The Fatal Glass of Beer (1933)
** (out of 4)
There's no doubt that W.C. Fields was a genius and most people love everything he did. Heck, I'm one who finds entertainment through most of his shorts and features but this two-reeler is one thing that just never worked with me. Set in the Yukon, Fields plays a father whose son comes to visit and of course all sorts of strange things happen. The line "ain't fit for man nor beast" is somewhat of a comedy legend now and Fields' delivery is certainly classic but outside of this line there's really nothing too funny here. Many people have called the film stagey and it's purposely so but that doesn't mean it works. I thought it was way too stagey for its own good and especially because there's no real storyline or anything to follow. The opening bit with Fields singing was mildly entertaining but there wasn't a single laugh to it. The dinner sequence has a somewhat chuckle when Fields tries to dip the large piece of bread but everything else that follow is fairly flat. The scene with Fields, the wife and their son constantly saying the same thing to each other just never works. Again, most people are going to enjoy this film as its reputation is certainly that of a good film. The short has never worked for me for a number of reasons.
** (out of 4)
There's no doubt that W.C. Fields was a genius and most people love everything he did. Heck, I'm one who finds entertainment through most of his shorts and features but this two-reeler is one thing that just never worked with me. Set in the Yukon, Fields plays a father whose son comes to visit and of course all sorts of strange things happen. The line "ain't fit for man nor beast" is somewhat of a comedy legend now and Fields' delivery is certainly classic but outside of this line there's really nothing too funny here. Many people have called the film stagey and it's purposely so but that doesn't mean it works. I thought it was way too stagey for its own good and especially because there's no real storyline or anything to follow. The opening bit with Fields singing was mildly entertaining but there wasn't a single laugh to it. The dinner sequence has a somewhat chuckle when Fields tries to dip the large piece of bread but everything else that follow is fairly flat. The scene with Fields, the wife and their son constantly saying the same thing to each other just never works. Again, most people are going to enjoy this film as its reputation is certainly that of a good film. The short has never worked for me for a number of reasons.