to be a buster keaton fan be to have your heart break on a regular basis . most of u first encounter keaton in one of the brilliant feature film from his great period of independent production represent the general and the navigator and sherlock jnr . we recognise him a the great figure in the entire history of film comedy and and we want to see more of his movie . here the heartbreak begin . after steamboat bill jnr and keaton brother in law joseph schenck pressure him into sign a contract that put keaton under the control of mgm . keaton become just one more actor for hire and perform someone else script . then his alcoholism get bad . after steamboat bill jnr and keaton never again make a truly first rate film . a couple of source describe a would be masterpiece comedy that keaton claim he almost get to make at mgm represent a parody of grand hotel . biographer tom dardis have offer convincing evidence that keaton make up this story . the heartbreak increase because and among the many year of keaton long steady decline and he just occasionally come up with a good film . such a his short comedy grand slam opera . i continue to search for the lost footage of keaton dramatic scene with spencer tracy in it a mad mad world represent a sequence in which embitter cop tracy telephone an old retired crook ( keaton ) and try to recruit his assistance in steal smiler grogan cash . that footage be almost certainly go forever and but i keep look . speak easily and ala and be one of keaton film from the beginning of his decline . mgm be try to build up jimmy durante ( who and coincidentally and play smiler grogan three decade later ) a a new comedy star . unfortunately and mgm try to build up durante by team him with keaton and whose style of comedy be simply incompatible with durante . ( i be a fan of both . ) throughout his career and durante be a merciless scene stealer represent commendably and he know that he be be build up at keaton expense and and keaton be the only co star whom durante never attempt to upstage . keaton be often cast a the victim of extremely cruel machination . in speak easily and he play a didactic and humourless midwestern college professor name post ( because he as wooden a one ) who receive a letter inform him that he inherit $ 750 and 000 and which he must travel to new york city to claim . do he make a phone call to verify this . do he even check the postmark . no while he take his life savings out of the bank and rush to new york . as soon a he go and post manservant confesses that he write the ( fake ) letter to jostle professor post out of his rut . post and who think he a 3/4 millionaire and cross path with jimmy dodge ( durante ) and who try to produce a musical revue but hasn not any money . the character which these two brilliant comedian be play onscreen simply fail to intermesh . keaton be play one of those egghead ( like mister logic in viz ) who intellectualises everything . durante play one of those annoy hepcats who be incapable of make any straightforward statement because the script require him always to speak in slang . there a painfully unfunny dialogue scene in which durante be try to talk to keaton about money and but instead of come straight out with it durante have to use increasingly contrive slang term like kale and cartwheel and so forth . while keaton of course have no idea what durante on about . i will give keaton credit represent his own dry and dusty prairie voice and his flat kansa accent and be absolutely perfect for the character he play here . sidney toler and look much lean and more handsome here than he would be just a year later and be impressive a the excitable director of the revue bankroll ( on tick ) by professor post . henry armetta and whom i have never find funny and be even less funny than usual here and offer a run gag with a stupid payoff . thelma todd impress me here and in a more villainous version of the role she play in horse feather ( a much funny movie ) . edward brophy and one of my favourite character actor and be waste . part of the problem with speak easily be that support character behave in completely inappropriate way . keaton lawyer show up at durante theatre with an urgent message for keaton . but he isn not there and so the lawyer proceeds to divulge keaton personal business to the first total stranger he meet . ( fire that lawyer and buster . ) in another scene and professor post the guy who perceive a bankrolling this musical blunder into the chorus girl change room and and all the chorus girl immediately squeal and cover themselves . i know for a fact that modern chorus girl would never react this way and and i seriously doubt that chorus girl in 1932 behave that way either . certainly not in response to the angel control their show pursestrings . spoiler come . about half an hour into the unfunny speak easily and the great jimmy durante seat himself at the piano and grin into the camera and and do that distinctive little shake of his head a he start to play a tune . this be the moment when i think that and at long last and this movie be finally go to settle down to it purpose of entertain u . ala and no . most annoying of all be the end of this film and which use the single most hackneyed and implausible cliche in all of comedy represent the one in which an utterly incompetent dimwit become a star comedian through his own ineptitude . ( keaton would be force to replay this cliche in a 1955 episode of screen director playhouse while chaplin have already use it in the circus . ) i very nearly wept in anger and sorrow at the wasted opportunity in speak easily . mostly out of respect for the work that keaton and durante and toler and brophy and miss todd have do elsewhere and i will rate this movie 2 point out of 10 .