IT CAME FROM THE BOTTOM SHELF!

Christmas has come early this year for classic comedy lovers, because on April 19th, Kino Lorber Studio Classics will bring us the Blu-ray debuts of three hilarious movies by W.C. Fields — You’re Telling Me (1934), Man on the Flying Trapeze (1935), and You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man (1939). If you’ve never seen a W.C. Fields film, or even if you are generally allergic to black & white movies, I highly recommend that you step out of your safety zone and give these movies a try (especially Man on the Flying Trapeze, which is the best of the batch). William Claude Dukenfield, better known as W.C. Fields, popularized both cringe comedy and misanthropic humor, so his comedy feels particularly modern. His influence can be felt on the most intelligent and subversive film and television comedy that followed. Such properties as Fawlty Towers, Blackadder, Seinfeld, Groundhog Day, Ghost World, Sideways, Bad Santa, The Office, Curb your Enthusiasm, and Veep would be unthinkable had Fields not previously fought the censors and pushed the boundaries of politically incorrect comedy. I plan to review all three of the upcoming W.C. Fields Blu-rays, but I will start in reverse chronologically, simply because the Blu-ray of You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man was the first made available for me to view.

As my dear old grandfather Litvak said (just before they swung the trap), he said “You can’t cheat an honest man. Never give a sucker an even break or smarten up a chump.”

— Larson E. Whipsnade (W.C. Fields in You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man)

Due to illness exacerbated by a fondness for fermented fluids, W.C. Fields was hospitalized in the summer of 1936 and was forced to take a two-year hiatus from film work. As he recouped, he was able to appear in the less-strenuous medium of radio, where he became a semi-regular on The Chase and Sanborn Hour, starring ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and wooden sidekick Charlie McCarthy. Ironically, it was during Fields’ lowest period of health that he achieved the height of his popularity. A large portion of the public discovered W.C. for the first time when his voice was broadcast directly into their homes, and his verbal sparing with Charlie McCarthy became something of a phenomenon. When Fields’ health improved, it was only natural for his new movie studio, Universal, to exploit the W.C. Fields’ radio popularity by teaming him with the dummy.

Fields, or “The Great Man” as he liked to be called, often portrayed charlatans and hucksters in his films, based on the crooked men that cheated him during his early days on the stage. In You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man, Fields plays the most unscrupulous of all of his huckster characters, Larson E. Whipsnade (“It’s not ‘Larceny.’ It’s ‘Larson E.’”), the liquid lunch-ingesting proprietor of Whipsnade’s Circus Giganticus. The circus is in dire financial shape, so Larceny, excuse me, Larson E., is constantly on the run from his creditors and local law enforcement. With Bergen employed by Whipsnade’s troupe as a magician/ventriloquist, the Great Man gets plenty of opportunity to trade insults with his wooden nemesis. There’s also a side plot regarding a romance between Bergen and Whipsnade’s daughter (Constance Moore), but no one watches a W.C. Fields picture for the romantic subplot.

You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man had a troubled shoot, which shows in the final film. Director George Marshall simply didn’t understand Fields’ humor and found the comedian unfunny. At the same time, Fields found Marshall’s direction and on-set suggestions to be at odds with his character. It didn’t take long before Fields flatly refused to work with Marshall. As a solution, Universal brought in ex-vaudevillian Eddie Cline, who had previously directed the Great Man in Million Dollar Legs (1932), to direct Fields’ scenes uncredited. Having two directors filming alternative scenes resulted in a disjointed final product. The Cline-directed scenes play faster and looser, in other words, like a W.C. Fields film, while the Marshall-directed scenes (mostly with Bergen and Constance Moore) are more pedestrian. Fields was also disheartened that the studio cut all of the scenes that provided depth and motivation for his character, which made Whipsnade a much more unsympathetic swindler than he generally played.

It should be mentioned that You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man is one of the weirder W.C. Fields films, because of the presence of Edgar Bergen and his ventriloquist dummies Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd. The dummies are sometimes acknowledged as wooden dolls, but at other times they act as living creatures, which talk and move independently of Bergen. One can only conclude that either the dummies are alive or Bergen is a crazy person. Either option is kinda creepy. Edgar Bergen was also notorious for moving his lips, and on this rewatch, I couldn’t help but focus on Bergen’s face. Not only do Bergen’s lips move; he basically acts out the dummies’ dialogue in his facial expressions. Once you see it, it’s hard to un-see.

