It's a Gift

  • W. C. Fields: Harold Bissonette
  • Kathleen Howard: Amelia
  • Jean Rouverol: Mildred
  • Tommy Bupp: Norman
  • Julian Madison: John Durston
  • Del Henderson: Charles Abernathy

It's a Gift is an American comedy film from 1934 by Norman Z. McLeod. The screenplay was based on a story by leading actor WC Fields and the play The Comic Supplement by JP McEvoy. The film premiered on 30 November 1934. In Germany the film at 31 December 1971 was broadcast in the original version with German subtitles in the third program of the NDR.

Action

Harold Bissonette is a shopkeeper in New Jersey. He suffers from his family. His wife Amelia dominates the small family, his son Norman is an insufferable disgust and his daughter Mildred is madly in love. With the help of Mildred's friend John Durston Harold buys for $ 5,000 an orange plantation in California. However, He tells his wife anything about it.

Harold is getting frustrated because he is not in truth as owner of a business. Among the various little accidents that happen in the store, is the fact that his wife constantly nags at night. So Harold search of peace on the balcony. But noisy neighbors, children and the milkman make him always awake. John finds out now that the plantation purchased is a letdown because there can not grow oranges. But Harold does not want to believe him. He sets out with his family, including the family dog, on the way to California, where the journey is punctuated by small disasters.

The new ownership represents itself as a run-down shack out in the middle of a wasteland of dust and weeds. The Mad Amelia leaves together with their children Harold on foot. Just at that moment drives up the neighbor Charles Abernathy. He tells Harold that two railway owners want to buy the land for $ 25,000. Amelia urges Harold to accept the offer, but her husband keeps the two businessmen go up for bid of $ 44,000 plus a good orange plantation. Finally, Harold is the owner of the Bluebird plantation. Now he can enjoy a quiet life, while his wife and children work for the community.

Reviews

The lexicon of the International film describes the film as a comedy "with many satirical swipes at the petit-bourgeois life." Writes Andre Mountain Forest of the New York Times, the " best Filmkömödie on Broadway " was a " journeyman " that his audience "reasonably satisfied. " For the " TimeOut Film Guide " the film is a "masterpiece. " The " relentless pace " make the movie " effortlessly to the most stunning comedy of the 1930s. " The "Variety", however, was cautious. The movie has " no plot, no suspense. " The charge of jokes below the belt is intended for people who like this kind of humor.

Background

The occurring in film music group Avalon Boys was a real band. For the band belonged Chill Wills, who made his film debut here, Don Brookins, Art Green and Walter Trask.

The German-born Hans Dreier was with John B. Goodman Designer of the film. The last scene of the film on the new orange plantation was shot on the grounds of WC Fields in Encino.

The play the film underlying was filmed in 1924 by A. Edward Sutherland under the title It's the Old Army Game. Again, W. C. Fields played the lead role. Fields wrote the story under the pseudonym Charles Bogle. Some scenes in the film include skits, which already played Fields to his time as a vaudeville performer.

The film is one of the 700 productions of Paramount Pictures that were shot 1929-1949, and their television rights were sold to Universal Pictures in 1958.

2010 It's a Gift as already third comedy with WC Fields as a particularly worthy of preservation American film in the National Film Registry added.

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