You're Telling Me!
Encyclopedia
You’re Telling Me! is a 1934 comedy film
released by Paramount Pictures
, and starring W. C. Fields
; this film is a remake of his earlier silent film
So's Your Old Man (1926), and both films are adapted from the story Mr. Bisbee’s Princess by Julian Leonard Street
.
) is an optometrist and an amateur inventor. His daughter Pauline (Joan Marsh
) is in love with Bob Murchison (Buster Crabbe
), but Bob's upper-class mother (Kathleen Howard
) wants nothing to do with anyone related to uncouth Sam Bisbee. Even Sam's wife Bessie (Louise Carter) is ashamed of him, because he prefers to be himself rather than put on airs. Pauline is the one woman who truly loves Sam, accepting her father as he is.
Sam receives a letter from the National Tire Company expressing interest in one of his inventions, puncture-proof tire
s that can resist bullet
s. He goes in his car, which is fitted with four of his tires, and offers to give a demonstration by shooting at the tires; while he was in the boardroom, however, his car had been towed and a similar-looking police
car is now in its place. The tires (naturally) fail to resist Sam's bullets, and the police chase after him.
During the train
trip home, feeling that he's failed completely, Sam contemplates committing suicide
by drinking a bottle of iodine
, but decides against it at the last minute. While on the train, he meets a woman (Adrienne Ames
) who has a bottle of iodine in front of her; believing (wrongly) that she was also thinking of committing suicide, Sam proceeds to "talk her out of it" by telling her about his own troubles. This scene is played mostly "straight" by Fields, minus the usual visual shtick and blustery persona. Unknown to Sam, the woman is Princess
Lescaboura, a royal visitor to the United States; moved by Sam's story, she secretly decides to help him.
The next day, Sam's home town is surprised to hear that they will be receiving a visit from Princess Lescaboura; when the princess arrives, she says that she is there specifically to see Sam Bisbee, who had once saved her life. As a result, everyone starts treating Sam with respect, including Mrs. Murchison. Sam, who thinks the whole thing is a sham cooked up by the "princess", quietly congratulates her on it.
The story's climax occurs at a golf course the city is opening, and Bisbee is given the honor of driving the first ball off the tee. This gives Fields a chance to reprise the routine that formed the nucleus of his earlier short film, The Golf Specialist
. He deals with all manner of annoyances and distractions, while repeatedly exhorting the caddy (Tammany Young
), and the Princess, to "stand clear and keep your eye on the ball!"
With Fields still at the tee, the president of the National Tire Company, Robbins (George Irving
), arrives at the course. The company had found Sam's car and tested the tires themselves, and they want to do business with him. Robbins initially offers him $20,000, but the princess says that she wants the patent
for her own country. The princess bids Robbins up until the flustered Robbins finally raises his offer to $1,000,000 and a royalty
on every tire; Sam accepts.
Now that his family is wealthy and respected, and with his daughter Pauline married to Bob, all is well with Sam, who never does realize that the Princess really was a princess. As she is about to drive away, Sam congratulates her on "putting one over" on everyone. She just smiles and says, "You're telling me!" Fields then walks off contentedly.
The triumph of Fields' character over his circumstances, and the happy ending thanks to a windfall profit, would be repeated later in 1934, in It's a Gift
.
This film was given only a cursory review in William K. Everson's The Art of W. C. Fields (Bonanza Books, 1967, p. 107-110) as the film was then unavailable due to ownership issues. Those issues were eventually resolved, and the film is included in the Universal DVD set, W. C. Fields Comedy Collection, Volume Two.
As Everson points out (p. 115), the minor character called "Charlie Bogle" would be adopted as Fields' writing pseudonym for several of his films following this one.
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...
released by Paramount Pictures
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...
; this film is a remake of his earlier silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
So's Your Old Man (1926), and both films are adapted from the story Mr. Bisbee’s Princess by Julian Leonard Street
Julian Leonard Street
Julian Leonard Street was an American author, born in Chicago. He was a reporter on the New York Mail and Express in 1899 and had charge of its dramatic department in 1900-01...
.
Synopsis
Sam Bisbee (W. C. FieldsW. C. Fields
William Claude Dukenfield , better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler and writer...
) is an optometrist and an amateur inventor. His daughter Pauline (Joan Marsh
Joan Marsh
Joan Marsh was an American film actress.Marsh was the daughter of Charles Rosher. She made her first film appearance as an infant in the Universal Pictures film Hearts Aflame , billed as Dorothy Rosher...
) is in love with Bob Murchison (Buster Crabbe
Buster Crabbe
Clarence Linden "Buster" Crabbe was an American athlete and actor, who starred in a number of popular serials in the 1930s and 1940s.-Birth:...
), but Bob's upper-class mother (Kathleen Howard
Kathleen Howard
Kathleen Howard was a Canadian-born opera singer , magazine editor and US film character actress from the mid-1930s through the 1940s. She spent her childhood in Buffalo, NY and is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery there.She created the role of Zita in Giacomo Puccini's Gianni Schicchi at the...
) wants nothing to do with anyone related to uncouth Sam Bisbee. Even Sam's wife Bessie (Louise Carter) is ashamed of him, because he prefers to be himself rather than put on airs. Pauline is the one woman who truly loves Sam, accepting her father as he is.
