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.
