Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
It's a Fields-day of fun!
A anarchic, vaudeville-inflected comedy built on W.C. Fields' curmudgeonly persona and absurdist gags, with a loose plot serving mainly as scaffolding for comedic set pieces.
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break is a 1941 film about a man who wants to sell a film story to Esoteric Studios. On the way he gets insulted by little boys, beaten up for ogling a woman, and abused by a waitress. W. C. Fields' last starring role in a feature-length film.
Essence
Ensemble
W.C. Fields
The Great Man
Gloria Jean
His Niece
Leon Errol
His Rival
Billy Lenhart
His Heckler (as Butch)
Kenneth Brown
His Heckler (as Buddy)
Margaret Dumont
Mrs. Hemogloben
Susan Miller
Ouilotta Hemogloben
Franklin Pangborn
The Producer
Mona Barrie
The Producer's Wife
Charles Lang
The Young Engineer
Anne Nagel
Madame Gorgeous
Nell O'Day
The Salesgirl
Closest match
Nearest across the full emotional profile.
Same mood
Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.
Go darker
Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.
Something gentler
Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.
Hidden gem
Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.
