Rightly suspected of illicit relations with the Masked Bandit, Flower Belle Lee is run out of Little Bend. On the train she meets con man Cuthbert J. Twillie and pretends to marry him for "...
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Title: My Little Chickadee (1940)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Mae West | ... | ||
| W.C. Fields | ... |
Cuthbert J. Twillie
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| Joseph Calleia | ... |
Jeff Badger
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| Dick Foran | ... |
Wayne Carter
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| Ruth Donnelly | ... |
Aunt Lou
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| Margaret Hamilton | ... |
Mrs. Gideon
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| Donald Meek | ... |
Amos Budge
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| Fuzzy Knight | ... |
Cousin Zeb
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| Willard Robertson | ... |
Uncle John
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 |
George Moran | ... |
Milton
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| Jackie Searl | ... |
Boy
(as Jack Searl)
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Fay Adler | ... |
Mrs. 'Pygmy' Allen
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| Gene Austin | ... |
Saloon Musician
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Russell Hall | ... |
Candy
(as 'Candy')
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Otto Heimel | ... |
Coco
(as 'Coco')
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Rightly suspected of illicit relations with the Masked Bandit, Flower Belle Lee is run out of Little Bend. On the train she meets con man Cuthbert J. Twillie and pretends to marry him for "respectability." Arrived in Greasewood City with his unkissed bride, Twillie is named sheriff by town boss Jeff Badger...with an ulterior motive. Meanwhile, both stars inimitably display their specialties, as Twillie tends bar and plays cards, and Flower Belle tames the town's rowdy schoolboys... Written by Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
Taglines:
...THE BELLE OF THE BADLANDS and HER ROOTIN'-TOOTIN' ROMEO! (original print media ad - mostly caps) See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
15 March 1940 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Lady and the Bandit See more »Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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Lyrics by Milton Drake
Music by Ben Oakland
Performed by Mae West
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The saloon is basically the same set used for "Destry Rides Again", which wrapped production in late October 1939, just before "My Little Chickadee" started shooting in November. See more »Goofs
Near the end, Flower Belle is going up the stairs and her wedding ring is visible on her hand underneath her gloves. Then at the top of the stairs, she goes to give Cuthbert the ring back and it is in her purse. See more »Quotes
Cuthbert J. Twillie: [Upon waking up with a bad hangover] What a conk! The two-headed boy in the circus never had such a headache. I think I'll write a book: 'The Art of Arising the Morning After'.See more »
Crazy Credits
The title, 'The End', is superimposed over Mae West's gluteus maximus as she walks away from the camera. See more »Soundtracks
Willie of the ValleyLyrics by Milton Drake
Music by Ben Oakland
Performed by Mae West
See more »
Although My Little Chickadee did not turn out to be the comedy smash of all time, both W.C. Fields and Mae West got in enough of their own shtick to make it worthwhile to see. What I can't figure out is when both were under contract at Paramount earlier in the decade why Adolph Zukor never thought of teaming them.
Probably because both of them were highly individualized and highly specialized performers. Both wrote their own material, but Mae believed her words were golden as she wrote them and Bill Fields was notorious with the ad-libs, even with a script he wrote.
Like Dallas in Stagecoach, Mae West as Flower Belle gets kicked out of one town and heads for another town accompanied by one of the Lady's League in the person of Margaret Hamilton. She's been spotted by Hamilton entertaining the mysterious masked bandit as only Mae entertains.
On the train she meets up with small time con man Cuthbert J. Twillie, a Fields pseudonym if there ever was one. She's convinced she's got a bankroll and she needs a husband to maintain a respectable front. Her gambler friend Donald Meek who looks like a clergyman and remember in Stagecoach Thomas Mitchell originally thought he was one, marries them on the train.
As a husband Fields is as ardent as Bob Hope was in The Paleface with Jane Russell who also needed to get married out of necessity to a stooge. He's sure willing enough, but Mae's to smart for him as she's got town editor Dick Foran and saloon owner Joseph Calleia panting hot and heavy for her as well.
My favorite moment is when Mae slips a goat into her bed and Fields gets a big surprise when he thinks he's finally going to score.
I'd have to say the film's a tie in terms of these two icons trying to top the other. There's plenty enough here to satisfy fans of both Mae and Bill and the many like myself who love both of them.