Funny Reactions When You Cant Get a Word in Edgewise
Very Enjoyable Silliness
In "It's A Gift", W.C. Fields delivers enjoyable silliness as only he could do it. It's quite a showcase for his brand of humor, and this movie has it all, from sight gags to dry wit to hilarious predicaments to a put-upon hero. There have been few comedians like Fields who could get so much mileage out of simple ideas, or who could make outrageous ideas work so well.
The plot ostensibly concerns store owner Harold Bissonette (Fields), who dreams of owning an orange ranch in California, but very little actually happens in terms of a story - the emphasis is on the trials of daily life that Harold must endure. The movie is a series of comic set pieces in which Fields takes a simple situation and turns it into a stream of gags and laughs. His ability to find endless sources of humor in the most mundane of settings is an impressive contrast with the labored and often inappropriate efforts of so many of today's comic actors.
In this one, Fields also manages to create a pleasant atmosphere that, despite all the disorder in Harold's life, makes you feel at home with the characters. Many of the scenes also give one of the other cast members a chance for some good moments, and Kathleen Howard helps out a lot, too, as Harold's nagging wife. There's nothing to take seriously here, but if you're in the mood not to take anything seriously, this is a very enjoyable way to spend an hour or so.
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"It's Pronounced Bissonay"
I think only in The Bank Dick was W.C. Fields more henpecked than he is in It's A Gift. He also has a perfect foil for his brand of humor in Kathleen Howard as his wife in the second of three films she did with the man from Philadelphia.
In this film more than most of Fields's films I think the real secret of his comedy comes out. I can't think of a single funny line from It's A Gift worth remembering. But what does stick with you are all the gestures and expressions with his body and face that Fields gives us to show the hellhole of his married state.
Kathleen Howard in fact doesn't let the poor guy get a word in edgewise. What a motormouth that woman had, constantly finding fault and running him down from the first to the last minute of the movie. Right at the beginning of the film the poor guy can't even have the bathroom to himself as kids and wife just barge in on him with their problems and complaints.
In that scene where Fields is trying to shave, to later on when he goes out on the porch hammock to get some peace and quiet, it's nothing in what he says, but in all the reaction shots where the comedy comes from. Even in the famous scene at the general store with the blind man Mr. Muckle. The comedy is all in Fields's reactions to Muckle running amuck. Trying not to say anything to observe political correctness. Remember Muckle is also identified as the house detective in the hotel across the street.
Kathleen Howard serves as Fields's greatest foil, no wonder he did three films with her. Note how Hyacinth like she is in insisting that her name Bissonette be pronounced Bissonay.
Still Fields pursues the American dream and when Uncle Bean dies and wills him some California property, he loads up the truck and moves to, well not Beverly Hills, but close enough so he can get an orange grove and grow them. It comes about in an interesting way that you have to see the film for.
It's A Gift is one of the finest efforts of America's most beloved misanthropes.
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Probably Fields' best
Warning: Spoilers
Although he really didn't make all that many films compared to the likes of Laurel and Hardy or Buster Keaton, W. C. Fields did several amazingly funny and wonderful films. Off the top of my head, I can think of at least three or four that are bona fide classics--nearly perfect comedies. Among these, this film is my very favorite. The film concerns poor Mr. Bissonette--a much more likable and put-upon character than usual for Fields. He's basically a good hardworking man who tries his best to care for his family, though through most of the film, he gets little thanks for his efforts. In the first portion of the film, he's a grocery store owner who has to deal with a lot of difficult customers. My favorite of these is Mr. Muckle, the blind and hard of hearing man. While this is far from "politically correct", the scene where Muckle destroys the store is hilarious and you have to see it to appreciate it. Apart from running the store, we see Fields in a lot of mundane activities that should not be funny (such as trying to get a good night's sleep)--but with his wonderful delivery and sense of timing, it can't help but make you laugh.