Fields disavowed the film and refused to do any publicity for it, but it is not quite the disaster he thought it was. Fields is excellent in his solo scenes, and he has able support from a roster of experienced comic foils, including gawky Grady Sutton and little tough guy Edward Brophy. Best of all, Fields gets to interact with Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson around the time when the African-American actor was just beginning to gain fame on The Jack Benny Program. Anderson was incapable of giving a bad performance, and he enlivened every project within which he appeared.

You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man suffers from the slower, George Marshall-directed scenes. One also wishes that the Great Man was on screen for more of the running time, but he has to share the film with Bergen’s hokum and a romantic subplot. Still, the film showcases Fields at his most purposely pestiferous, and for that alone, it’s worth a view.

USA/B&W-79m./Dir: George Marshall (Edward F. Cline uncredited)/Wr: George Marion, Jr., Richard Mack, & Everett Freeman, based on a story by Charles Bogle (W.C. Fields)/Cast: W. C. Fields, Edgar Bergen, Charlie McCarthy, Constance Moore, Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson, Mortimer Snerd, Grady Sutton, John Arledge, James Bush, Thurston Hall, Mary Forbes, Edward Brophy, Arthur Hohl

For Fans of: If you like the work of other classic film comedians, such as the Marx Brothers or Abbott & Costello, you owe it to yourself to give “The Great Man” a try. However, You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man isn’t the best place to start. A better entry point would be Fields’ trio of “downtrodden family man” comedy masterpieces —  It’s a Gift (1934), Man on the Flying Trapeze (1935), and The Bank Dick (1940).

Video: As mentioned above, Kino Lorber Studio Classics will release You’re Telling Me (1934), Man on the Flying Trapeze (1935), and You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man (1939) individually on Blu-ray on April 19th. The Blu-ray of You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man (1939) is derived from a new 2K scan of the best surviving film elements. There is a minor scratch here and there, but overall, the picture quality is quite good. It is sharper than previous DVD releases, and the contrast is excellent. The film grain appears natural and is not overpowering. This is probably the best the film will ever look on home video.

The disc’s sound is clear, without noticeable age-related hiss. Finally, the disc is rounded out by the following extras:

• A new audio commentary by filmmaker and historian Michael Schlesinger: Michael’s commentaries are always humorous and entertaining, and his discussion of You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man doesn’t disappoint. His laid back, conversational commentary is filled with interesting background on the cast, directors, and behind-the-scenes bickering.
• The Reelart re-release trailer for You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man
• Bonus trailers for the W.C. Fields films The Old Fashioned Way, The Bank Dick, My Little Chickadee, Alice in Wonderland
• Bonus Trailers for the George Marshall films The Ghost Breakers and Murder, He Says
• Optional English Subtitles

Streaming: At the time of this review, You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man was not streaming on any of the major subscription services.  It was also unavailable for purchase or rental through digital retailers.

More to Explore: My favorite of the Great Man’s huckster comedies is The Old Fashioned Way (1934), which Kino Lorber previously released on Blu-ray. Of course, I think that all of W.C. Fields’ starring comedies are worth watching, so I included links to other titles on Blu-ray below.

Trivia: W.C. Fields missed out on a higher level of cinematic immortality due to the filming of You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man. The Great Man was offered the role of The Wizard of Oz in the MGM classic, and the part was specifically tailored for him. In fact, the role of Professor Marvel was added to the script to beef up the part when Fields was planned to play the Wizard.  Unfortunately, Fields had to reluctantly bow out of the role when it was decided that filming of both films would begin in the same month. Being that Fields was under contract with Universal, his commitments to the studio took priority over any side projects.

For More Info: The best (and most accurate) biography of the Great Man is W.C. Fields: A Biography by James Curtis. I’d also recommend Field’s intended autobiography, W.C. Fields by Himself. If you prefer video documentaries, seek out W.C. Fields: Straight Up (1986).