The Fatal Glass of Beer (1933)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Clyde Bruckman

Writers:

Release Date:

3 March 1933 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Comedy

Plot:

The prodigal son of a Yukon prospector comes home on a night that "ain't fit for man nor beast."

Plot Keywords:

Prodigal Son | Dulcimer | Two Reeler | Canada | Dachshund

Cast

W.C. Fields	...	Mr. Snavely
Rosemary Theby	...	Mrs. Snavely
George Chandler	...	Chester Snavely the wastrel son
Richard Cramer	...	Officer Posthlewhistle Canadian Mounted Police (as Rychard Cramer)

Also Known As:

It Ain't a Fit Night Out for Man or Beast (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

21 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone System)

Certification:

Australia:G | UK:U

Company:

Mack Sennett Comedies

Trivia:

On his 2001 album ‘Love And Theft’, Bob Dylan quotes Fields from this film when he sings in 'Lonesome Day Blues,' "well the road's washed out, the weather's not fit for man or beast!"

Quotes:

Chester: I feel so tired, I think I'll go to bed.
Mr. Snavely: Why don't you lie down and take a little rest first, Chester?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Old Fashioned Way (1934)

An absolute gem and delightful to watch

This is quite possibly the crown jewel in the long and illustrious career of an extremely troubled and very funny man. Fields has a field day sending up a style of melodrama popular at the time. At one and the same time, this is atypical of Fields' work generally, but still has his fingerprints all over it as well. Highlights are far too numerous to list, but Fields's rendition of the song, "The Fatal Glass of Beer" (you can't really accurately call it singing), the running gag, "It ain't a fit night out for man or beast" and the ending are hilariously perfect, with a sense of timing of which Chaplin would have been proud. Most joyously recommended