oscaralbert Review of Bureau of Missing Persons

Bureau of Missing Persons (1933)

"I'm in charge now!" was one of the most famous Real Life quotes . . .

[8/10 · 13 December 2018]

. . . from the 1980s. The shocking import of "A. Haig's" cryptic announcement--televised live to a stunned USA at the time--was spelled out by the clairvoyant prognosticators at the always eponymous Warner Bros. nearly half a century BEFORE the would-be "Travis Bickle" copycat shot up the Commander-in-Chief's party, a contingency totally foreseen in BUREAU OF MISSING PERSONS. Warner uses this screwball crime caper flick to warn the American populace of (The Then) Far Future about its upcoming seven lean years in which a body double and the Tinsel Town "B"-movie starlet\First Lady's Personal Astrologist would jointly rule the USA. Everyone thinks that "Norma" has murdered "Therme" during the events covered by MISSING PERSONS, when it is ACTUALLY Therme who has slain his identical twin brother to beat his own embezzlement rap. MISSING PERSONS is Warner's way of letting their savants remind America that ALL Pachyderm Party Presidents have body doubles waiting in the wings to finish up their terms whenever an ACTUAL Pachyderm POTUS gets whacked. Only a select few overlords are aware of this (plus Warner Bros. prophets, and perceptive movie watchers). Back in 1981 not even General Haig was in the loop. But thanks to MISSING PERSONS, Warner Bros. fans were "in the know" throughout "Iran-Contra," the S & L debacle, "Project ELF," the State of the Union Space Murders, the Lebanon Lunacy, the Grenada "Invasion," and the many other disasters of the 1980s.