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Saw this movie in a theater 40 years ago and was pleased it finally was available again. What a wonderful movie this was. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. He locates a tunnel where he creates a bunker existence complete... Carlotta Monti, a would-be Hollywood hopeful in the 1930s, met rascally, alcoholic, volatile comedy actor W.C. Fields at a movie wrap-party and was later invited out to his spread, supposedly to talk about a part in his next picture; there wasn't one, but she spent the next fourteen years with him anyway, playing his loving--though seemingly platonic--mistress who also acted as Fields' personal stenographer, script girl, cook, maid, and mother-figure-cum-warden. From his early days on stage in vaudeville and Broadway through his live appearances on radio, he created an iconic persona that has never been matched. A biography about the love affair between 1930s Hollywood superstars Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. There seems to be some contrived sentimentality here and there, but I guess Fields did have his soft side. Rod Steiger puts on a remarkable performance as WC Fields and the supporting cast is excellent. Steiger, whose make-up job causes him to resemble a portly Van Johnson rather than Fields, is a bit shrill in places, and he gets off to a bad start; however, Steiger eases into the role with obvious relish, and his eagerness to showcase this incredible personality definitely comes through (his final scene in bed is a heartbreaker). He is good here, too, and I wish I could get this on DVD. Three vignettes, each set in room 719 of New York's Plaza Hotel, make up this comedy. My only complaint is I wish it had been a half hour or 45 minutes longer. Killer bats plague an Indian reservation in New Mexico. The model takes into account factors including the age of a rating, whether the ratings are from verified purchasers, and factors that establish reviewer trustworthiness.Rentals include 30 days to start watching this video and 48 hours to finish once started.Quickly browse titles in our catalog based on the ones you have picked.Steiger totally amazed me with this magnificent performance... It just didn't show too often. Recommend both for those interested in the old Hollywood. Yet, the movie's best moments are the quieter ones (Fields' brotherly relationship with a little person, his reunion with the son he hadn't seen in twenty years, his reaction after Carlotta discovers how lonely he is). I had forgotten Billy Barty was in the Fields movie. W.C. Fields is an American original, the curmudgeonly master of wit and good, mean fun. A forgotten film--yet another sitting on the shelf down at Universal--but worth seeking out, especially to see Steiger's work.
Rod Steiger is superb as the juggling vaudeville star who eventually arrived in Hollywood during the silent era and moved up into talking features, showcasing his unique brand of comedy--mumbling dialogue and asides, thoroughly henpecked, and making no secret of his dislike for children and animals. W.C. Fields is an American original, the curmudgeonly master of wit and good, mean fun. Was this review helpful to you? 15 of 16 people found this review helpful. When his wife falls sick, a father finds himself having to carpool for neighborhood school children, even taken hostage by a bank robber. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? I am not sure how true this is but Stieger does a nice job. Julius Vrooder returns from the Vietnam War, pretending to be crazy to cope with the world which lands him in a VA hospital. When a rookie filmmaker with the unfortunate name Alan Smithee realizes he's an unwitting studio puppet, being forced to make a big-budget action movie he knows is horrible, he steals the master reels and tries to make a deal. **1/2 from ****Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. The movie was released in theaters but has a "made for TV" look, but that doesn't hurt it. The screenplay by Bob Merrill is based on a memoir by Carlotta Monti, mistress of actor W. C. Fields during the last 14 years of his life. Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. W.C. Fields is an American original, the curmudgeonly master of wit and good, mean fun.