See all Movies for the Rest of Us.
Featured image: Scene from You’re Telling Me (Kino Lorber Studio Classics/Universal)
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Movies for the Rest of Us: W.C. Fields
Famous for his grumpy, subversive persona, W.C. Fields seemed to dare moviegoers to dislike him.
Scene from You’re Telling Me (Kino Lorber Studio Classics/Universal)
Comments
W. C. Fields is the greatest comedian that ever lived
Thanks for this wonderful video on W.C. Fields. Even though he came across as not likable, he really was not far under the surface. I like how you really go into the history of his career going back to vaudeville. Never realized he was an expert juggler and physical comedian, either!
I’d kind of like to see ‘The Dentist’ from 1932. Not positive, but I think that was likely a ‘pre-code’ film where they got away with some risque and suggestive stuff before it was abruptly stopped by 1934 (I think). That film looks like it could have had Mae West’s fingerprints all over it.
My favorite film of Fields and West is ‘My Little Chickadee’. The two of them had excellent chemistry and unique qualities that in some ways overlapped. Kind of like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in their own way, even if that may sound strange initially. Had he been in better health from not drinking, I think those two could have collaborated on at least a few films; who knows? It’s all good, with the 1940 film showcasing and highlighting these two gifted stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age at their best together.