Ruggles of Red Gap (1935)

What a waste of my time!!!

A Brilliant Conflict

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

This movie is such a hoot!!! It was very entertaining, and some scenes were LOL funny. Well worth watching!!

A "fish out of water" 1930's comedy with Charles Laughton as an English Butler "won" in a poker game and brought to America against his will. A great supporting cast with the personas of Zazu Pits, Charles Ruggles and many others. It is set in 1908 in a "rural town" just coming out of the "frontier". No decent restaurant with "grub" at the saloon, so the displaced butler starts one. ( I am surprised that a local hotel or boarding house doesn't serve decent food?) "The Gettysburg Address" is recited as well! It reminds me of the Brit sit-com "Keeping Up Appearances" as a most "common" lady tries to put-on social "airs". Well-directed by the man who brought us "Going My Way" and other more classical tales. Most engaging with only a little "slapstick" at the very end. Made 4 times on film and the basic concept "recycled" numerous times in other movies and TV shows. Quite enjoyable, but I don't feel the need to own it.

Memories are short when it comes to remembering the best films ever. Often the older the film the more it tends to fall away in obscurity. Look at many of the top 100 film lists and you'll see that the closer you get to the top the greater the percentage of recent films.Such is the case with a classic film comedy like "Ruggles of Red Gap". The film contains a terrific cast of some of the best comic actors of the time and they are led by Charley Ruggles, Zazu Pitts and Marie Boland. But the comic soul of the film is the hysterically understated performance of the wonderful film and stage acting genius, Charles Laughton. Mr. Laughton was most known as a dramatic actor playing roles such as Henry VIII, Quasimoto and Captain Bligh. But here as Ruggles, the quietly stiff English butler who is lost by his British employer in card game to a couple of roustabouts from the US, Laughton is funny and touching and very human.I won't spill any more of the story. Justy go rent it and see for yourself. You won't regret it!

RUGGLES AT RED GAP is an example of a film that was far better when it came out than it is today. I realize, as I say this, that most of the comments on this thread are positive ones - that they emphasize the better points of the cast and scenes of the film, and of Leo McCarey's directing abilities, but the film is a bit too mild for today's taste.McCarey was capable of doing very funny film comedies like THE AWFUL TRUTH, and homey quasi-religious films like GOING MY WAY and THE BELLS OF ST. MARY, and romantic classics like LOVE AFFAIR and AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER, and he did one of the best films ever made about the tragedy of growing old, MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW. But he could make movies, or films that were not as lasting in public appeal. For example, his extreme Catholicism made him as big a foe of Communism as Cecil B. DeMille. He did that abysmal film MY SON JOHN (Robert Walker Sr.'s last film) about a young man who becomes a Communist Russian agent.RUGGLES OF RED GAP is not as bad a misfire as MY SON JOHN. First of all it does have a funny set of problems in it's story. Set in the year 1900 or so, the movie is about Egbert and Effie Floud of Red Gap, Washington State (Charlie Ruggles and Mary Boland). Floud is a wealthy rancher, and his wife is trying to polish him up by taking him on a modern grand tour of Europe. But Egbert is very down-to-earth, and keeps up a continuous quiet rear guard action against his wife's pretensions. She keeps burning his loud, checkered suits. He keeps finding ways of replacing the "monkey" suits (tales) that she gets him. He never really picks up on the cultural advantages that she pushes (he really dislikes them). One thing that Floud does pick up is Marmaduke Ruggles (Charles Laughton), a butler and valet to George, Earl of Burnwell (Roland Young). Floud wins Ruggles in a high stake poker game with the Earl. Floud is a good democratic type, and refuses to call the timid but competent butler Ruggles. Instead he keeps calling him Bill. He also introduces Ruggles to the pleasures of getting drunk, much to the disappointment of Effie.Effie's snobbery (which is undercut by her ineptitude in pronouncing French) is encouraged by her brother in law Charles Belknap - Jackson (Lucien Littlefield). A total snob, he looks down at the decent Egbert (who is footing the bills for his own family and Belknap - Jackson's) and he considers that Ruggles is a step in the right direction, as long as Ruggles knows his place.The Flouds and their party return to Red Gap, and Ruggles slowly finds that he really fits into the community. Particularly when he meets Prunella Judson (Zazu Pitts), whom he finds himself falling in love with. Back on their home turf Effie (still manipulated by Belknap - Jackson) keeps trying to raise the community's social standards. But even Effie, back at home, eases a bit. Her neighbors like her, but they can tune out her pretensions, If any scene is recalled from RUGGLES it is when Egbert, his neighbor Ma Pettingill (Maude Eburne) and his friend Jeff Tuttle (James Burke) are drinking beer in the local saloon with Ruggles, and discuss President Lincoln and his appearance at the dedication of the Gettysburg Cemetery in November 1863. It turns out none of them recall Lincoln's Gettysburg Address - except Ruggles. Speaking softly but with increased emphasis, Laughton recites the complete four minute speech, and gave one of most memorable moments in movies (and in his own career) to the public. His recitation of the speech is the culmination of his adherence to the democratic ideals that he has hitherto feared, but now welcomes.The conclusion of the film is a party attended by the entire community that both Marmaduke and Prunella throw at their new restaurant. And it culminates in Marmaduke reacting violently (if politely) to Belknap - Jackson who has been sneering at the democratic riffraff. Firmly grasping the snob by his jacket he pushes him out of the restaurant.The film is appealing in it's adherence of the leveling and freeing aspects of American democracy, and so it deserves an "8" out of "10". But it is not as great a film as that ranking would seem to suggest. There are long stretches of the film that drag. Some of the humor is a trifle more slapdash (particularly Ruggles' reaction to alcohol) than one would appreciate. McCarey had been trained in silent comedy, particularly with Laurel & Hardy, but he could fall flat occasionally.There is also a problem about his villain. Littlefield does well as Belknap - Jackson, but we never understand the reason for his outrageous snobbery. It might have helped to understand this character's reasons.Still hearing Laughton recite Lincoln is a great treat, as is his interactions with Charlie Ruggles and Mary Boland and Roland Young. It is certainly a film to watch once or twice, but beyond that I can't really feel that you would gain much more pleasure from viewing it.