Features a large ensemble of vaudeville types, including Gertrude Astor, Blanche Payson, and Otto Hoffman
Behind-the-Scenes Trivia
- The film includes a scene where Olsen and Johnson bathe their seal, Sally, while boarders wait outside. Originally, the seal wasn’t shown—leading censors to demand a visual insert to avoid suggestive misinterpretation
- Writer Theodore Reeves was announced as working on the script in trade papers, but ultimately went uncredited
- Olsen and Johnson perform a song titled “McDougal’s Mackerel”, which they co-composed—a rare musical moment in their filmography
