The Old Fashioned Way (film)
Encyclopedia
The Old Fashioned Way is a 1934 film produced by Paramount Pictures
and starring W. C. Fields
. The film was directed by William Beaudine
. The script was written by Jack Cunningham
based on a story by "Charles Bogle" (one of Fields's writing pseudonyms).
.
McGonigle's daughter Betty (Judith Allen) is loyal to her father. She tries to discourage a suitor named Wally Livingston (Joe Morrison), telling him he should follow his father's wishes and go to college instead of trying to become an actor.
Wally's wealthy father (Oscar Apfel
) arrives in the town where the troupe is scheduled to perform a Victorian melodrama called The Drunkard
. One of the players has resigned, and Wally wins the part, affording him a chance to act and also to perform a couple of songs in his strong tenor voice. His father is impressed by his son's talent, and his skepticism about Betty is eased when he learns that she has been trying to get Wally to return to college.
The play itself, at 20 minutes the film's centerpiece, is acted in the style of the period. Reaction shots show audience members at a pitch of emotional involvement: an elderly spectator is cautioned to think of his heart; a young sophisticate skeptically asks his pretty date, "Do you think this is a good play?"
After the play concludes, Fields comes onstage and performs his juggling act. This setpiece affords a rare opportunity to observe Fields's famous vaudeville specialty, as Fields juggles airborne balls and cigar boxes. In this bit, Fields looks relatively fit and trim, in contrast to the plumper look that became part of his trademark in later years.
McGonigle learns that the troupe's sponsor is canceling the tour, due to poor advance reports. McGonigle tells Betty and Wally that he has decided to close the show and to seek his fortune in New York City
. The bride and groom and his father ride the train back to the Livingston home, and Betty gets a telegram from her father stating that things are going well in the big city. In reality, McGonigle has become a snake=oil salesman. In the film's final scene, he is shown conning a crowd of onlookers into buying a fake "cure for hoarseness."
Tammany Young
, a recurring member of Fields' small cadre of actors, plays his dim-witted assistant, Marmaduke. Jan Duggan plays a wealthy and untalented widow, Cleopatra Pepperday ("all dressed up like a well-kept grave"), whom McGonigle exploits to stave off the local sheriff, who is Cleo's boyfriend. Baby LeRoy
is her son, Albert, who pesters McGonigle, including squeezing his bulbous nose and dipping his watch in molasses; but McGonigle gets even by taking an opportunity to boot the child in the rear.
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
and starring W. C. Fields
W. C. Fields
William Claude Dukenfield , better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler and writer...
. The film was directed by William Beaudine
William Beaudine
William Beaudine was an American film actor and director. He was one of Hollywood's most prolific directors, turning out films in remarkable numbers and in a wide variety of genres.-Early life and career:...
. The script was written by Jack Cunningham
Jack Cunningham (screenwriter)
Jack Cunningham was an American screenwriter. He wrote for 132 motion pictures between 1913 and 1939.He was born in Ionia, Iowa, and died from a cerebral hemorrhage in Santa Monica, California.-Selected filmography:...
based on a story by "Charles Bogle" (one of Fields's writing pseudonyms).
Synopsis
Fields stars as "The Great McGonigle", the blustery actor-manager of a traveling theater troupe that is perpetually underfunded and always just a step ahead of the law and creditors. The character is rather similar to the carnival operator types he would play in Poppy and You Can't Cheat an Honest ManYou Can't Cheat an Honest Man
You Can't Cheat an Honest Man is a comedy film starring and scripted by W. C. Fields.-Production background:Fields plays "Larsen E. Whipsnade", the owner of a shady carnival that is constantly on the run from the law. The whimsical title comes from a line spoken by Fields about ten minutes into...
.
McGonigle's daughter Betty (Judith Allen) is loyal to her father. She tries to discourage a suitor named Wally Livingston (Joe Morrison), telling him he should follow his father's wishes and go to college instead of trying to become an actor.
Wally's wealthy father (Oscar Apfel
Oscar Apfel
Oscar C. Apfel was an American film actor, director, screenwriter and producer. He appeared in 167 films between 1913 and 1939, and also directed 94 films between 1911 and 1927.-Biography:...
) arrives in the town where the troupe is scheduled to perform a Victorian melodrama called The Drunkard
The Drunkard
The Drunkard; or, The Fallen Saved is an American temperance play first performed in 1844. A drama in five acts, it was perhaps the most popular play produced in the United States before the dramatization of Uncle Tom's Cabin in the 1850s. In New York City, P.T. Barnum presented it at his...
. One of the players has resigned, and Wally wins the part, affording him a chance to act and also to perform a couple of songs in his strong tenor voice. His father is impressed by his son's talent, and his skepticism about Betty is eased when he learns that she has been trying to get Wally to return to college.
The play itself, at 20 minutes the film's centerpiece, is acted in the style of the period. Reaction shots show audience members at a pitch of emotional involvement: an elderly spectator is cautioned to think of his heart; a young sophisticate skeptically asks his pretty date, "Do you think this is a good play?"
After the play concludes, Fields comes onstage and performs his juggling act. This setpiece affords a rare opportunity to observe Fields's famous vaudeville specialty, as Fields juggles airborne balls and cigar boxes. In this bit, Fields looks relatively fit and trim, in contrast to the plumper look that became part of his trademark in later years.
McGonigle learns that the troupe's sponsor is canceling the tour, due to poor advance reports. McGonigle tells Betty and Wally that he has decided to close the show and to seek his fortune in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The bride and groom and his father ride the train back to the Livingston home, and Betty gets a telegram from her father stating that things are going well in the big city. In reality, McGonigle has become a snake=oil salesman. In the film's final scene, he is shown conning a crowd of onlookers into buying a fake "cure for hoarseness."
Tammany Young
Tammany Young
Tammany Young was an American stage and film actor, who appeared with W.C. Fields in seven films.-Early life:...
, a recurring member of Fields' small cadre of actors, plays his dim-witted assistant, Marmaduke. Jan Duggan plays a wealthy and untalented widow, Cleopatra Pepperday ("all dressed up like a well-kept grave"), whom McGonigle exploits to stave off the local sheriff, who is Cleo's boyfriend. Baby LeRoy
Baby LeRoy
Baby LeRoy was a child actor who appeared in films in the 1930s.Born Ronald Le Roy Overacker in Los Angeles, California, Baby LeRoy's career began when he was less than a year old, co-starring with Maurice Chevalier in A Bedtime Story, and ended with a cameo role as himself in Cinema Circus...
is her son, Albert, who pesters McGonigle, including squeezing his bulbous nose and dipping his watch in molasses; but McGonigle gets even by taking an opportunity to boot the child in the rear.