1934 - THE OLD FASHIONED WAY, starring Mr. Anti Everything, W.C. Fields

Probably the real auteur of most of the films he appeared in, W.C. Fields appears to be paying tribute to the traveling vaudeville and acting companies he started touring with when he was a teenager.  The Old Fashioned Way is a series of sketches about the theater with Fields playing himself as usual.

The Old Fashioned Way is based on a story by W.C, Fields who is in a nostalgic mood about small time acting and show business.  He lampoons actors staying at a boarding house and sticks it to small town stage struck citizens.  One woman in particular, attempts to break into show business performing "Gathering Up The Shells At The Seashore."  Overall though the film is a lot more gentle with these hicks than in some of the other Field's films.

Beside the usual Fields antics, the high points of The Old Fashioned Way are a performance of The Drunkard, an actual play about the evils of alcohol that was presented during the great temperance crusade in the United States.  The other highlight is Fields performing his juggling act (and he's pretty good) from his vaudeville touring days.

The Old Fashioned Way isn't really one of W.C. Fields comic masterpieces like The Bank Dick and Never Give A Sucker An Even Break,  but it's short and is worth a look especially for the excerpts from The Drunkard which was apparently a very popular play (the United States has had it's deep preachy righteous streak for a long time) and the juggling act.

71 minute.