Product Description

A collection of Fields' short films originally released 1915-1933.

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Product Details

ISBN	1559409053
Title	W.C. Fields: 6 Short Films (The Criterion Collection) Spine #79)
Directed By	Arthur Ripley,Clyde Bruckman,Edwin Middleton,Leslie Pearce,Monte Brice
Label	Criterion
MPAA Rating	Unrated
Aspect Ratio	1.33:1
Format	DVD Black & White Closed-captioned DVD Full Screen NTSC
Original Release Date	1933-07-28
Brand	Image Entertainment
Studio	Criterion
Starring	W.C. Fields,Allan Bennett,William Black,Naomi Casey,John Dunsmuir
Running Time	115 minutes
Release Date	2000-08-22
Manufacturer	Criterion
Publisher	Criterion
Region Code	1
Theatrical Release Date	1933-07-28
UPC	715515010726
EAN	9781559409056
Number Of Discs	1
MPN	715515010726
Creator	Lou Brock Mack Sennett

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Customer Reviews

Good stuff got a whole lot of better

Review by Michael O. Brown, 2010-02-21

I was amazed reading all the reviews here; I just couldn't believe all the complaining about the quality of this DVD and even of W.C. himself! I guess if just the modern comedy of the last 30 years is the only thing you think is funny I suppose you may think that his movies are full of filler and there are only a few good nuggets of humor. I have always thought his movies were funny, even at the age of 10 seeing them on TV once in awhile. And now, 45 years later, after seeing the whole evolution of humor of the past 90 years, I don't think anyone is funnier than W.C. He can make the simplest things (like eating a piece of toast) funny. Just about anything, really.
And as far as this Criterion DVD goes, the quality blew me away in the first 2 minutes. After all those years of just the crappiest copies on VHS and DVDs; every single collection of these shorts with quality so bad you just wanted to barf. I couldn't believe how clean this Criterion DVD was, it's like they did the impossible. If you are a real WCF fan, you have to get this.

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W.C. Fields Shorts

Review by Dober Man, 2009-09-25

W.C. Fields Shorts are comedy in a way that is not around any more. It is an art form that is lost.

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The great W.C. Fields lengthens his career in shorts

Review by Randy E. Halford, 2009-06-22

The Criterion Collection (who also distribute the Jacques Tati films) tackle the astounding enigma that is W.C. Fields in this string of short films. Short subjects helped establish many a comedian's reputation, and Fields was no exception. The running time was perfect for the comedy routines which Fields honed to perfection nearly every night on stage earlier on.
"Pool Sharks" is Fields' debut in 1915. Being a silent, it relies heavily on the old "two-rivals-fight-over-the-girl" story, a stock cliche back in those days. They use some primitive stop-action effects to pull off the trick pool shots, which, in its way, has charm. But even at such an early date, you can see Fields' rascally characterization already developing. "The Golf Specialist" is Fields' first talkie, a golf game (which never gets played) sandwiched between beginning & ending storylines as an excuse for doing the routine. It's been done before (almost verbatim in his feature "You're Telling Me"), but Fields' idiosyncrasies manage to make it just as funny. "The Dentist", his first for producer Mack Sennett, sets up another Fields routine. Forever notorious for its sight gag of a female patient who suggestively wraps her legs around Fields while he extracts a tooth must have raised many eyebrows back then, and even now. The real treat here is the classic "The Fatal Glass of Beer", an offbeat comedy short satirizing all those "snowed-in-the-Yukon" operas. Fields is really in top form here as he tosses out funny lines (particularly the running gag line of "It ain't a fit night out for man or beast", and gets a fistful of snow in his face). "The Pharmacist" has its moments too, as Fields plays a role he often did in features--that of the henpecked husband & harassed father. The short is climaxed with a cops/robbers shootout which nearly reduces Fields' quaint store to kindling. And finally, "The Barber Shop" scores with some wild sight gags as Fields contends with hot towels on the face, saunas, criminals, and children.
All of these shorts serve as, more or less, framework for Fields' routines. "The Dentist", in particular, suffers slightly with the insertion of an annoying musical score, punctuating the scenes; it simply doesn't need it! What these shorts do offer is pure Fields doing what he does best, without the intrusion of banal romantic subplots or musical productions found in feature films.

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Simply the Best

Review by Rock n Roll Fan, 2009-02-24

What can one say about a man who makes you laugh so hard you fall out of a chair. WC was one of those would had that ability. this is worth the watch - more than once. classic - get it while you can since criterion dvds seem to disappear.

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I liked it!

Review by Lou, 2009-02-10

I was very happy with the product. Some good WC Fields films here. I recommend it to his fans

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