In the last portion, Fields takes his family to "the promised land"--to California to the orange ranch he bought sight unseen. Despite years of very hard work to earn the money for the land, of course there is a catch and his dream isn't quite all it's cracked up to be. However, remember that this is a film co-written by Fields and his drunk "everyman" character is going to somehow succeed just like he did in so many other films--it's the HOW that you'll just have to see for yourself.
The film has some wonderful supporting performances, but for the most part, this film is Fields. He single-handedly keeps the film going and his timing and talents are immense. Give this one a chance and get ready to laugh.
Also, despite the same titles, don't mix this one up with the great silent short from Snub Pollard--also a must-see for old time comedy fans. However, "It's a Gift" was originally a silent film called "The Old Army Game" and it's also a terrific film.
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Sit Down, Mr. Muckle!
If you can spell Carl LaFong, you can spell laugh....that's capital "L', small "a", small "u", small "g", small "h"!!! And Carl LaFong is only one of many bits that will have you weeping with laughter. This is, without a doubt, the best of Fields and it is more than 70 years old!! Watch some of the old comedies of the early 30's and be bored to death; very few stand the test of time as this one does. The story is simple - man inherits money, buys his dream, the dream turns bad, and then turns good, end of story. Fields' movies don't need much story; only something to frame his talents and the talents of his supporting players who are all spot-on in this film. The picnic scene will have you rolling in the aisles (or off the couch), the aforementioned Carl LaFong scene (in fact, the whole porch scene) and "Sit down, Mr. Muckle,honey" is a riot. Almost every set piece in "It's a Gift" will evoke laughter and as usual, the names of the characters are pure Fields madness. I give this classic a 10 and recommend it to all those comedy buffs who think that all humor has to have sexual or political content to succeed.
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Superlatives Abound!
"It's a Gift" is one of Fields' best! Though W.C Fields is rarely thought of as a physical comedian, his performance is as graceful and athletic as you're likely to see. Sharp, biting dialogue and timeless comedic elements (like the universally recognized nagging wife, pesky kids, delivery people, and, [horrors] even the "visually impaired") get the Fields treatment. Like most of Fields' work "It's a Gift" centers, not on the drinking that would become his caricature (though he does "tip a few" in the film), but on the "little guy." Fields is once again in the familiar role of "down-trodden little man" just trying to make it in an increasingly crazy and, sometimes, cruel world. "It's a Gift" is wonderful theatre; brilliantly executed by one of America's comic masters.
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It's the Best
I'm not going to repeat the story here. The story line is serviceable, but not as important as the situations and the set pieces. Mundane things like light bulbs and back porches become magical in this movie, though exactly what kind of magic is open to debate.
But I will say that this is the best of W.C. Fields's films, and that's saying something (though I do like "Million Dollar Legs" an awful lot). And I'd put "It's a Gift" in the Top 10 list of the best sound comedies ever made, and maybe in the Top 5.
The production is about as tacky as Golden Age Paramount was capable of. Compared to the Marx Brother's "Duck Soup" which was made in the same place at almost the same time, it looks like home movies.
But "It's a Gift" is every bit as funny as "Duck Soup," if not more so, and has aged less than Paramount's high-style comedies with MacDonald and Chevalier (which are still wonderful but require more of an effort from modern audiences).
Whether you plug into Fields's comedy as a painful commentary on the human condition, or if you just want some belly laughs with no strings attached , this is the film to watch. And if it's the first time you're seeing it, I envy you.
And best regards from Carl LaFong.
