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Impressing the girl whilst addressing the ball


WC Fields vehicle (his first talking part) allows him to roll out his usual stock of one-liners. Setting is a faux golf course made up of flimsy stages. Over half the short is taking up with Fields simulating a golf pro trying to impress the pretty wife of the jealous house detective. Because of a series of interruptions to his 'lesson' he never gets round to actually hitting a ball! The disruptions come from caddie (Allen Wood) with a deadpan, Buster Keaton like expression on his face, from a society lady with a borzoi dog (Fields complements the woman on her 'camel'), & from a girl who walks down the line of the tee & then back again, breaking one of Fields' golf sticks on the ground in the process. Fields picks up the broken club head & hands it to the passive caddy with the instruction, "Here, this is for short holes!" Wood who keeps getting in the way of Fields' shot nearly steals the scene.

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As I mentioned on the other thread, I agree Allen Wood nearly steals the whole golf segment from Fields. He does indeed dominate it for a few moments as he attempts to "unwrinkle" his wrapping paper, reducing WC to just an on-looker. The little girl is very good too but most of the other supporting cast is unbearably bad and amateur in their line readings as if it were the first thing they'd ever done.

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