Man on the Flying Trapeze
Directed by Clyde Bruckman
1935/USA
Paramount Pictures
First viewing
[box] Ambrose’s Secretary: It must be hard to lose your mother-in-law.
Ambrose Wolfinger: Yes it is, very hard. It’s almost impossible.[/box]
No trapeze here. A day in the life of Ambrose Wolfinger (W.C. Fields) begins with two singing burglars in his basement. We then follow the henpecked family man on his adventures in jail, at work, driving a car, and at a wrestling match. All ends well, as usual. With Kathleen Howard, Grady Sutton, and Vera Lewis as Ambrose’s obnoxious wife, brother-in-law, and mother-in-law and Mary Brian as his loving daughter.
The saving grace of this movie comes near the end when Fields actually stands up to his family and even punches his horrible brother-in-law! Otherwise, watch the clip. If you think Fields fiddling with his socks and putting off his encounter with the burglars is amusing, the rest of the film will be even funnier. As for me, after the first minute of the clip, I am just waiting for him to get on with it already.
Clip – opening