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Nobody Does It Like Fields
Warning: Spoilers
**Possible Spoilers** In a number of films, W. C. Fields played a variation on the theme of the hen-pecked husband, but it all came together to perfection in `It's A Gift,' an hilarious comedy directed by Norman Z. McLeod. Harold Bissonette (Fields) owns a small grocery store, has an overbearing wife, Amelia (Kathleen Howard), a daughter, Mildred (Jean Rouverol), who is in love, a son, Norman (Tommy Bupp), with a penchant for leaving roller skates in the wrong places, and aspirations to a better life that includes wealth, leisure, respect and gin (not necessarily in that order). He has his eye on an orange grove in sunny, Southern California, complete with a house, that he's seen a picture of in a magazine. When `Uncle Bean' passes away, Harold parlays a modest inheritance into the purchase price, and the pursuit of the dream becomes a reality, much to the chagrin of Amelia, who thinks he's a fool. And lets him know about it in no uncertain terms. A cross country foray to the promised land with the entire family follows, and when they finally arrive in California, they find the house in disrepair and nary an orange to be seen; at least not in their grove. Harold refuses to give up, of course, and with a little luck, and some shrewd bargaining with a land developer in need of a parking lot, by the end he's living his dream. The humor in this film is vibrant and punctuated throughout by the inimitable Fields, with his trademark delivery, body language and, of course, the `proboscis,' that have made him an icon of Americana. There's one uproarious scene after another, especially one in which Harold tries to take a nap on the porch while contending with noisy neighbors upstairs and down, an ice pick wielding child, and an insurance salesman (T. Roy Barnes) looking for a man named LaFong: `LaFong, Carl LaFong. Capital 'L' small 'a,' capital 'F' small 'o' small 'n' small 'g.' LaFong!' he says. `I don't know LaFong,' Harold replies, `And if I did, I wouldn't tell you!' Another memorable scene takes place in the store, and involves the blind Mr. Muckle (Charles Sellon), who has an encounter with a display of light bulbs, and a young lad who discovers the tap on a vat of molasses; all of which produces the anticipated results. With a supporting cast that includes Julian Madison (John, Mildred's fiance), Baby LeRoy (Baby Dunk), Tammany Young (Everett Ricks), Josephine Whittell (Mrs. Dunk) and Diana Lewis (Miss Dunk), `It's A Gift' is a laugh-out-loud movie that can be watched over and over again; this is Fields at his best, in a timeless classic comedy that gets funnier every time you see it. For Field's fans, or for anyone who just wants to laugh and have a good time, this film is a definite `must see.' I rate this one 10/10.
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W.C. Fields Best Comedy
IT'S A GIFT is generally cited as W.C. Fields' best comedy. For me, it is a nonstop funfest. Unlike some comedies which think they need to have love interest to be popular, Fields makes us laught at him for 73 minutes non-stop. A true genius. This work is not typical of its time, however. In a time when most film comedies were either witty romantic, Lubitsch-esque films, or wild madcap Marx Bros.-style films, IT'S A GIFT stands alone as a piece of physical sight-gag humor. However, there are no impossible sight-gags, little actual slapstick, but enough laughs for five films. This goes on par with DUCK SOUP, TROUBLE IN PARADISE, MODERN TIMES, and A NIGHT AT THE OPERA as one of the finest comedy films of all time.
Interestingly enough, IT'S A GIFT was recently voted to be one of the top 100 funniest films ever made by the American Film Institute. However, a film like this doesn't need any awards to prove its greatness. Regardless of the critics, IT'S A GIFT will surely remain a genuine masterpiece of cinema and of W.C. Fields in particular.
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Peerless Comedy!
As was my habit as a teenager, I often would stay up late at night watching old movies (which were just about the only things broadcast after midnight back then). One night, I turned on the tube and a W. C. Fields movie had just started. It wasn't long before I found myself laughing. My father, for some reason unable to sleep, got up to join me. Soon he was laughing out loud too, and he wasn't one who laughed at just anything. When the scene came in which Fields tries to take a little nap alfresco--both of us began laughing uncontrollably. If someone could have seen us through a sound proof window, I'm sure they would have thought we were having seizures. NO scene in ANY of the great comedies exceeds this one in hilarity, and few even approach it. Not the seduction/dance scene in "Some Like It Hot," not the hitchhiking, not the "piggy-back" scenes from "It Happened One Night," not the "water-in-the-face" scene in "City Lights"--no scene from "Tootsie," no scene from "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek," not any of the zany scenes from "The Court Jester," or "A Night At The Opera"--none of these beat Fields' pitiful attempt at catching a little shut-eye. And this is just one sequence in a film filled with wet-your-pants laughing.
