EXCUSE MY DUST

US, 1951, 82 minutes. Colour.
Red Skelton, Sally Forrest, Macdonald Carey, Jane Darwell, William Demarest, Raymond Walburn.
Directed by Roy Rowland.

Excuse My Dust is an entertaining Red Skelton comedy – at times a touch more serious than his usual vehicles. There is some slapstick, especially at the beginning and the end of the film, with a car race.

Red Skelton portrays a would-be inventor of a car in 1895, having the townspeople consider him something of an eccentric, not dreaming that the age of the car would be soon upon them. He works at home, needs money from the bank and from friends, is in love with the very attractive Liz (Sally Forrest) who is being courted by someone who turns out to be a cad (Macdonald Carey).

Needless to say, Red Skelton is thwarted at times in love, especially by a vamp played by Monica Lewis. However, despite the cad cheating in the car race at the end of the film, with Liz’s help, he triumphs.

The film was also something of a musical, with Monica Lewis getting two songs, Red Skelton singing Spring Has Sprung and Sally Forrest doing a rather Cyd Charisse/ Vera-Ellen? dance routine, with different costumes in the 1890s to the 1950s (getting less and less as the years go on).

An entertaining piece of American nostalgia for the 19th century.

1. A Red Skelton entertainment? His screen personality? The touch of seriousness in his character of Joe Belden, inventing cars? His being a romantic, winning the girl, losing the girl? His singing?

2. The title, the indication of cars coming into the 20th century? Car races?

3. The Middle American town, colourful? The old style, the horses and carts? The coming of the automobile? The shops? The homes?

4. The musical score? The musical numbers? The dance routine unexpectedly inserted as a dream sequence?

5. Joe, his work at home, his inventiveness? Yet the slapstick mistakes? His being taunted by people? His being encouraged by his mother? His love for Liz, her response? Cyrus and his father? Cyrus as his rival? Cyrus courting Liz? The singer and the vamp style? His response, getting the money? His further advances? The race, Cyrus cheating, his being knocked out, Liz to the rescue? His winning out at the end – in all areas?

6. Liz, her place in the town, her ambitions? Love for Joe? The romance with him? Her being pushed towards Cyrus? The dances? Socials? Her faith in Joe? Coming to his rescue? Her dance routine?

7. The singer, the contrast with Liz? Her songs?

8. Cyrus, rich, educated? His father? His courting Liz? His challenge to Joe? His jibes? The rivalry, the race? Cheating? His comeuppance?

9. The characters in the town, the friend, lending money, Cyrus’s father? The authorities?

10. Joe’s mother, homespun, supporting her son?

11. The comedy, the car race – and all’s well that ends well?