W. C. Fields #1 (From Eric Beheim)

As many of you already know, comedian W.C. Fields got his start in show business as a self-taught juggler, who worked his way up from fairs and tent shows to become a headliner in vaudeville. Even after he was established as a comedian in motion pictures, he liked to sneak juggling bits into his films. The best showcase for his juggling skills is the 1934 feature THE OLD FASHIONED WAY (my all-time favorite Fields film) where he gets to perform his vaudeville act in a close shot, without camera or editing tricks to enhance his dexterity. Here are some frame enlargements from that film. [THE OLD FASHIONED WAY also includes a play-with-in-play as Fields’ theatrical company presents a cut down version of THE DRUNKARD, with Fields appearing as the villainous squire, complete with top hat, black curly hair and a crooked witch’s cane. At one point, he stands by an open door and intones, “And it ain’t a fit night out for man nor beast!” which is followed by him receiving a face full of prop snow.]