W. C. Fields was one of the screen's greatest comedians. His bumbling, surly, dipsomaniac is a creation right up there with Chaplin's Little Tramp. As a gift from the gods of comedy, Fields was given an APPEARANCE of a bungler, but he was, in fact, physically adroit to a level most athletes could only dream of. Thus, he could get away with doing things SO bungling--like accidentally putting his hat on his walking stick (resting on his shoulder) instead of his head, and then not be able to find it, or trying to walk out the wrong side of the door--that if someone else tried them, they'd only look ridiculous. Fields makes you think these things could actually, comically, happen. He was truly a comedic genius.
One of cinema's greatest comedians, in one of cinema's funniest films: Do yourself a favor--wear a diaper and SEE THIS MOVIE!
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W.C. Fields' Best
IT'S A GIFT is probably W.C. Fields' best motion picture. BANK DICK certainly comes close, but IT'S A GIFT contains little actual slapstick, no impossible sight gags, and a completely realistic story line. Because of its sheer simplicity and ultimate hilarity, it must rank as one of the Top 5 comedies from any country. Fields is not what we would classify as a Chaplin-esque comedian. He was there to make people laugh, not think. But with IT'S A GIFT he presents a story which would've been worthy of Chaplin, Keaton, or any of the foreign masters like Jacques Tati. The story has Fields as a henpecked husband who wants nothing more than to buy an Orange Grove in California. The first half of the film details Fields attempts to run his local grocery store business and to try and maintain his sanity around his household, from which he is far the master. Then, he gets his wish when he is able to buy the orange ranch with some inheritance money. In true Fieldsian tradition, there turns out to be some problems with the ranch, but that doesn't stop him. The ending turns out to be Fields' most satisfying finale to any of his pictures. IT'S A GIFT (which was ironically panned in its day!) must surely rank as one of the top 5 comedies of any time, of any country, thus establishing W.C. Fields as one of the top comedians of any time, any where.
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When Fields met his match ...
If W.C. Fields is the funniest comedian in sound films, and perfectly hilarious in starring vehicles (Bank Dick) and guest shots (International House), why is this one is his best? Because Fields' antagonists are, for once, as grand as The Great Man himself. Aside from an evil blind man, and a cheerfully homicidal baby (ever reliable Baby Leroy), there is the ultimate Spouse from Hell. Former Vogue editor turned actress Kathleen Howard is pure outraged selfishness (Fields' mirror image) as the wife; her declamatory style of acting would be at home in a John Waters epic. She is divine, and so is the film.
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The Best There Is
W.C. Fields was simply the most talented comedian who ever lived, and "It's a Gift" (1934) is his most accessible feature. It's a loose remake of the 1926 silent "It's the Old Army Game" which stared Fields and Louise Brooks; and which Fields wrote. Like most silent features, the scene transitions are very abrupt, with titles used in place scripted transitional elements.
For "It's a Gift", Director Norman McLeod elected to stay true to the original and keep the flavor of its sudden transitions. Although the technique is jarring to modern viewers it works to the film's comic advantage by speeding up the pace of the film, as it moves from set piece to set piece with virtually no filler. You get everything that would have had any entertainment value in a 90-minute feature compressed into a 73-minute picture. Imagine a four-act play with one-second breaks between each act.
