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Your taste in comedy outside The Three Stooges

metaldams · 64 · 15701

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Offline metaldams

Watched MY LITTLE CHICKADEE ... it was decent, nothing really special. Westerns aren't often my thing and this was no exception. Fields again seemed a bit smothered by the presence of West. Interesting aspects were seeing Margaret Hamilton (WIZARD OF OZ) and Joseph Calleia (GOLDEN BOY).

So far I've watched INTERNATIONAL HOUSE, IT'S A GIFT, MY LITTLE CHICKADEE, and YOU CAN'T CHEAT AN HONEST MAN. The first two were strong and worthy of multiple viewings while the latter two were mediocre single-watch affairs.

I think better times are ahead with entries like THE BANK DICK and YOU'RE TELLING ME.

Anyone here ever read Ronald Fields' book W.C FIELDS: A LIFE ON FILM? I found a copy online for 2.27 and am awaiting its arrival.

I like all of Field's films, but overall, the Paramounts are more pure Fields than the Universals, THE BANK DICK being the lone exception.  I always thought Fields was best as a hen-pecked husband in a dysfunctional family, hence the reason why I prefer IT'S A GIFT, YOU'RE TELLING ME, THE BANK DICK, MAN ON THE FLYING TRAPEZE.  THE OLD FASHIONED WAY, while not exactly a dysfunctional family pick in quite the same manner, is also great.  The other Universals, while fun, seem to have outside distractions, though I gotta say, MY LITTLE CHICKADEE's "distraction" (to quote myself) of Mae West is not necssarily a bad thing.

INTERNATIONAL HOUSE is more like a compilation album, but if you're into 30's films and culture, what a compilation!   Not only does it have prime Fields, it also has George and Gracie as well as Bela friggin' Lugosi!

In addition to the ten films in the two Universal volumes, I've also seen the silent version of MAN ON THE FLYING TRAPEZE called RUNNING WILD.  Good, but not as good as the talkie version.  SALLY OF THE SAWDUST is better than its talking counterpart, POPPY, but is still not prime Fields or prime D.W. Griffith.  Still a beautiful film visually, though, as are all good silents, especially Griffith.  MRS. WIGGS OF THE CABBAGE PATCH, a depressing melodrama where Fields comes in a comedy relief later in the film.  TILLIE AND GUS is not bad, but kind of has the feel of being a slightly early effort for a Paramount feature.  The 6 shorts he made are all worth checking out.
- Doug Sarnecky


Offline FineBari3

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I have tried and tried, but I just don't get W.C. Fields!  I have seen at least three of his films, and simply could not find him funny. The films were THE BANK DICK, MY LITTLE CHICKADEE, and IT'S A GIFT. Some or all were highly recommended, too.

Mar-Jean Zamperini
"Moe is their leader." -Homer Simpson


Offline Blystone

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/y189-69cQPs&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/y189-69cQPs&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;</a>

Not funny? The Defense rests.


Offline falsealarms

Just watched THE MAN ON THE FLYING TRAPEZE... it was brilliant and the best of the 8 Fields films I've watched. It comfortably provided the most laughs of the bunch and it had Fields at the best I've seen him. If anyone is on the fence about Fields, you need to see TRAPEZE.

So far I'd rank them as -

1) TRAPEZE
2) GIFT
(small gap)
3) BANK DICK
4) TELLING ME
5) INTERNATIONAL
(big gap)
6) HONEST MAN
7) CHICKADEE
8 ) OLD FASHIONED WAY

I'd call 1-2 excellent, 3-5 very good, 6-8 mediocre


Offline FineBari3

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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/y189-69cQPs&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/y189-69cQPs&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;</a>

Not funny? The Defense rests.

I still don't get it!  I only laughed once, and that was near the end of the scene, when he said "House detective at the Grand Hotel."
Mar-Jean Zamperini
"Moe is their leader." -Homer Simpson


Offline Curly4444

I don't get W.C. Fields either, but the Blindman and kumquats guy was hilarious.


Offline falsealarms

Seems like THE MAN ON THE FLYING TRAPEZE is on YouTube.... there you go, for anyone who hasn't seen it. The DVD looks a lot better than this but it works.

FYI - This was directed by Clyde Bruckman, who we all know of... also features Lew Kelly (SPOOK LOUDER professor) and Walter Brennan (RESTLESS KNIGHTS)

Part 1

[youtube=425,350]hb00ZP8AJbg[/youtube]

"You're always in that bathroom brushing your teeth!" - LOL. Of course that's not what he's doing...

Another part:

[youtube=425,350]snXRzn91q_8[/youtube]

Hilarious as he gets arrested, the interaction with the other jailbird, and the family's reaction to his arrest.


Offline BeAStooge

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Seems like THE MAN ON THE FLYING TRAPEZE is on YouTube.... there you go, for anyone who hasn't seen it. The DVD looks a lot better than this but it works.

FYI - This was directed by Clyde Bruckman

Almost all of the film was directed by Fields himself. Bruckman was fired for being drunk on the job; regardless, Directors' Guild rules kept him credited.

After Paramount dumped Bruckman, he went to Jules White at Columbia. Again, his directing jobs were short-lived, e.g., HORSES' COLLARS (1935), before his drinking permanently assigned him to screenwriting.


Offline metaldams

The most important player in MAN ON THE FLYING TRAPEZE is the wrestler who loses.....none other than one of the world's greatest thespians ever......Tor Johnson.

- Doug Sarnecky


Offline metaldams

Almost all of the film was directed by Fields himself. Bruckman was fired for being drunk on the job; regardless, Directors' Guild rules kept him credited.

After Paramount dumped Bruckman, he went to Jules White at Columbia. Again, his directing jobs were short-lived, e.g., HORSES' COLLARS (1935), before his drinking permanently assigned him to screenwriting.

Clyde Bruckman seems to have been credited for lots of things he didn't have full control on.  See - THE GENERAL.  He's always been an enigma to me, as I haven't figured out how much talent the man had. He seems like he may have always been at the right place at the right time, but there's a part of me that'd like to think he was a talented guy who had issues.  A real shame how things ended for him.
- Doug Sarnecky


Offline Seamus

The most important player in MAN ON THE FLYING TRAPEZE is the wrestler who loses.....none other than one of the world's greatest thespians ever......Tor Johnson.



Looks like Tor's got a touch of mogo on the go-go-go there. 

Plan 9, Beast of Yucca Flats, Bride of the Monster...the man's a legend.


Offline metaldams

Plan 9, Beast of Yucca Flats, Bride of the Monster...the man's a legend.

Amen, brother Seamus.  Amen.
- Doug Sarnecky


Offline Seamus

Amen, brother Seamus.  Amen.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/VLX5NIUoTe0&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/VLX5NIUoTe0&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;</a>


Offline metaldams

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/VLX5NIUoTe0&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/VLX5NIUoTe0&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;</a>

Thanks man, Tor rules!  Never saw THE UNEARTHLY, so I'll have to check that one out.  Too bad we got no shoulder smash of doom from PLAN 9, though.

I remember about 10 years back when the official site had a board, there was a thread thinking of the best replacement as third Stooge after Shemp passed, and Tor Johnson got the most votes, hands down. 
- Doug Sarnecky