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Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941)
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Overview
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Director:
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Release Date:
10 October 1941 (USA)
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Plot:
Fields wants to sell a film story to Esoteric Studios. On the way he gets insulted by little boys, beat up for ogling a woman...
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A sad and funny sign-off
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Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| W.C. Fields | ... | The Great Man | |
| Gloria Jean | ... | His Niece | |
| Leon Errol | ... | His Rival | |
| Billy Lenhart | ... | His Heckler (as Butch) | |
| Kenneth Brown | ... | His Heckler (as Buddy) | |
| Margaret Dumont | ... | Mrs. Hemogloben | |
| Susan Miller | ... | Ouilotta Hemogloben | |
| Franklin Pangborn | ... | The Producer | |
| Mona Barrie | ... | The Producer's Wife | |
| Charles Lang | ... | The Young Engineer | |
| Anne Nagel | ... | Madame Gorgeous | |
| Nell O'Day | ... | The Salesgirl | |
| Irving Bacon | ... | The Soda Jerk | |
| Jody Gilbert | ... | The Waitress | |
| Minerva Urecal | ... | The Cleaning Lady |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
What a Man (UK)
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Runtime:
71 min
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Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
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Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The title came from dialog in the final scene of W.C. Fields' big stage hit (and later film) "Poppy".
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Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When the ladder of the fire truck lifts the car into the air, a shadow on the front of the building reveals the rigging and crane that actually did the lifting.
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Quotes:
Motorcycle Cop:
Where do you think you're going, to a fire?
The Great Man: Ah... Ah... maternity hospital.
Motorcycle Cop: Okay, Tomato-Puss, follow me.
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The Great Man: Ah... Ah... maternity hospital.
Motorcycle Cop: Okay, Tomato-Puss, follow me.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in Daffy's Southern Exposure (1942)
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Soundtrack:
VOICES OF SPRING
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Fields adds a commentary on the indignities of old age to his repertoire. Often more somber than his reputation -- and all the funnier because of it -- Fields here plays a version of himself trying to sell a script to a movie studio. So we see a drawling, slow-moving older fellow in the humiliating position of pitching an idea to a producer who isn't necessarily honored or interested. Fields's script is, of course, ridiculous, just as his ideas in real life must have seemed crazy to many a studio executive. We "see" the script played out as the producer reads it, giving Fields a chance to go through his paces -- delightful, as usual, even if his obviously failing health makes it melancholy at the same time. Leaving the meeting with his tail between his legs, Fields is lovingly embraced by his niece, Gloria Jean, who contrary to what you might think, is wonderful. Her love for her uncle, and all his eccentricities, is endearing throughout. What can one say about the Keystone Kops-like windup, except that they probably had to tack a conventional finish onto a very unusual movie? This was Fields's final full-length performance, as if he knew the end was near. A sad and funny sign-off by the best comedian in movie history.