You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man (1939)

Directed by George Marshall & Edward F. Cline. Starring W. C. Fields, Edgar Bergen, Constance Moore, James Bush, Mary Forbes, Thurston Hall, John Arledge, Eddie Anderson, Grady Sutton, Edward Brophy.

W. C. Fields is a riot as struggling circus owner Larsen E. Whipsnade, more than willing to make a dishonest buck if an honest buck isn’t being offered, but the comedian’s co-star is Edgar Bergen, so mileage is bound to vary viewer by viewer. That primo dummy of his, Charlie McCarthy, not only gets billed on promotional materials right next to the “hand rocking his cradle,” but is seen wearing blackface makeup at one point—not the place for the ventriloquist’s unenthused to change their minds. The hot-and-cold nature of the material prevents it from being the comedy classic it’s heralded to be in some circles, but it’s worth the effort getting to all the times Fields is onscreen, especially when those wooden wiseacres become the star’s punching bag (“Quiet, or I’ll throw a woodpecker at you,” etc.).

66/100