Act I takes place in the in the apartment home of the Bissonette family; consisting of put upon everyman husband/father Harold (Fields), his shrewish wife Amelia (Kathleen Howard), overwrought teenage daughter Jean (Jean Rouverol), and roller skating 9-year old son Norman (Tom Bupp). The most famous bit is Fields trying to finish shaving after his daughter has eased him away from the bathroom mirror.
Harold is the proprietor of a small grocery store and Act II takes place inside the store. The most famous bit concerns blind Mr. Muckle (Charles Sellon) whose flailing cane causes a staggering amount of damage.
Act III finds Harold back home trying to set some sleep. The best bit involves a series of trivial interruptions as everyone from the milk man to an insurance salesman manage to disturb him the moment it appears he is finally going to get some rest.
Act IV is the family's move to California by automobile to start a new life on an orange ranch Harold has purchased with his inheritance.
It's pretty much constant laughs, all the more remarkable because Fields stays in character for the entire duration. Harold Bissonette is his most sympathetic character, just an average guy badgered and hounded to the point of exasperation. Unlike his other features there are no cheap laughs from drinking or from leering at young women. The comedy derives entirely from Fields (and Howard who gets a laugh with every single line), it a nightmare realistic enough to make you squirm.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
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W.C. Fields as everyman seeking his dreams.
As close to a perfect film as have ever been made. Running a fat free 62 minutes, not a second is wasted. Several of the ten minute scenes were released by Castle films as mini-masterpieces. Each of them can stand alone but are greater as part of the whole. W.C. Fields wrote one of his funniest, and easily most sympathetic role as the loving husband and father who dreams of escaping his life as a Eastern shopkeeper and traveling to sunny California where he can own an orange grove. He wrote wonderful supporting roles including the blind man, Mr. Muckle, and the irritating man looking for Carl LaFong. He stoicly suffers the barbs of his wife, the indifference of his children, the incompetence of his hired help and the wrath of his customers. When he reaches California and when his dreams appeared dashed, he triumphs at last. The everyman rewarded after suffering the slings and errors of outrageous fortune. It belongs with Homer, with Shakespeare, with Mark Twain. It is perfection.
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Fields second best film
W.C. Fields is Harold Bissonette, the owner of a general store who is endlessly tormented by his family. After he gets an inheritance from his deceased relative he longs to buy an Orange Ranch. This is my second favorite Fields film (behind the great "Bank Dick) There are so many memorable comedic moments in this one and it's a sheer joy to watch W.C Fields one of my favorite comedians at the top of his game. This movie can be found in the W.C. Fields comedy collection, along with, "The Bank Dick", "My Little Chickadee", "You Can't Cheat an Honest Man", "International House", and "W.C. Fields:Behind the Laughter"
My Grade: A+
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It's the best
It's the best--the best W.C. Fields movie, and among the best 30's comedies. Unlike some of the better-known Fields films (such as The Bank Dick) it never quite washes away into surrealistic campiness--and this near-reality makes it funnier. Fields is the quintessential dreamer-loser who fails and fails and fails until at the very last moment his failures turn into the source of his utterly unexpected (but perfectly logical) success. Like all great comedy, it's tragedy with a twist (and a nice slug of gin to boot).
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The Gift of Laughter
A New Jersey store owner receives an inheritance that allows him to pursue his dream of owning an orange grove in California. Enjoyable comedy has Fields in top form as a henpecked husband, with Howard well cast as his nagging wife. Highlights include early scenes of Fields getting ready to go work while dealing with his crazy family and a later scene where he is catering to a blind customer in his store. While not always laugh out loud funny, this is one of those films that one watches with a smile on his face throughout. Fields doesn't go for overly broad comedy, instead staying within character as a simple man reaching for his dreams.
