This is from "The Old Fashioned Way", one of his truly great but often overlooked films. It's a 'love letter' to Vaudeville and traveling entertainers. Vaude is one of the reasons that "they don't make them like that anymore"... it was the place they were made. Night after night a new unjaded audience to hone your craft in front of. W C learned well!
It's too bad someone from the future wasn't there to 'bootleg' all those great (and lousy) performers. I'd love to see Fields 'trod the boards'.
"Night after night a new unjaded audience to hone your craft in front of."
Yes, no wonder they became good at their thing. The George Burns memoir 'All my best friends' is a great source for learning about the Vaudeville era I find. But the audiences were not 'unjaded' in that they had high expectations, spoiled as they were, and ruthless to those found lacking talent. Witness the Apollo Theaters dreaded hook that simply swept bad performers off the stage posthaste.
Hi mrhearse and thanks for the tip. I have seen "Gift" but it's been a while so it's now on my todo-list.
Fields was certainly all you say and then some. "...they don't make them like that any more"?
I used to think, when I was young and had no perspective, that saying so was a knee-jerk reaction of the fuddy-duddy just like talk of "the good old days".
As for "they don't..." I now have to reluctantly concede that you're right. We don't have Fields but we do have Jack Black. I rest my case.
How does one man have so much talent? He was a true genius , and a superb entertainer. I recommend to you "It's a gift" a wonderful film. Truly they don't make them like that any more!
It sure is impressive. As for Vaudeville - I don't remember Sammy Davis (unless you mean one-eyed, black, Jewish Sammy Davis J:r...but I don't think so;).
I do however remember George Burns, the Marxes, Milton Berle, Danny Kaye and a gazillion more.
I have Burns' book 'All my good friends' and it reads like a who's who of the era.
Harpo Marx's autobiography is another fine memoir of Vaudeville besides being a lovely book.
Imagine being in the audience in them days...to die for!
How Vaudeville produced such greats... e.g Sammy Davis, the Nicholas Bros., the list can go on and on. No CGI! These people had to do this for real and no body was better at juggling than W.C. Fields... he actually made his living off of juggling before he got into writing and acting in his own movies... Just So Impressive!
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2108alam 14 hours ago
This is from "The Old Fashioned Way", one of his truly great but often overlooked films. It's a 'love letter' to Vaudeville and traveling entertainers. Vaude is one of the reasons that "they don't make them like that anymore"... it was the place they were made. Night after night a new unjaded audience to hone your craft in front of. W C learned well!
It's too bad someone from the future wasn't there to 'bootleg' all those great (and lousy) performers. I'd love to see Fields 'trod the boards'.
2108alam 14 hours ago
@2108alam
"Night after night a new unjaded audience to hone your craft in front of."
Yes, no wonder they became good at their thing. The George Burns memoir 'All my best friends' is a great source for learning about the Vaudeville era I find. But the audiences were not 'unjaded' in that they had high expectations, spoiled as they were, and ruthless to those found lacking talent. Witness the Apollo Theaters dreaded hook that simply swept bad performers off the stage posthaste.
Schibta 9 hours ago
Hi mrhearse and thanks for the tip. I have seen "Gift" but it's been a while so it's now on my todo-list.
Fields was certainly all you say and then some. "...they don't make them like that any more"?
I used to think, when I was young and had no perspective, that saying so was a knee-jerk reaction of the fuddy-duddy just like talk of "the good old days".
As for "they don't..." I now have to reluctantly concede that you're right. We don't have Fields but we do have Jack Black. I rest my case.
Schibta 1 week ago
How does one man have so much talent? He was a true genius , and a superb entertainer. I recommend to you "It's a gift" a wonderful film. Truly they don't make them like that any more!
mrhearse777 1 week ago
It sure is impressive. As for Vaudeville - I don't remember Sammy Davis (unless you mean one-eyed, black, Jewish Sammy Davis J:r...but I don't think so;).
I do however remember George Burns, the Marxes, Milton Berle, Danny Kaye and a gazillion more.
I have Burns' book 'All my good friends' and it reads like a who's who of the era.
Harpo Marx's autobiography is another fine memoir of Vaudeville besides being a lovely book.
Imagine being in the audience in them days...to die for!
Schibta 1 month ago
How Vaudeville produced such greats... e.g Sammy Davis, the Nicholas Bros., the list can go on and on. No CGI! These people had to do this for real and no body was better at juggling than W.C. Fields... he actually made his living off of juggling before he got into writing and acting in his own movies... Just So Impressive!
Lewis1key 1 month ago
Yes, true aardvaark069. Isn't alcohol drinking glamoruous?
Schibta 1 month ago
imagine how good he was before he became such an alcoholic. He had allready been at deaths door at least once by this point.
aardvaark069 1 month ago
The Great Man.
(And he boffed Louise Brooks too.....)
thatguyisback 2 months ago
@thatguyisback Did he now? I didn't remember her name but a little googling suggests that you're right. Yas yas...the Great Man.
James L. Neibaur said: "...he railed against children, family, businessmen, minorities, and the pious with equal aplomb."
So he did, and in a way that could not offend anyone. Witness the wonderful Jon Massey and him in another crystal clear clip elsewhere on YT:
W.C. Fields in "It's A Gift" - Blind Man with Cane
Schibta 2 months ago
genius!!!
yolo22 2 months ago
Ultra HD upload!Remarkable performance by a comic genius.Thanks for this crystal clear video!
brianwells456comcast 6 months ago
@brianwells456comcast Yes Brian, I owe it all to AVIDEMUX - wonderful for making clips and outtakes like this(and the price is right; freeware:).
Schibta 2 months ago