Comedy serves many different functions, but more than anything else, we find that the best comedies are usually those that present a snapshot of the time and place in which they were produced. The late 1930s were not a particularly pleasant time in the United States – the country was in the final stages of the Great Depression, and the Second World War lingered on the horizon, with the growing tensions in Europe and Asia clearly indicating that something sinister was brewing, the world being on the precipice of a major event. As a result, we find some of the most daring and ostentatious comedies being produced at this time – bold, ambitious films that intend to stir cheer and entertain audiences of all ages, Humour is a powerful tool, and while it can sometimes be viewed as trivial, looking beneath the surface, we can very easily see the roots of some genuinely fantastic storytelling scattered throughout the period. Wide Open Faces is an example of one of these simple, straightforward comedies that were produced cheaply and intended to be viewed at the back-end of double bills. Kurt Neumann, the very definition of a journeyman director (to the point where there isn’t even an entirely complete record of all the films he helmed over his lengthy career) works with a team of half a dozen writers to tell a hilarious and irreverent story of a mild-mannered soda jerk in a small Midwestern town who finds himself crossing paths with some sinister gangsters, which plunges him into a precarious situation in which he finds himself in perpetual peril, solely because of his welcoming nature and oddly intrepid approach to everyday life. Funny and heartfelt, and very much a reflection on the era in which it was produced, Wide Open Faces is a minor delight, and a truly terrific comedy that doesn’t aim to be serious, but still offers something valuable in the process.

Satire in its various forms can sometimes be difficult to entirely recognise in terms of its intentions, and the further we move away from a particular era, the more challenging it becomes to recognise the details, especially if it takes place in a milieu in which the viewer is not entirely familiar. To understand a film like Wide Open Faces, you have to be somewhat aware of the dominant perceptions of the class system and small-town mentalities in the late 1930s. This was an era where one’s entire worth was defined by their origin, so the idea of a comedy set in a quaint small town that is gradually enveloped by the influence of career criminals seeking to take advantage of the residents and their trusting nature is easy to understand once you can fathom exactly what it is that keeps this story afloat, particular for audiences at the time. On the surface, the film seems like a very simple example of a comedy-of-manners centred around a small-town everyman going up against the sometimes intimidating nature of big-city criminals, and as was conventional at the time emerged victorious, despite several very close calls that form the foundation of the comedy. Yet, I don’t think anyone today can entirely see the appeal such a film had at the time, particularly because it touched on subjects that were slightly more bound to this era – but as we said above, once you move past trying to find elements of the story that resonate, and instead just view it as a snapshot of an era, the more clear and concise the comedy becomes, which is a wonderful experience that helps elevate this beyond being a mere work of mindlessly entertaining humour, and instead allows it to flourish into something more complex and engaging, even if only marginally.

As much as we do try and find some meaning in this film, Wide Open Faces serves the primary purpose of being a vehicle for its star, and even if we cease to understand it beyond this very obvious factor, we’ve already understood a good portion of its appeal. The film is structured entirely on the presence of Joe E. Brown – this was the era in which he was at the peak of his fame, with his elastic expressivity, distinctive voice and very unique style of acting being the foundation for several tremendously funny films that are both heartfelt and wickedly entertaining. From his introduction at the beginning of the film to the final shot, Brown is outrageously funny and as charming as ever. He was an unconventional star, and much like his peers Laurel and Hardy and W.C. Fields, he turned his unorthodox appearance into one of the most profitable and successful comedy careers in history, which served him well and made him one of the biggest stars of the 1930s, a period where he reigned supreme and was able to make films like this, which were entirely indebted to his iconic persona. The rest of the cast is very good (especially a young, less famous Jane Wyman, who has a major supporting role as Brown’s love interest), but it’s Brown who holds court and keeps us entirely entertained, which is exactly what we would expect from this film based on a cursory glance. Star vehicles luckily don’t need to aspire to be complex or unique – simply having a major actor in a leading role in more than enough to keep audiences invested, and the overall experience offered by seeing such an iconic comedic performer in his element is worth the price of admission alone, especially in terms of helping us overlook some of the narrative deficiencies that ultimately form the foundation of the film as a whole.

At the heart of Wide Open Faces, we have a tremendously funny film that is not entirely cohesive, but rather functions as a series of delightful vignettes centred around the presence of Brown, an actor who commands the screen with his unique style of comedy, stirring laughs through the simplest of means. However, below the surface, we find that the film is a more engaging affair than we may have initially anticipated – it’s a delightfully heartfelt, compelling story of small-town sensibilities battling against modernity, and emerging victorious. Obviously, this has its roots in a lot of period-specific details surrounding the nature of American culture and how this was a period in which many small-town folk were struggling to maintain their simpler existences. It may not entirely resonate with contemporary viewers, but if you are willing to look slightly deeper and adapt your understanding to the period being depicted, its value becomes quite obvious after some time. Hilarious and irreverent, and driven by a lot of genuine admiration for the people depicted, Wide Open Faces is certainly a very good time, even if we may sometimes struggle to take it all that seriously at certain points.