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Never Gets Old. Such a Hilarious Movie
I just watched my laserdisc of this again last night and laughed just as hard as I did 20 times ago when I first watched it. What a great, truly classic comedy. And I have to mention how much of this is due to Kathleen Howard's hysterical performance as his wife. She is an absolute scream! "Harold, are you drunk or crazy?" "Harold, would you please be quiet!" "Seems to me you're getting pretty familiar with Mrs. Dunk upstairs" "Funny thing, the maternity hospital calling asking for you"
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Utter Aggravation Comedy
W. C. Fields specialized in two kinds of characters, tricksters and henpecked husbands. "It's A Gift" works as a showcase of Fields in the latter department.
Fields is Harold Bissonette, pronounced "bis-son-ay," a store clerk who dreams of an orange grove to call his own. His nagging wife Amelia (Kathleen Howard) just can't wait to tick off all the ways Harold ticks her off in as loud a voice as possible. Harold puts up with this as he plots to buy his orange grove despite her persistent objections.
"What did I say last?" she demands at the end of one tirade.
"Yes, yes, every word of it," a distracted Harold meekly replies.
If you are a die-hard W. C. fan, it's not hard to recommend "It's A Gift." It's a series of quintessential setpieces of Fieldsian slow burns and double-speak. There's not much to be said for the plot, as you shouldn't have to pay more attention to it than Fields and his team of writers did. The point is to get Fields in various messes, and this "It's A Gift" does with brisk efficiency.
Plenty of famous bits make their way on screen. The infamous Carl LaFong is name-dropped and name-spelled for eternity, and there's of course the biggest cinematic nod in the direction of the kumquat industry, though unlike Mr. LaFong they get the name spelled wrong. Everyone remembers that scene where Harold tries to whack his son ("Well, he's not going to tell me I don't love him!") and when he comes up with a Churchillian reply when accused of being drunk.
The question of enjoying "It's A Gift" boils down to how much you embrace "aggravation comedy," where the humor is built into annoying situations made more so through sheer repetition. I can only take so much of Harold dodging customers in his store, or wrestling with a deck chair. A long sequence showcases Harold trying to sleep on a porch while a milkman, a coconut, a salesman, and a squeaky clothesline all conspire against him. I can't help but chuckle a few times, but am always happy when the scene ends.
Harold is a fascinating character, a beaten man who is the author of his own destruction. He bought an orange ranch even after knowing it was a lemon, lets a blind man smash everything in his store, and of course married Amelia. But he's still Fields, and manages to work his way through his self-created turmoil to a surprisingly upbeat, if left-field, conclusion.
That's my favorite part of the film, but you can't say enough for the able support of Kathleen Howard. Her Amelia is a wonderful shrew, kind of likable in her querulous way. She nags Harold even in her sleep, and her line readings are deliriously skewed in the way they seem to fall heavy on nearly every other syllable. "Don't be kicking Norman's skates around!" she huffs after Harold does a header slipping on one of his son's roller-skates, as if Harold did it just to annoy her. Considering this is Fields, maybe he did.
Director Norman Z. McLeod isn't much talked about even among film students, though he may be the only man who directed major vehicles for Fields, the Marx Brothers, Harold Lloyd, and Danny Kaye. He knew how to work with comedy stars, and here keeps Fields at the center of the action.
Watching "It's A Gift" can be hard on the nerves, but it's also a treat for the funny bone with a good heart discernible amid the mayhem.
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Carl LaFong! Capital L, small A, Capital F, small O, small N, Small G, LaFong!
Comedy was once defined as magnified tragedy. It is no more true than here in IT'S A GIFT. First we follow grocer Harold Bissonette (The great W.C Fields) go through a normal day (for him!). It's a day that would drive anybody to nervous collapse, but Fields' character apprently lived days like this over and over, it's all part of the routine. It all ends with Fields trying to sleep on his porch, with every crazy, irratating and sudden noise around him. This porch scene is to film comedy the same as what PSYCHO's shower scene was to horror, what SAVING PRIVATE RYAN's D-Day scene was to war movies. This film is a must see!
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Funny film with some great set pieces
I finally cracked the first WC Fields set that Universal put out a few years ago. I got the second set for Christmas and figured I should probably start watching the films.
