What did you rate 'The Man on the Flying Trapeze' (1935)?
This is first-rate W.C. Fields material that is only flawed by bad process shots and an abrupt ending.
I rated this an 8. What did you rate it? And what do you think of it?
... Justin
I saw this movie for the first time last night, and boy, what a comedy. Second to It's a Gift, this is the funniest Fields-movie I've seen so far; certain scenes crooked me up completely, which doesn't happen too often, no matter how funny a movie I'm watching. Witty, clever and biting dialogue throughout, accompanied by a decent portion of classic slapstick. Another factor which I found to be quite notable was the touch of humanity involved in this film; here, Fields expresses genuine love and affection for his daughter, although this does not interrupt with his well known bad habits and image as a "cheater." I agree that the ending was somewhat abrupt; after the climax with the family argument, I simply expected more. However, after an hour of laughs, this is easily forgiven. I gave this movie a 9.
"Virtue needs some cheaper thrills." - Hobbe
Fields expresses genuine love and affection for his daughter...It's interesting that two or three Fields films have genuine human warmth between father and daughter. Poppy is probably the first to do it. In fact, the success of Poppy may be the reason that theme carries over to other Fields films.
...Justin share
I gave it an 8. There are several Fields' movies that are right up there. "You're Telling Me" is one of the best, almost nudging out "The Bank Dick."
Kathleen Howard needs to be crowned the #1 shrew of the movies. Nora Cecil is a jewel, too. She seemed to be typecast as a gossip or shrew in every bit part she played in so many movies of the thirties.
I love the names of the characters like J.Pinkerton Snoopington in "The Bank Dick" along with Og Oggibly, "sounds like a bubble in a bathtub."
Yeah. Kathleen Howard is the best of the ladies lucky enough to ever be a movie wife to W.C. Fields. One of my favorite scenes from a Fields movie is in It's a Gift where she's going on and on scolding him and he wanders into the next room and her voice gets louder and louder and she says, "Why can't you stay in the room when I'm talking to you? No wonder the whole neighborhood knows all our business!"
And at the beginning of The Man on the Flying Trapeze where she tells him there are burglars singing in the basement and he says "What are they singing?" and she's just flabbergasted that he thinks that is important.
And I also laugh out loud every time I see the bit where she starts reading something by "Gertrude Smoon" (I think that's it) out of the newspaper and they do a Gertrude Stein parody. I adore Gertrude Stein but I think this is funny anyway. (I wonder what Stein thought of it.)
Janet! Donkeys!