Peach O'Reno

Peach-O-Reno is a 1931 pre-Code comedy film starring Bert Wheeler, Robert Woolsey, Dorothy Lee, and Zelma O'Neal. It was released on Christmas Day of 1931. The title is a pun on peacherino, a then-popular slang term for something more desirable or intense than just a simple peach, itself a complimentary term.

Peach O'Reno
Directed by	William A. Seiter
Written by	Tim Whelan Ralph Spence (adaptation and dialogue) Eddie Welch (adaptation and dialogue)
Produced by	William LeBaron John E. Burch (supervisor)[1][2]
Starring	Bert Wheeler Robert Woolsey Dorothy Lee Zelma O'Neal Joseph Cawthorn Cora Witherspoon
Cinematography	Jack MacKenzie
Edited by	Jack Kitchin
Music by	Harry Akst (composer) Grant Clarke (composer) Richard A. Whiting (composer) Ray Heindorf (orchestrator) Max Steiner (musical director)
Distributed by	RKO Radio Pictures
Release date	December 25, 1931 (1931-12-25) (US)[1]
Running time	63 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$293,000[3]
Box office	$570,000[3]

A copy is preserved in the Library of Congress collection.^[4]

Plot

Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey in a scene from the film.

Aggie Bruno (Cora Witherspoon) has had enough of her husband, Joe (Joseph Cawthorn), and decides to get a divorce in Reno. She meets with lawyers Wattles and Swift (Wheeler and Woolsey), the latter of the two agreeing to represent Aggie in court. Swift suggests that Aggie be "caught" with another man. Meanwhile, Joe Bruno has also headed to Reno, and is being represented in court by Wattles. Wattles suggests that Joe be "caught" with another woman.

Meanwhile, Ace Crosby (Mitchell Harris), an angry Arizona gambler, wants to shoot Wattles for representing his wife in a previous divorce case. Swift suggests that Wattles dress as a woman in order to avoid being found by the gambler. That evening, Wattles and Swift do the same thing that they do every evening: turn their office into a casino. Swift arrives at the casino pretending to be Aggie Bruno's love interest. To add to the confusion, Wattles (dressed as a woman) shows up with Joe Bruno, pretending to be his love interest.

Cast

• Bert Wheeler as Wattles
• Robert Woolsey as Julius Swift
• Dorothy Lee as Prudence Bruno
• Zelma O'Neal as Pansy Bruno
• Joseph Cawthorn as Joe Bruno
• Cora Witherspoon as Aggie Bruno
• Sam Hardy as Judge Jackson
• Mitchell Harris as Ace Crosby, the Gambler
• Arthur Hoyt as Secretary
• Josephine Whittell as Mrs. Doubleday-Doubleday
• Harry Holman as Counselor Jackson #2 (uncredited)
• Frank Darien as Counselor Jackson #3
• Eddie Kane as Radio Announcer in Courtroom (uncredited)
• Monte Collins as Courtroom Vendor (uncredited)

(cast as per AFI database^[1]

Production

A rather notorious scene involving a wrestling match between Julis Swift (Robert Woolsey) and Pansy Bruno (Zelma O'Neal) was cut from the film.^{[citation needed]}

Reception

According to RKO records, the film made a profit of $90,000.^[3]

Home media

Peach O'Reno was released with Girl Crazy on DVD by Warner Brothers on December 17, 2010.