STUFF YOU GOTTA WATCH - The Old Fashioned Way

THE OLD FASHIONED WAY

(1934)
With W. C. Fields, Judith Allen, Joe Morrison, Jan Duggan, Nora Cecil, Baby LeRoy
Directed by William Beaudine
Black and White
Reviewed by JB

The Great McGonicle, manager of a traveling theater group, is Fields' most enduring example of one of his archetypical characters, the irascible charlatan always one step ahead of the law. There is almost no story to speak of in THE OLD FASHIONED WAY, but like Laurel and Hardy or The Marx Brothers, Fields never needed a strong plot in order to create unforgettable comedy, and THE OLD FASHIONED WAY is one of his funniest pictures. Highlights include McGonicle's battles with fellow travelers on the train and his encounters with a rambunctious Baby LeRoy at mealtime. Jan Duggan, as rich and flighty widow Cleopatra Pepperday, steals the film early with her ear-splitting version of "Gathering Up the Shells by the Shore" for the benefit of a horrified McGonicle. But Fields steals the film back in the end with five minutes of splendid juggling, the only time in his talkie career he allowed his old vaudeville act to be captured on filmed. ½ - JB

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