I started with Its A Gift, the story of a put upon grocer in New Jersey who buys an orange farm and heads west. Of course everything goes wrong.
One of Field's classics, this is cinema of cruelty as the put upon Fields has to deal with a world that won't leave him in peace. His wife is a nag, his employee at the store is a moron, his customers-including Mr Muckle,the blind man- are self centered vortexes of destruction. Fields is not a bad guy he just has bad luck as everyone wants something from him. I hadn't seen the film in years and I never noticed how cruel it is. I laughed but I also felt really bad for Fields since he clearly deserved better than he got. Personally I'm mixed about its classic status. Yes Fields is wonderful and the set pieces from attempts to shave while his daughter invades the bathroom, to the day in the grocery store, to trying to sleep on his porch to everything that follows is pure comic genius. Its masterfully put together comedy in a way that very few people today understand, no one does set pieces like this any more its all throw away lines and two second gags.On the technical level it is a classic, but at the same time I didn't laugh enough to be a "classic". Perhaps its the fact fields' plight was also very sad at times. I don't know something kept it from crossing into classic status. Certainly this is a four star film, better than most modern comedies and it really should be seen and enjoyed but I don't if its a classic like some of Keaton, Chaplin or the Marx brothers films.
But I'm quibbling- no doubt the result of not seeing the film in too long a time. See this film for a really good laugh and to reacquaint yourself with a semi-forgotten master of comedy 7.5 out of 10
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What an insane comedy!
This is one crazy hilarious comedy that also knows to be quite different and original from other genre comedies made in the same era.
It's however a movie with a very simply story of course That's why I can't really understand how one could rate this a perfect 10 out of 10. Basically the only purpose for the movie its story is to provide the movie with as many comical moments as possible, often without making much sense or making an obvious connection with other moments within the movie. It of course doesn't make the movie any less hilarious, on the contrary but it just is a reason why I simply can not rate this movie a perfect 10 out of 10, no matter how funny the movie is.
The movie is like a non-stop fast going comical movie with some crazy and well thought out moments. What makes this movie mostly different from other comedies made during the same time period is that the movie doesn't restrain itself to one location with only a few characters. New hilarious characters constantly pop up and it constant change of locations provides the movie with many different comical moments, of which some are simply pure classics. No wonder that the movie has so many and so many different comical moments in it, when you look at how many (uncredited) writers the movie had. The main story itself was based on a play, written by W.C. Fields himself. He also made the movie "It's the Old Army Game" prior to this, which features some of the same story elements as this movie but is still very different enough to not call this movie an actual remake of "It's the Old Army Game".
The acting is also absolutely top class, with comedy actors W.C. Fields and Kathleen Howard in the movie its main leads, who also have some great interactions together as husband and wife.
The movie doesn't take any sideways, which it easily could had done with for instance the plot line between Jean Rouverol and Julian Madison. I think it's a positive thing that it didn't, since it keeps the movie simple and pleasant without having to be bothered by needless plot lines and distracting romantic elements.
The humor often seems to come very random into the movie and seem to have very little to do with the actual movie itself. Yet the movie picks a more realistic and humane approach with its characters, so an approach that doesn't try to be funny with its characters, which only strengthens even more the silly random comedy within this movie. It's not only a physical funny comedy, it's also a movie with some great fun written dialog.
A great and refreshing '30's comedy!
9/10
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With the laughs, a tear...
Warning: Spoilers
There are enough sight gags and brilliant lines of dialog to keep your average college film class busy all year. While it's true that "It's a Gift" has many classic comedy moments, the scene that makes this film special to me is a poignant one. It's late in the story: Harold (Fields) realizes that his dream of owning an orange grove in California has literally crumbled in front of him. His wife and kids have left him. His one lifeline, the family car, has fallen to pieces. With his world in ruins, Fields sits on the front stoop of his "ranch house". And the last friend he has in this world, a dog, comes up and licks his face. It's been fifty years since I first saw this film and that scene still brings tears to my eyes.
