"Just look dumb and scratch", that's how Charlie Chase describes a soldier on a ship returning to America at the end of the first world war. He's too busy hiding both pretty French girl Thelma Todd and a cute little monkey (one used in many Hal Roach shorts) to follow orders, and when orders to happen, he's too frazzled to get the job done right. So what do you do when you've smuggled both a monkey and a girl onto a boat? Disguise them as soldiers, and certainly, while they can't find a uniform to fit the monkey, Chase does manage to find one to fit the cute Ms. Todd who is entrancing both to look at and hear, with a delightfully adorable French accent. There's a couple of musical numbers to keep the audience interested. This longer than normal Hal Roach short (26 minutes in length, aka 3 reels) is somewhat slow moving, but when Todd and the monkey are on, it is truly enchanting. This isn't something that could really happen on an army ship, especially with a war ending, but you can forgive the short comedy films for taking liberties with reality because there's always something to provide a laugh or two.
Review of Rough Seas
