“W. C. FIELDS IS BACK… TO BACK!”

By Raymond Benson

The year 1934 was a good one for comic actor W. C. Fields (whose real name was William Claude Dukenfield). Fields made six pictures in 1934, and by the time that It’s a Gift appeared in November, he had made sixteen sound movies (and he had been making silents prior to the sound era).

Kino Lorber has begun releasing new Blu-ray restorations of many of Fields’ better films from the 1930s, which was the decade in which he prospered the most. Today, Cinema Retro looks at two key new releases, with likely more reviews to come as we receive them.

It’s a Gift, directed by Norman McLeod (who was also responsible for the Marx Brothers’ Monkey Business and Horse Feathers in 1931 and 1932, respectively), is easily one of W. C. Fields’ most beloved and acclaimed pictures. It showcases Fields at his best and before alcoholism began to derail his career. In fact, Fields is in shape and rather slim here and in the other title from 1934 that we’re examining, The Old Fashioned Way. Remarkably, he was already 54 when these two films were released by Paramount Pictures, the studio that often pushed the envelope when it came to comedy.

In Gift, Fields (Harold Bissonette) is a grocer married to the forever-nagging Amelia (Kathleen Howard). She insists that Harold pretentiously pronounce their last name as “Bisso-nay.” They have two children, an older daughter and a bratty pre-teen (Jean Rouverol and Tommy Bupp, respectively). Harold has dreams of buying an orange grove in California and moving from their cramped and squalid housing in whatever state they’re in. Neighbors in the same building include the Dunk family, a member of which is Baby Elwood (Baby LeRoy, in his third and final appearance with Fields). When Howard finally buys his orange grove, the family does move—only to find that the track of land is a barren plot. Amelia and the kids threaten to leave him until a stroke of luck intervenes.

True, there isn’t much of a plot here, but that doesn’t matter. It’s a Gift is a gem for its series of gags, sketches, and routines that Fields perfected over the years in vaudeville, and they are on full display here. One extended sequence involves Howard attempting to take an afternoon nap on his front porch swing—but he is constantly disturbed by noises from the various neighbors, visitors from the street, and other external stimuli. The results are hilarious. All the set-pieces, such as when Howard must deal with a blind man in the grocery store, are equally funny, and they emphasize why W. C. Fields is remembered today as one of the great genius comics of his day.

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The Old Fashioned Way, directed by William Beaudine, was released four months earlier than It’s a Gift. It is lesser Fields, but it still has its moments of fun. Of particular interest is Fields’ juggling demonstration, a rare moment of the man showing off this talent on film. Back in the vaudeville days, Fields was not only a comedian and vocalist, but also an accomplished juggler. His act here with balls and cigar boxes is simply amazing, and funny, too.

Fields plays “The Great McGonigle,” a theatrical troupe impresario and actor in the 1890s who is constantly in trouble for not paying his bills. He leads his company out of every town before the law catches up with him. His troupe includes his daughter, Betty (Judith Allen), as well as familiar Fields co-star and foil, Mr. Gump (Tammany Young). Baby LeRoy makes his second appearance in a Fields movie as the child of the rich society woman, Cleopatra Pepperday (Jan Duggan). Pepperday desperately wants to join the McGonigle troupe and perform, even though she is terribly untalented—but McGonigle is not averse to promising her a role in exchange for funding. A romantic subplot involving Betty and actor/singer Wally (Joe Morrison) and Wally’s father (Oscar Apfel) intermingles with McGonigle’s conning of boarding house proprietors, theater managers, and sheriffs.

Both Kino Lorber titles, available separately, look quite good in their high definition restorations, and each come with optional English subtitles for the hearing impaired. Audio commentaries by film historian James L. Neibaur, author of The W. C. Fields Films, accompany both features, along with the theatrical trailers for these and other Kino Fields releases.

For fans of W. C. Fields, classic cinema comedy, and old Hollywood, It’s a Gift and The Old Fashioned Way serve up grand entertainment.

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