'Speak Easily' was Buster Keaton's 8th film made under his unhappy tenure at MGM studios, a period which saw him appearing in sub-standard films as a mere starring player rather than the autonomous writer/director that he'd been during his independent years. This particular film was the second in which the subtle, poised Keaton was assigned to star with the famously abrasive and loud-mouthed Jimmy Durante, an obvious mismatch of comic styles if there ever was one. From what I've read, Keaton was disdainful of the idea of being given what he called 'dialogue laughs', preferring to utilise his pantomime skills to entertain instead. MGM's solution to this was not to find scripts more suitable for Buster's silent comedy prowess, but instead to continue putting him in plot-heavy productions with no room for many physical comedy set-pieces and with all the 'dialogue laughs' simply given to Durante. 'Speak Easily' is sometimes said to be among the best of Keaton's talkies, but it's so far below the quality of 'Sherlock Jr.' and 'The General' that it's difficult to watch it without feeling the loss. Keaton was a comic genius, but like the Marx Brothers after him he was neutered by MGM and then by television. 'Speak Easily' catches him in the middle of that decline, and as a result it's sad stuff indeed. Best avoided.