The Golf Specialist
Encyclopedia
The Golf Specialist is a 1930
comedy
short subject
from RKO Pictures
, starring W. C. Fields
. It was his first talkie
. The film was shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey
when many early film studios in America's first motion picture industry were based there in the early part of the 20th century.
The film features lines such as "I would never hit a woman, not even my own mother" and "Stand clear and keep your eye on the ball" (a line Fields also used in the golf scene in The Dentist
(1932).
) is a guest in a hotel, where he meets the House Detective's Wife (Shirley Grey
) who likes to flirt with other men. After brief encounters with a little girl (Naomi Casey) and the House Detective (John Dunsmuir), Bellweather offers to teach the Detective's Wife how to play golf
.
The two of them and their Caddy (Al Wood) go out to the golf course, but Bellweather never gets to hit the ball; his lessons are being constantly interrupted by such distractions as the Caddy's squeaking shoes, pieces of paper being blown by the wind into his path, accidentally stepping into a pie
that the Caddy had brought, et cetera.
At the end, the police and the House Detective come out to the course to arrest con artist
Bellweather for a list of absurd crimes; the police put handcuffs
on him just as he's showing the Detective's Wife the importance of keeping the wrists close together while gripping the club.
1930 in film
-Events:* November 1: The Big Trail featuring a young John Wayne in his first starring role is released in both 35mm, and a very early form of 70mm film and was the first large scale big-budget film of the sound era costing over $2 million. The film was praised for its aesthetic quality and realism...
comedy
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
short subject
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
from RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. As RKO Radio Pictures Inc., it was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chains and Joseph P...
, starring W. C. Fields
W. C. Fields
William Claude Dukenfield , better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler and writer...
. It was his first talkie
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
. The film was shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey
Fort Lee, New Jersey
Fort Lee is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 35,345. Located atop the Hudson Palisades, the borough is the western terminus of the George Washington Bridge...
when many early film studios in America's first motion picture industry were based there in the early part of the 20th century.
The film features lines such as "I would never hit a woman, not even my own mother" and "Stand clear and keep your eye on the ball" (a line Fields also used in the golf scene in The Dentist
The Dentist (1932 film)
The Dentist is a 1932 American comedy short starring W.C. Fields. The film is one of four short films Fields made with the "king of comedy," Mack Sennett, at Paramount. Although Sennett was near the end of his career, he found good use of the new medium of talking pictures for comedy, as the film...
(1932).
Synopsis
J. Effingham Bellweather (W. C. FieldsW. C. Fields
William Claude Dukenfield , better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler and writer...
) is a guest in a hotel, where he meets the House Detective's Wife (Shirley Grey
Shirley Grey
Shirley Grey was an American actress. She appeared in 46 films between 1930 and 1935. She was born in Naugatuck, Connecticut and died in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.-Selected filmography:* The Public Defender...
) who likes to flirt with other men. After brief encounters with a little girl (Naomi Casey) and the House Detective (John Dunsmuir), Bellweather offers to teach the Detective's Wife how to play golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
.
The two of them and their Caddy (Al Wood) go out to the golf course, but Bellweather never gets to hit the ball; his lessons are being constantly interrupted by such distractions as the Caddy's squeaking shoes, pieces of paper being blown by the wind into his path, accidentally stepping into a pie
Pie
A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients....
that the Caddy had brought, et cetera.
At the end, the police and the House Detective come out to the course to arrest con artist
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
Bellweather for a list of absurd crimes; the police put handcuffs
Handcuffs
Handcuffs are restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists close together. They comprise two parts, linked together by a chain, a hinge, or rigid bar. Each half has a rotating arm which engages with a ratchet that prevents it from being opened once closed around a person's wrist...
on him just as he's showing the Detective's Wife the importance of keeping the wrists close together while gripping the club.