Copyright 24 February 1939 by Universal Pictures Co., Inc. New York opening at the Rivoli: 18 February 1939. U.S. release: 17 February 1939. Australian release: 15 June 1939. 8 reels. 76 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: Larson E. Whipsnade is having financial difficulty with his circus and is constantly being chased by the sheriff. To make matters worse, he can't get rid of Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy because of their contract.
NOTES: Fields was so unhappy with the outcome of this film that he refused to promote "an embarrassment and humiliation". There was trouble right from the start on the set of You Can't Cheat An Honest Man. Director Marshall - who admitted he didn't find Fields' brand of humor funny - couldn't get along with his star. To solve the problems between star and director, Universal brought in director Eddie Cline - whom Fields liked - to direct Fields' scenes while Marshall handled everything else. Unfortunately, Cline so enjoyed Fields' sallies that he ruined take after take by laughing out loud. At least Universal profited from the error. When Fields insisted that Cline handle The Bank Dick, the director was brought in at the scripting stage so that he could laugh himself silly before shooting even commenced. This didn't quite solve the problem because Fields was fond of ad libs, but at least the comedian was still fresh when a satisfactory take was printed. Only movie appearances of circus performers, Princess Baba (the lovely Valerie Brooke) and Pietro Blacaman (animal hypnotist).
COMMENT: The worst film Fields ever made. He tries hard, but many of his jokes misfire due to clumsy handling and timing. No doubt the first five or six takes were great, but by the time a technically perfect one was printed, the star's timing was tired and his enthusiasm had wilted considerably. Fortunately, however, he does come good in at least three really hilarious scenes-and two of these great scenes take place at the wedding reception climax where he out-pings Jan Duggan and out-snakes the gloriously snobbish Mary Forbes. Alas, a lot of the film is intolerably weighed down by the presence of ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, whom director Marshall has presented most unattractively.
OTHER VIEWS: When you have two antipathetic directors at the helm, you inevitably wind up with a picture of shreds and patches. Honest Man is no exception. Although Marshall's name appears on the credits, he actually directed considerably less than half the movie. Notice the enormous difference in James Bush's interpretation of his character from the opening scene and the telephone sequence (both directed by Marshall) and the climactic episodes (directed by Cline). In the Marshall takes, Roger Bel-Goodie presents as a sympathetic character. In the Cline climax, he's totally obnoxious (which actually makes the confrontation with Fields much more amusing).
AVAILABLE on DVD through Universal. Quality rating: Ten out of ten.
SYNOPSIS: Larson E. Whipsnade is having financial difficulty with his circus and is constantly being chased by the sheriff. To make matters worse, he can't get rid of Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy because of their contract.
NOTES: Fields was so unhappy with the outcome of this film that he refused to promote "an embarrassment and humiliation". There was trouble right from the start on the set of You Can't Cheat An Honest Man. Director Marshall - who admitted he didn't find Fields' brand of humor funny - couldn't get along with his star. To solve the problems between star and director, Universal brought in director Eddie Cline - whom Fields liked - to direct Fields' scenes while Marshall handled everything else. Unfortunately, Cline so enjoyed Fields' sallies that he ruined take after take by laughing out loud. At least Universal profited from the error. When Fields insisted that Cline handle The Bank Dick, the director was brought in at the scripting stage so that he could laugh himself silly before shooting even commenced. This didn't quite solve the problem because Fields was fond of ad libs, but at least the comedian was still fresh when a satisfactory take was printed. Only movie appearances of circus performers, Princess Baba (the lovely Valerie Brooke) and Pietro Blacaman (animal hypnotist).
COMMENT: The worst film Fields ever made. He tries hard, but many of his jokes misfire due to clumsy handling and timing. No doubt the first five or six takes were great, but by the time a technically perfect one was printed, the star's timing was tired and his enthusiasm had wilted considerably. Fortunately, however, he does come good in at least three really hilarious scenes-and two of these great scenes take place at the wedding reception climax where he out-pings Jan Duggan and out-snakes the gloriously snobbish Mary Forbes. Alas, a lot of the film is intolerably weighed down by the presence of ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, whom director Marshall has presented most unattractively.
OTHER VIEWS: When you have two antipathetic directors at the helm, you inevitably wind up with a picture of shreds and patches. Honest Man is no exception. Although Marshall's name appears on the credits, he actually directed considerably less than half the movie. Notice the enormous difference in James Bush's interpretation of his character from the opening scene and the telephone sequence (both directed by Marshall) and the climactic episodes (directed by Cline). In the Marshall takes, Roger Bel-Goodie presents as a sympathetic character. In the Cline climax, he's totally obnoxious (which actually makes the confrontation with Fields much more amusing).
AVAILABLE on DVD through Universal. Quality rating: Ten out of ten.