Sam receives a letter from the National Tire Company expressing interest in one of his inventions, puncture-proof tire
Tire
A tire or tyre is a ring-shaped covering that fits around a wheel rim to protect it and enable better vehicle performance by providing a flexible cushion that absorbs shock while keeping the wheel in close contact with the ground...
s that can resist bullet
Bullet
A bullet is a projectile propelled by a firearm, sling, or air gun. Bullets do not normally contain explosives, but damage the intended target by impact and penetration...
s. He goes in his car, which is fitted with four of his tires, and offers to give a demonstration by shooting at the tires; while he was in the boardroom, however, his car had been towed and a similar-looking police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
car is now in its place. The tires (naturally) fail to resist Sam's bullets, and the police chase after him.
During the train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
trip home, feeling that he's failed completely, Sam contemplates committing suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by drinking a bottle of iodine
Tincture of iodine
Tincture of iodine is a disinfectant, usually 2–7% elemental iodine, along with potassium iodide or sodium iodide, dissolved in a mixture of ethanol and water. As in the case of Lugol's iodine, the role of iodide and water in the solution is to increase the solubility of the elemental iodine, by...
, but decides against it at the last minute. While on the train, he meets a woman (Adrienne Ames
Adrienne Ames
Adrienne Ames was an American film actress.-Life and career:Born Adrienne Ruth McClure in Fort Worth, Texas, Ames began her film career in 1927 as a stand-in for Pola Negri. Ames was soon cast in small film roles in silent films.With the advent of talking pictures, Ames' popularity grew and she...
) who has a bottle of iodine in front of her; believing (wrongly) that she was also thinking of committing suicide, Sam proceeds to "talk her out of it" by telling her about his own troubles. This scene is played mostly "straight" by Fields, minus the usual visual shtick and blustery persona. Unknown to Sam, the woman is Princess
Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
Lescaboura, a royal visitor to the United States; moved by Sam's story, she secretly decides to help him.
The next day, Sam's home town is surprised to hear that they will be receiving a visit from Princess Lescaboura; when the princess arrives, she says that she is there specifically to see Sam Bisbee, who had once saved her life. As a result, everyone starts treating Sam with respect, including Mrs. Murchison. Sam, who thinks the whole thing is a sham cooked up by the "princess", quietly congratulates her on it.
The story's climax occurs at a golf course the city is opening, and Bisbee is given the honor of driving the first ball off the tee. This gives Fields a chance to reprise the routine that formed the nucleus of his earlier short film, The Golf Specialist
The Golf Specialist
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...
. He deals with all manner of annoyances and distractions, while repeatedly exhorting the caddy (Tammany Young
Tammany Young
Tammany Young was an American stage and film actor, who appeared with W.C. Fields in seven films.-Early life:...
), and the Princess, to "stand clear and keep your eye on the ball!"
With Fields still at the tee, the president of the National Tire Company, Robbins (George Irving
George Irving (American actor)
George Henry Irving was an American film actor and director who made over 200 films in his lifetime. Some of his best known movies were Abe Lincoln in Illinois, Hearts Divided, A Night at the Opera, Son of Dracula, Hangmen Also Die!, Once Upon a Honeymoon, and Maid's Night Out.-Death:Irving...
), arrives at the course. The company had found Sam's car and tested the tires themselves, and they want to do business with him. Robbins initially offers him $20,000, but the princess says that she wants the patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
for her own country. The princess bids Robbins up until the flustered Robbins finally raises his offer to $1,000,000 and a royalty
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
on every tire; Sam accepts.
Now that his family is wealthy and respected, and with his daughter Pauline married to Bob, all is well with Sam, who never does realize that the Princess really was a princess. As she is about to drive away, Sam congratulates her on "putting one over" on everyone. She just smiles and says, "You're telling me!" Fields then walks off contentedly.
The triumph of Fields' character over his circumstances, and the happy ending thanks to a windfall profit, would be repeated later in 1934, in It's a Gift
It's a Gift
It's a Gift is a 1934 comedy film starring W. C. Fields, considered by film historians to be one of Fields' best and funniest films.It concerns the trials and tribulations of a grocery store owner as he battles a shrewish wife, an incompetent assistant, and assorted annoying children, customers,...
.
This film was given only a cursory review in William K. Everson's The Art of W. C. Fields (Bonanza Books, 1967, p. 107-110) as the film was then unavailable due to ownership issues. Those issues were eventually resolved, and the film is included in the Universal DVD set, W. C. Fields Comedy Collection, Volume Two.
As Everson points out (p. 115), the minor character called "Charlie Bogle" would be adopted as Fields' writing pseudonym for several of his films following this one.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| W.C. Fields | Sam Bisbee, Optometrist |
| Joan Marsh | Pauline Bisbee |
| Larry "Buster" Crabbe | Bob Murchison |
| Louise Carter | Mrs. Bessie Bisbee |
| Adrienne Ames | Princess Lescaboura |
| Nora Cecil | Mrs. Price |
| Del Henderson Dell Henderson George Delbert Henderson was a Canadian actor, director and writer in films from the early silent days.-Biography:Henderson was a frequent associate of film pioneer D.W. Griffith and, on a less prolific basis, Mack Sennett... |
Crystal Springs Mayor Brown |
| Kathleen Howard | Mrs. Edward Quimby Murchison |
| George Irving | Mr. Robbins - President of National Tire Co. |
| James B. "Pop" Kenton | Doc Beebe |
| Robert McKenzie Robert McKenzie (actor) Robert McKenzie was an Irish film actor. He appeared in over 310 films between 1915 and 1946.McKenzie was married to actress Eva McKenzie until his death from a heart attack in 1949. The two appeared as husband and wife in The Three Stooges film The Yoke's on Me... |
Charlie Bogle |
| Tammany Young Tammany Young Tammany Young was an American stage and film actor, who appeared with W.C. Fields in seven films.-Early life:... |
Caddy |