Movie Review: Mummy's Boys (1936)

Synopsis: After yet another one of his colleagues dies under mysterious circumstances, Phillip Browning, believing he is cursed, decides to return treasures taken from Egyptian King Pharatine's tomb during an excavation. Needing diggers, he hires Stanley Wright and Aloysius C. Whittaker, two layabouts who pretend to be Egyptian experts. Trouble arises not long after they reach Egypt, with both Browning and his associate, Edward Sterling, disappearing under threatening circumstances.

Who's in it? The movie stars Bert Wheeler, Robert Woolsey, Barbara Pepper, Willie Best, Frank M. Thomas and Moroni Olsen.

Review: I came across Mummy's Boys last night before bed and thought it looked interesting enough to add to my library. I managed to watch it this morning before it was surprisingly and abruptly removed from the movie channel I found it on. Unfortunately, while I see where the filmmakers were trying to go, I just didn't think it was that good.

While I'll admit the comedy team of Wheeler and Woolsey were funny and entertaining at times, especially when Best shared the screen with them, the film never fully capitalized on that because it just felt unfocused. It was a series of comedy bits, some Egyptian-themed and others not, that were loosely meshed together to cover for a simple and predictable story.

There was no mystery surrounding what was happening to members of the archaeology team because it was very clear why they were dying and who was behind it. In fact, if it weren't for Wright's (Wheeler) peculiar habit of forgetting things and needing to take a nap to remember (a running gag that was exploited multiple times throughout the film), I'm not sure this movie would have even come close to being an hour long.

Oh, and just in case you're wondering, despite the title, there is no walking/living mummy, just the references to King Pharatine and his tomb. Seriously, what 1930s movie based in Egypt doesn't feature a mummy? Especially one that puts that in the title.

Final Opinion: The movie does have some funny moments but it's not enough to compensate for a somewhat boring story that had to be stretched out by one of the characters constantly looking to take a nap. It's definitely not one of my favorites as a result.

My Grade: C-

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 Here are some reviews of other 1930s comedies: 

Movie Review: Snowed Under (1936)

Movie Review: It's Love I'm After (1937)

Movie Review: The Footloose Heiress (1937)

Movie Review: Hard to Get (1938)