Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941)

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The acting in this movie is really good.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

This was my first view of NEVER GIVE A SUCKER AN EVEN BREAK--and although one can quibble with the long, long title for a breezy comedy of this sort--you can't say the film doesn't provide a number of well-deserved laughs.W.C. FIELDS brings his insanely constructed script to director FRANKLIN PANGBORN who, despite his protestations over the silliness of many of the scenes, keeps reading it. We see the movie-within-the-movie taking shape on the screen and can well understand Pangborn's protests. However, it's insanely funny, especially since the story is peppered with talent like LEON ERROL, MARGARET DUMONT, IRVING BACON and others.GLORIA JEAN is featured prominently as Fields' niece and given plenty of opportunity to show that she had a talented way with operatic ditties. The rehearsal scene with Pangborn as workers continue construction on a set being readied for the next day, leads to some of the funniest moments in the whole story.The film ends with a mad car chase to get what Fields supposes is a pregnant woman to a nearby hospital--hilariously staged with split second timing and some truly dangerous stunts. The chase and various other set pieces, along with all the witty one-liners from Fields delivered in his usual dry manner, are enough to keep you highly amused throughout.

In this movie W.C. Fields plays himself.Or at least he shares the name with him.He tries to sell the weirdest film story to Esoteric Studios.He introduces the script to the producer, Mr. Pangborn (actor Franklin Pangborn shares the name with that character).He's not too pleased with the story, where Fields is with his niece, Gloria Jean, played by Gloria Jean.In the story these two are flying to Russia with an airplane that has an open-air rear platform.Fields jumps off the plane to go after his flask (naturally) but lands safely in a nest high atop a cliff where he finds a beautiful and naive daughter and her not so beautiful mother.He escapes the cliff but comes back to marry the mother, Mrs. Hemogloben after he finds out she's wealthy (only to escape again).Why wouldn't this story sell, I just wonder!? Then we see Fields giving a ride to a woman who wants to go the Maternity hospital where her daughter is about to give birth.And what a ride it is! In this Edward F. Cline movie Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941) W.C. Fields gives his last starring performance.This boozing comedian lived during years 1880-1946.He comes up with lots of funny and witty stuff in this movie.Just look at those moments with the heavy waitress.Gloria Jean, who was 14 at the time is adorable as the niece.How she says: "My uncle Bill.. but I still love him!"And her singing with the strong operatic voice is just fantastic.Franklin Pangborn is hilarious.Margaret Dumont, who often romanced with Groucho Marx now romances with Fields as Mrs. Hemogloben.You got to love her.Susan Miller is her daughter Ouliotta Delight Hemogloben who has never seen a man before.Got to love her too and would like to play that kissing game with her that Fields does.Then there's Leon Errol as a rival.We also see two young hecklers, Billy Lenhart (Butch) and Kenneth Brown (Buddy).What a funny comedy this is!

The VHS version of "Never Give a Sucker An Even Break" (1941), at least the one from MCA Home Video, is an especially nice print; considerably better than their "It's a Gift" issue. There should be a DVD out by mid-2007 but since the original film is full screen format there is little to gain by waiting on the DVD. This was W. C. Field's version of Altman's "The Player" (which it inspired), in which Fields applied the lessons of a lifetime to satirizing the movie industry. It's not as light-hearted nor as structured as his earlier features, but makes an especially appropriate swan song for a performer whose health was failing, whose attitude was bad, and whose style of wry humor and subtle sight gags was being replaced by the slapstick of Laurel and Hardy, the Three Stooges, and The Marx Brothers (Fields self-reflectively references Groucho's mustache when the cleaning lady holds a push broom near his face). Like Altman (but for very different reasons) Fields had not endeared himself to the Hollywood establishment. He could only get his screenplay into production by agreeing to use it as a showcase for newcomer Gloria Jean (being deservedly groomed as the next Judy Garland- Deanna Durbin). So in his last staring role Fields simply plays himself pitching his original script to a producer at Esoteric Pictures. Gloria Jean also plays herself, the only fictional element being that Fields is supposed to be her Uncle Bill. Field's involved pitch goes back and forth between a discussion of the script with the producer (Frank Pangborn) and his wife (Mona Barrie), and the imagined final cut of the scene they are discussing. Barrie was an incredible talent and is the one to watch in the office sequences. She plays an aloof Kate Beckinsale type actress who Fields must somehow insert into his film even though there is no character even remotely suitable. So you get the classic sequence of Fields proposing that she wear a beard in order to play the male lead, and Barrie's mostly nonverbal reactions sell the whole routine. Of course all this is a reflection of the Hollywood reality, where many scripts only made it into production because they featured a big part for an executive's wife/girlfriend or for a particular star that the studio was anxious to feature. Another great self-reflective moment occurs when the producer complains about the continuity problems in Field's script; not just an industry issue but the basic premise of "Never Give a Sucker An Even Break". Ironically, Gloria Jean has a lot of charm and surprisingly good chemistry with Fields; their scenes together allow him to exhibit a refreshingly pleasant side to his standard character. Her songs are all nicely done (if somewhat awkwardly inserted) and the movie within a movie technique provides an almost documentary behind the scenes look at film production techniques 65 years ago. Susan Miller supplements Gloria Jean's numbers with a fun jive arrangement of "Coming Through the Rye". The climax features the most entertaining car chase sequence in movie history. It had to all be staged because there were no computer-generated effects in those days. Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

Expecting another humorous film, a la "You Can't Cheat An Honest Man," I was disappointed in this W.C. Fields effort. I just didn't find it that funny or, to give him a even break, not up to his standards. Oh, it had a few funny segments such as Fields jumping out of an airplane and the cool Keystone Cops-like chase scene at the end. It also had a cute 13-year- old Gloria Jean, who showed us a good voice for a young girl. However, that alto voice is a bit too high for me.There were several songs in this film and none of them were any good. Most of the humor was Three Stooges-like stuff and it wasn't very funny. The Stooges did better at that sort of thing. Sorry to see Fields go out like this (his last film.) In the end, spending your money buying this film proves the title, us being the "sucker."