Directed by George Marshall
Written by George Marion Jr et al and story by W.C. Fields (as Charles Bogle)
1939/USA
Universal Pictures
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Whipsnade: As my dear old grandfather Litvak said (just before they swung the trap), he said “You can’t cheat an honest man. Never give a sucker an even break or smarten up a chump.”[/box]
I’m not a huge W.C. Fields fan, but this movie is a cut above his lesser work.
Larson E. (get it?) Whipsnade (Fields) runs a carnival sideshow and is arrears on wages to his performers. Charlie McCarthy complains constantly to ventriloquist The Great Edgar (Edgar Bergen) about this. But Edgar is not willing to quit once he sets eyes on Whipsnade’s lovely daughter.
Fields with Eddie “Rochester” Anderson
I found several of the bits amusing if not laugh out loud funny. The insults exchanged between Fields and the dummy are cute. Your mileage may vary depending on your feelings about Fields and/or Bergen, whose routines occupy about 90% of the film.
Clip – the ping-pong match
As you say, better than his lesser work. I have seen so many of them they entirely blend together. This one I remember – vaguely. I do remember that I laughed – some.
I think I’ve now seen all the Fields films I am going to, except for the ones with Mae West which are coming up shortly.
I like Fields in short doses……he can be hysterically funny or you can get bored with his usual schtick. I think it depends on what kind of mood you are in when you watch one of his films. I This one played on the popularity of Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy which was fine and started a “feud” between Fields and Charlie which carried over to Bergen’s radio show. But the classic Fields film is “It’s A Gift” which makes me laugh out loud everytime I see it…..a real gem.
It’s a Gift and The Bank Dick are probably the best of Fields. The feud with Charlie seems like an extension of Fields’ battle with little children. There’s a snippet of the later in this one, too.