Nothing But Nerves

1942

Action / Comedy

4
IMDb Rating 5.8/10 10 60 60

Director

Leslie M. Roush Photo
Leslie M. Roush

Top cast

Robert Benchley Photo
Robert Benchley as Mr. Benchley
Phyllis Kennedy Photo
Phyllis Kennedy as Maid
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
98.43 MB
1280*932
English 2.0
NR
us  
24 fps
12 hr 10 min
Seeds ...
182.76 MB
1472*1072
English 2.0
NR
us  
24 fps
12 hr 10 min
Seeds 1

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by tcchelsey 9 / 10

I CAN'T TAKE IT!

I agree, Robert Benchley likely wrote the script from BIZARRO personal experiences -- as a lesson to himself? A BAD case of the jitters, often brought on by drinking too much. Also depends on what you pour in your cup.Mr. Doakes (Benchley) is having trouble balancing his coffee cup, yes, even too much joe could light you on fire. Everything gets on Doakes' nerves this peculiar day. Hangover or pre-TWILIGHT ZONE? How about a maid (Phyllis Kennedy) who disappears? Now you see her, now ya' don't. Where the heck did she go?Best Bit; Waiting for plumbers, as we all have at one time or another. They arrive and make lots of noise, a la Three Stooges. Were they doing their job OR trying to drive Doakes nuts?You be the judge, although we've all had at least one or two "Benchley Days."Fun to see Phyllis Kennedy, known for STAGE DOOR, starring Katherine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers and Lucille Ball, who she was close friends with. Phyllis later became a dog advocate, working with Doris Day.Directed by Leslie M. Roush (known for the QUIZ KIDS) having fun following paranoid Benchley.Thanks TCM for bringing this series back, which we all grew up with in tv reruns. Remastered dvd MGM and Paramount box sets.
Reviewed by Michael_Elliott

No Laughs Either

Nothing But Nerves (1941) ** (out of 4) Decent Robert Benchley short has him playing his usual lecturer as well as our main patient. His alter ego Joe Doakes is a very nervous man who is unable to see the truth because his mind is always racing to the worst thoughts possible. For example, when his maid enters the closet and he doesn't see her come out, instead of thinking that he simply didn't see her come out he fears that something has happened to her. Another example is when the phone rings but when he answers no one is there. Poor Doakes fears that someone is coming after him. This is the type of situations Benchley finds himself in and for the most part not too many of them are funny, although there are a couple gags that work. The best one comes at the very end as Doakes keeps going from room to room to try and escape those after him and finally he winds up in the bathroom where things just get worse. I thought the bathroom jokes were pretty funny and certainly the highlight of the film. The one joke that really falls flat is when Benchley is behind his desk talking and the light keeps going out. This is meant to show Benchley too has a nervous condition but the gag simply doesn't work and becomes rather annoying after the first couple times.
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