Main Cast: Allan Jones, Allan Jones, Joe Penner, Joe Penner, Martha Raye, Rosemary Lane, Charles Butterworth
Release Year: 1940
Country: US
Run Time: 72 minutes
Plot
Considering that it was adapted from a Broadway musical by Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart and George Abbott, The Boys From Syracuse must rank as a disappointment, though it manages to remain entertaining throughout its surprisingly brief 74-minute running time. Like its theatrical predecessor, the film was inspired by Shakespeare's A Comedy of Errors ("After a play by William Shakespeare long, long after" reads the opening title). In ancient Ephesus, young tyrant Antipholus (Allan Jones) sentences elderly merchant Aegeon (Samuel S. Hinds) to death unless the latter can come up with a handsome ransom. What Antipholus doesn't know is that Aegeon is his own father; he also doesn't know that he has a twin brother, also named Antipholus (and also played by Allan Jones) who has just arrived from Syracuse in search of dear old daddy. Further complicating matters is that Antiopholus of Ephesus and Antipholus of Syracuse both have slaves named Dromio (Joe Penner)-likewise identical twins! The mistaken-identity angle is played to the hilt, with A. of E.'s wife Adriana (Irene Hervey), A. of S.'s girlfirend Phyllis (Rosemary Lane), and Dromio of Ephesus' main squeeze Luce (Martha Raye) ending up just as confused as everyone else. Only four of the original Rodgers & Hart songs were retained-"This Can't Be Love", "Falling in Love with Love", "Sing for Your Supper", and "Oh, Diogenes"-while two new ones were written for the film. Most of the best jokes are based on anachronisms, with Dromio the slave organizing a labor union (complete with placards), a cheering section at an execution shouting "Give him the ax", and a parchment newspaper bearing such headlines as "Ephesus Blitzkriegs Syracuse". Originally purchased by Universal as a vehicle for the Ritz Brothers, The Boys from Syracuse isn't any great shakes, but it would certainly be well worth seeing again (last telecast in the 1970s, it seems to have fallen off the face of the earth in recent years!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
In the case of The Boys from Syracuse, the original -- whether the Broadway musical or the Shakespearean play -- was definitely better. The filmed Boys gives little indication of why this Rodgers & Hart affair was so much fun onstage, which is only to be expected when most of the score was junked for the cinematic translation. True, what's left of the score is choice, especially the nifty "This Can't Be Love," the harmonically spiffy "Sing for Your Supper," and the hauntingly lovely "Falling in Love With Love." And the two new numbers Rodgers & Hart created for the film are acceptable, if not top drawer. But in addition to jettisoning the majority of the score, the writers and director also jettisoned most of the fun. Boys comes across as labored and forced, rather than free and easy. The anachronistic jokes become wearing after a while, and the plot gets a bit too jumbled. All this would be less important were the cast stronger. Unfortunately, while Allan Jones sounds quite good, he's far too stiff, and Joe Penner is actively annoying. Of the women, Rosemary Lane and Irene Hervey look delicious and perform acceptably; Martha Raye's comedy is something of an acquired taste, but she's lively and game, and that counts for a lot here. Edward Sutherland's direction is loose when tight is called for; it provides some isolated moments of unexpected humor but also kills the timing on a number of jokes. Diehard musical fans will want to see The Boys from Syracuse, but most others can give it a pass. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
