Film & Shorts Discussions > Random Comedy Reviews

The Dentist (1932) - W.C. Fields

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Dr. Mabuse:
Excellent review. Undiluted Fields is nothing short of sublime.  Next to "The Fatal Glass of Beer," my favorite Fields-Sennett collaboration.

10/10

metaldams:

--- Quote from: Dr. Mabuse on December 13, 2020, 03:03:09 PM ---Excellent review. Undiluted Fields is nothing short of sublime.  Next to "The Fatal Glass of Beer," my favorite Fields-Sennett collaboration.

10/10

--- End quote ---

I’m a big fan of FATAL GLASS OF BEER, which is about as different from THE DENTIST as can be.  Will get to that one at some point.

Paul Pain:
Having become now a seasoned veteran of old comedy, I felt safe using this as my intro to W.C. Fields.  This was an astoundingly profane and hilarious two-reeled.  I wonder how much of a hand W.C. actually had in this.  We have "to hell with him", butt and leg jokes, camera work to imply sex (including the profane pun of him screwing/drilling her teeth in this position), butt slapping (and such jokes), throwing a caddy in the water, and even W.C. wrenching his daughter's arm.  This one is hilarious to a comedy veteran, but nothing I would ever show my girlfriend.

At first, it seemed he was going to be a typical series of medical jokes, but it quickly devolved into horrid violence being performed on the patients.  But what a glorious series of torments.  We get some stock gags along the way as well to help create a torrent of comedy.

metaldams:

--- Quote from: Paul Pain on December 14, 2020, 09:49:27 PM ---Having become now a seasoned veteran of old comedy, I felt safe using this as my intro to W.C. Fields.  This was an astoundingly profane and hilarious two-reeled.  I wonder how much of a hand W.C. actually had in this.  We have "to hell with him", butt and leg jokes, camera work to imply sex (including the profane pun of him screwing/drilling her teeth in this position), butt slapping (and such jokes), throwing a caddy in the water, and even W.C. wrenching his daughter's arm.  This one is hilarious to a comedy veteran, but nothing I would ever show my girlfriend.

At first, it seemed he was going to be a typical series of medical jokes, but it quickly devolved into horrid violence being performed on the patients.  But what a glorious series of torments.  We get some stock gags along the way as well to help create a torrent of comedy.

--- End quote ---

Glad you enjoyed this! Fields did write this and was very much the author of his own character.  Check out the five talking shorts he made, the four Paramount features he was solely top billed in from 1934 - 1935 and his four later Universal features as his best work.

NoahYoung:
Definitely my favorite Fields short, not that there were many.
I had always seen it without background music until American Movie Classics showed it in the '90s with music, and it seemed weird.
I didn't get all the jokes when I first saw this at 9 or 10 years old.  :)
I never really paid attention to the butt slapping. Now that I've read that above, I need to view it again for the 101st time.

How about at the end of the golf scene: "You can take this gold course and s...", sound drops out as the scene fades out.

The yellow jaundice line is classic, as is "It's rather fortunate it wasn't a Newfoundland dog that bit you", said to the gorgeous Dorothy Granger. (Who later played Leon Errol's wife in many shorts. She even turned up in at least one episode of THE ABBOTT & COSTELLO SHOW.) I never got that line until years later -- apparently a Newfoundland dog is a lot bigger, and it would have bit her in the butt. Fields re-uses the line in NEVER GIVE A SUCKER AN EVEN BREAK, but this time it is a man who was bitten by the dog.

You gotta love the old lady who tell Fields where his ball is, "if it isn't unfair."
Fields, under his breath: "If it isn't unfair, but I've been looking for the ball 20 minutes."

How about the old man: "This certainly is a great game for your health", then Fields' teed gold ball strikes him on the head and knocks him out.

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