Main Cast: Jack Oakie, W.C. Fields, Andy Clyde, Lyda Roberti, Susan Fleming
Release Year: 1932
Country: US
Run Time: 64 minutes
Plot
"Klopstokia: A Far-Away Country. Chief Exports: Goats and Nuts. Chief Imports: Goats and Nuts. Chief Inhabitants: Goats and Nuts." This introductory title ushers in Million Dollar Legs, one of the zaniest comedies ever to emerge from a major studio. W.C. Fields stars as the president of Klopstokia, who will hold on to his office so long as he can best the secretary of the treasury (Hugh Herbert) in their daily arm-wrestling contests. Like most of the Depression-era world, Klopstokia is broke, forcing the government to take drastic measures to raise money. Fortunately, everyone in the country is a super-athlete, inspiring visiting Fuller Brush salesman Migg Tweeney (Jack Oakie) to come up with a brilliant idea: Klopstokia will enter the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles. Alas, the subversive cabinet members, hoping to overthrow the president, plot to undermine the Klopstokian athletic team with the aid of sexy seductress Mata Machree (Lyda Roberti), "the woman no man can resist." Words can hardly describe the nonstop parade of gags and verbal insanity in Million Dollar Legs: Ben Turpin, playing a cloaked-and-caped spy, pops in and out with neither rhyme nor reason; the conspirators' outdoor hideout is incongruously equipped with hydraulic lifts and elevators; Mata Machree's butler informs the villains that "Madame can only be resisted from 2 to 4,"; and, when asked why all the Klopstokian men are named George and the women named Angela, the president's daughter (Susan Fleming, later the wife of Harpo Marx), replies "Why not?" then launches into the national anthem -- a double-talk version of "One Hour With You." Among the writers were Joseph L. Mankiewicz and Henry Myers, who were also responsible for the wacky Wheeler andWoolsey political satire Diplomaniacs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Though not really a cult film, Million Dollar Legs seems to provoke differing reactions in audiences. Many find it entirely too silly or feel that the movie is nothing more than a string of comedy routines (some of them quite dated) loosely strung together or that Legs loses steam after a while by not staying focused on its initial premise. And some simply feel that this kind of anarchic comedy was simply done better by the Marx Brothers, most particularly in Duck Soup. But there are others who revel in Legs' freewheeling, come-what-may attitude, and it's hard to argue that the film is not infectious. Devotees dismiss the criticism of the film's lack of focus, believing that the incredible quantity and quality of laughs to be found in the film more than make up for structural failings. They also point to the hilarious contributions of Jack Oakie, W.C. Fields, Lyda Roberti, and Ben Turpin, and to the lightning-fast pacing that keeps this madcap little soufflé from deflating. Indeed, if one really gets into the spirit of Legs, it can be a curiously fascinating, almost surreal experience. Those who prefer their comedies straight up may not really enjoy the film, but those who like a film that really lets itself go will find that Legs has quite a kick to it. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
While visiting the mythical country of Klopstokia on business, brush salesman Migg Tweeny (Jack Oakie) collides with a young woman (Susan Fleming) on the street and the two fall instantly in love. Her name is Angela—all the women in Klopstokia are named Angela—and she is the daughter of Klopstokia's President (W. C. Fields), whose country is bankrupt, and who relies upon his great physical strength to dominate a cabinet that is conspiring to overthrow him. Tweeny, hoping to win the hand of The President's daughter in marriage, presents him with a plan to remedy Klopstokia's financial woes: The President is to enter the 1932 Olympic Games, win the weightlifting competition, and collect a large cash reward that has been offered to medalists by Tweeny's employer. Tweeny then sets out to find athletes to make up Klopstokia's Olympic team, and quickly discovers that the country abounds in athletes of preternatural abilities. The team, with Tweeny as their trainer, boards a steamship bound for America.
Meanwhile, the rebellious cabinet ministers, who are determined to sabotage Klopstokia's Olympic bid, have enlisted the services of "Mata Machree, The Woman No Man Can Resist" (Lyda Roberti), a Mata Hari-based spy character who sets out to destroy the morale of the athletes by seducing them and then abandoning them. Her efforts have the intended effect: when the team arrives in Los Angeles they are in no condition to compete. After a pep talk from Tweeny fails to inspire them, Angela forces a confession from Mata before the assembled team, which restores the athletes' fighting spirit. They take to the field and begin winning events.
By the time the weightlifting competition begins, Klopstokia needs only three more points for victory. In the film's final scene, Tweeny excites The President's fierce temper in order to inspire him to a final superhuman effort. The President throws a 1000-lb weight at Tweeny, missing him but winning both the weightlifting competition and the shot put for Klopstokia.
