weezeralfalfa
Good Humor man Biff Jones(Jack Carson) seems like a big kid himself, sometimes taking part in activities relating to the Captain Marvel club, in the ramshackle clubhouse, next to the school. This is truly a feast of comedy, mainly of the physical sort. It's also a murder and theft mystery. In fact, there are 2 murder mysteries, plus a twice disappearing body! Quite a lot happening in 80 min.! I was never bored, and I'm sure kids won't be. The first half features humor, without the complication of murder mysteries. Jack (or his dummy) almost floats down a storm drain after he was stuffed in his truck freezer, by some bad guys, then rescued by police, who had a hankering for a Good Humor. His stiff ice-encased body falls over into the water from a nearby gushing decapitated hydrant, hit by a car. Then, his body is swept toward a storm drain, being pulled out at the last second. He creates havoc in the police station when he is recovering, letting loose mega- sneezes that shatter windows, blow the petals off a bouquet, or scatter the desk papers all over. .....In another incident, a furnace stoker wants a good humor. But every time, it melts before Jack can deliver it. Finally, he puts a bit of dry ice in his hat, along with the good humor. It almost works, but we see the melted ice cream and chocolate running down his face. ........Jack is sometimes accompanied by his secretary girlfriend Margie(Lola Albright), or briefly, by another blond: Bonnie(Jean Wallace), who pulls him into her life, then is apparently strangled, perhaps by Jack, in his sleep(But, see later). I wish they had used 2 actresses who didn't look so much alike, as I was confused for a while.......The last 20 min. is a non-stop barrage of hilarious slapstick events, as the bad guys chase Jack and Margie around in the playground, then inside the school, having misadventures with the musical instruments. Eventually, the Captain Marvel gang are alerted and come on bicycles, in soap box cars, and even in a bathtub on wheels, pulled by a mule! It's like The Little Rascals returned! The kids use a variety of physical aids to subdue the villains, ending in pandemonium. .......Unless you are averse to slapstick, and murder mysteries, or B&W films, be sure to check this out at YouTube
MartinHafer
As I watched this Jack Carson film, I couldn't help but think that it seemed very similar to many of Red Skelton's movies. This isn't a complaint...though I think Skelton might have handled this sort of material a bit better.Biff (Carson) is the Good Humor man in the film. He's a good natured doofus who never seems to actually make any money while making his rounds but this isn't what gets him into trouble. The problem is that he wanders into the middle of an apparent murder and soon cops all over town are looking for him. With the help of a bunch of kids (the WORST part of the film) he eventually manages to use a lot of slapsticky things to capture the baddies and prove himself innocent.While this was generally decent, the last portion was terrible...in fact, downright embarrassing. It seemed cheap, stupid and hollow at the end. It's a shame but it brought down the score from a 6 to a 4.
Robert J. Maxwell
Do they still make Good Humor ice cream, with those bells and the toasted almonds that I usually couldn't afford? Yum. There's a simulacrum that cruises around these New Mexico neighborhoods in the summer but it always plays La Cucaracha.I didn't sit through this beyond the first forty-five minute and maybe it gets better, turns into more amusing fare. It could hardly get worse for an adult.Don't make the mistake of confusing this with one of Red Skelton's better works during the same period. Skelton was a better comedian than Jack Carson. Some of the scenes in Skelton's movies, like "A Southern Yankee", were positively surreal. Buster Keaton was working as one of the gag writers.This film is aimed at younger sensibilities, those who read Captain Marvel comic books and who think it's funny when ice cream is smashed without adumbration into someone's face. Gee. Look at the chocolate running in streams down his cheeks.But, as I say, it may improve as the story unfolds. I doubt it.
wes-connors
"Good Humor" ice cream truck driver Jack Carson (as Biff Jones) finds himself accused of murder when he tries to help a sexy gangster's moll. This cartoon-like slapstick comedy is notable for blatant product placement and an interesting cast. The third of Mr. Carson's wives plays his girlfriend Lola Albright (as Margie Bellew), and future "Superman" George Reeves (as Stuart Nagle) is the rival for her affections. The film unashamedly promotes "Good Humor" ice cream and "Captain Marvel" comic books.At the time, the Fawcett comic book star outsold "Superman", and it's interesting to speculate on whether Mr. Reeves would have played "The Adventures of Captain Marvel" on television if the "Superman" publishers had not superseded the "Shazam!" star; Reeves sure looks the part. "Captain Marvel and the Good Humor Man" was a superior special edition comic book, which tied everything together. Young Peter Miles (as Johnny) and the "Captain Marvel Club" kids wear Marvelous clothing.***** The Good Humor Man (3/24/50) Lloyd Bacon ~ Jack Carson, Lola Albright, George Reeves, Peter Miles