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It's a gift alright
Have always had a high appreciation for comedy, and have always made every effort to appreciate all the types of it. While admittedly liking some more so than others if to be honest, for instance preferring witty and sophisticated over crude and juvenile. There are a number of comedy legends in film, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, The Marx Brothers, and W.C. Fields at his best is up there with the greats and one of the greatest at bungling physical comedy.
'It's a Gift' is indeed a gift, so basically living up to its name, and really a gift to treasure for a long time. It is one of Fields' best and funniest films quite easily in my view and quintessential Fields, meaning that if asked what films of his are recommended or are must sees this would be a near-immediate answer. One of the best and funniest films seen recently too (as well as being one of the essential comedies), being somebody who has become a little harder to please over the years while still trying to be as encouraging as possible.
Fields is an absolute joy here in 'It's a Gift' in a familiar role that he did brilliantly and better than anybody. The comedy is classic Fields, some of his funniest, but he is more than just funny here. He is also somewhat endearing and quite easy to relate to, namely in any struggles in everyday activities. Things that may come over as dull and tiresome on screen when depicted, but not so here. For instance trying to sleep, a very relatable everyday/everynight problem, has very rarely been funnier.
The funny parts are many (the best hilarious), with the highlights being the two-reel sequence on the porch, a long sequence but one of the funniest film sketches ever in my view, and the amazing store scene with Mr Muckle played by Charles Sellon. It's not just the physical comedy too, there are some great lines too that are very quotable. The Carl LaFong bit also had me in gales of laughter.
Amongst all the laughter, there is also a very human and charming story. Simple sure but the humanity and charm really shines, and do the lively and easy to warm to characters. Although this is Fields' film all the way in the acting stakes, Sellon is a real scene stealer in the aforementioned scene and Kathleen Howard plays a motormouth to hysterical perfection. It is nicely filmed and directed too, but it's Fields and the physical and verbal comedy that will be remembered.
Summing up, brilliant and a Fields essential. It really is a gift. 10/10
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A Hero for the Rest of Us
Okay, old movie fans have all kinds of heroes. Guys they can look up to. You know, the masterful types, the ones always in charge of every situation. The ones that always say the right thing, do the right thing, and are always triumphing over bad guys, bad haircuts, and uppity women. They are the Clark Gables, Gary Coopers, and John Waynes, of golden age Hollywood.
But now, thanks to the patron saint of demon rum, the meek and mild among us at last have our own hero. Yes, indeed, his name is Harold Bissonette, oops, I mean Bisso-nay. And he is an inspiration to all of us patient and long-suffering types. You know, those of us who've suffered in silence while awaiting the first cup of morning coffee, or for the screw cap to come off the headache medicine, or for the guy in the supermarket line to cash his check on the Bank of Hong Kong.
But now, at last, we have our own hero to glory in. Watch our Harold triumph over a lifetime of annoyance with the meekness of a saint and the mildness of the tongue-tied. Exult in his triumphs over a savage kumquat addict, a berserk blind man, and a six-year old skating fiend. Then scope out the perverse world of the vegetable--- a quirky cocoanut, a rebellious tomato can, a defiant orange. And, if that's not enough, be inspired by the bold and cutting riposte, "Yes, dear" to that drill sergeant wife. But most of all, share in that magnificent intellect that spells the impossibly foreign name "Carl La Fong" without, yes, without a single spelling mistake! Truly a man for all seasons.
And finally, get a taste of the heaven that awaits such sly transcendent wisdom. Share in the wealth of our hero's poolside gin and tonic and the emergence of an actual smile. After 90 harrowing minutes, we are now within the pearly gates of true contentment. We are truly rewarded. Without a doubt, this is Fields' finest film.
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Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025318/reviews
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