Man on the Flying Trapeze
Encyclopedia
Man on the Flying Trapeze is a 1935
comedy film
starring W. C. Fields
as a henpecked husband. As with his other roles of this nature, Fields is put-upon throughout the film, but triumphs in the end.
At the start of the film, two burglars break into Ambrose's cellar late at night, get drunk on his homemade cider
, and start singing; Ambrose is forced to handle the situation, and he winds up being arrested for making cider without a license.
The next day, Ambrose (falsely) tells Malloy that Cordelia had died from drinking poisoned liquor, and asks for the afternoon off to attend the funeral; in fact, he wants to go to see the big wrestling
match. Malloy, touched by Ambrose's tale, lets him go for the day, and Ambrose's immediate supervisor, Mr. Peabody, tells all the other employees the tragic news so they can pay their respects to the family.
Throughout that day, Ambrose has one problem after another: He has encounters with ticket-writing policemen and cars that are parked too close to his; he finds himself chasing a tire
along railroad tracks and narrowly avoids getting hit by train
s; and while trying to get into the wrestling arena (Claude had stolen his ticket earlier), he gets knocked down by a wrestler who is thrown out of the building by his opponent.
Later that day, Ambrose comes home to find that Cordelia and Leona are furious about seeing Cordelia's obituary
in the newspaper and receiving a huge amount of flowers, sympathy cards, and funeral wreath
s. Furthermore, Peabody calls to say that Ambrose is fired because of his deception. Ambrose, who has been meek and mild through the entire film, finally has had enough, and in a rare moment of overt violence for Fields' characters, punches out Claude and frightens his wife and mother-in-law into hiding. The angry Ambrose wants to beat them up too ("I'll knock 'em for a row of lib-labs"), but soon he and his daughter leave the house to go live elsewhere.
Later, Malloy demands that Peabody rehire Ambrose because no one else can figure out Wolfinger's filing system; Hope answers the telephone, and says (falsely) that Ambrose has a better offer from another company. After some bargaining, Ambrose is rehired with a huge raise in pay and four weeks' vacation
. Meanwhile, Leona realizes that she still loves Ambrose, scolds Claude for his laziness, and stands up to her disagreeable mother.
The film ends with Ambrose taking the family for a ride in his new car. Hope and Leona ride inside the car with him, while Claude and Cordelia ride in the rumble seat
... during a heavy rain.
1935 in film
-Events:*Judy Garland signs a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer .*Seven year old Shirley Temple wins a special Academy Award.*The Bantu Educational Kinema Experiment started in order to educate the Bantu peoples.-Top grossing films:-Academy Awards:...
comedy film
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...
starring W. C. Fields
W. C. Fields
William Claude Dukenfield , better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler and writer...
as a henpecked husband. As with his other roles of this nature, Fields is put-upon throughout the film, but triumphs in the end.
Plot
Ambrose Wolfinger works as a "memory expert" for a manufacturing company's president; he keeps files of details about all the people President Malloy meets with, so that Malloy will never be embarrassed about not remembering things when meeting with them. Ambrose supports himself, his shrewish wife Leona, his loving daughter Hope (from a previous marriage), his freeloading brother-in-law Claude, and his abusive mother-in-law Cordelia.At the start of the film, two burglars break into Ambrose's cellar late at night, get drunk on his homemade cider
Cider
Cider or cyder is a fermented alcoholic beverage made from apple juice. Cider varies in alcohol content from 2% abv to 8.5% abv or more in traditional English ciders. In some regions, such as Germany and America, cider may be termed "apple wine"...
, and start singing; Ambrose is forced to handle the situation, and he winds up being arrested for making cider without a license.
The next day, Ambrose (falsely) tells Malloy that Cordelia had died from drinking poisoned liquor, and asks for the afternoon off to attend the funeral; in fact, he wants to go to see the big wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
match. Malloy, touched by Ambrose's tale, lets him go for the day, and Ambrose's immediate supervisor, Mr. Peabody, tells all the other employees the tragic news so they can pay their respects to the family.
Throughout that day, Ambrose has one problem after another: He has encounters with ticket-writing policemen and cars that are parked too close to his; he finds himself chasing a 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...
along railroad tracks and narrowly avoids getting hit by 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...
s; and while trying to get into the wrestling arena (Claude had stolen his ticket earlier), he gets knocked down by a wrestler who is thrown out of the building by his opponent.
Later that day, Ambrose comes home to find that Cordelia and Leona are furious about seeing Cordelia's obituary
Obituary
An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
in the newspaper and receiving a huge amount of flowers, sympathy cards, and funeral wreath
Wreath
A wreath is an assortment of flowers, leaves, fruits, twigs and/or various materials that is constructed to resemble a ring. They are used typically as Christmas decorations to symbolize the coming of Christ, also known as the Advent season in Christianity. They are also used as festive headdresses...
s. Furthermore, Peabody calls to say that Ambrose is fired because of his deception. Ambrose, who has been meek and mild through the entire film, finally has had enough, and in a rare moment of overt violence for Fields' characters, punches out Claude and frightens his wife and mother-in-law into hiding. The angry Ambrose wants to beat them up too ("I'll knock 'em for a row of lib-labs"), but soon he and his daughter leave the house to go live elsewhere.
Later, Malloy demands that Peabody rehire Ambrose because no one else can figure out Wolfinger's filing system; Hope answers the telephone, and says (falsely) that Ambrose has a better offer from another company. After some bargaining, Ambrose is rehired with a huge raise in pay and four weeks' vacation
Annual leave
Annual leave is paid time off work granted by employers to employees to be used for whatever the employee wishes. Depending on the employer's policies, differing number of days may be offered, and the employee may be required to give a certain amount of advance notice, may have to coordinate with...
. Meanwhile, Leona realizes that she still loves Ambrose, scolds Claude for his laziness, and stands up to her disagreeable mother.
The film ends with Ambrose taking the family for a ride in his new car. Hope and Leona ride inside the car with him, while Claude and Cordelia ride in the rumble seat
Rumble seat
A rumble seat, dicky seat, dickie seat or dickey seat is an upholstered exterior seat which hinges or otherwise opens out from the rear deck of a pre-World War II automobile, and seats one or more passengers. An 1899 Century Dictionary describes a rumble as " A seat for servants in the rear of a...
... during a heavy rain.
Cast
- W. C. FieldsW. C. FieldsWilliam Claude Dukenfield , better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler and writer...
as Ambrose Wolfinger - Mary BrianMary BrianMary Brian was an American actress and movie star who made the transition from 'silents' to 'talkies'.-Early life:...
as Hope Wolfinger - Kathleen HowardKathleen HowardKathleen 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...
as Leona Wolfinger - Grady SuttonGrady SuttonGrady Harwell Sutton was an American film and television actor from the 1920s to the 1970s.-Biography:Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Sutton was raised in Florida where he attended St. Petersburg High School. He began his career during the silent film era and made the transition to sound films...
as Claude Neselrode - Vera LewisVera LewisVera Lewis was an American film and stage actress, beginning in the silent film era. She appeared in 183 films between 1915 and 1947....
as Mrs. Cordelia Neselrode - Lucien LittlefieldLucien LittlefieldLucien Littlefield was an American actor in the silent film era...
as Mr. Peabody - Oscar ApfelOscar ApfelOscar C. Apfel was an American film actor, director, screenwriter and producer. He appeared in 167 films between 1913 and 1939, and also directed 94 films between 1911 and 1927.-Biography:...
as President Malloy - Lew KellyLew KellyLew Kelly was an American film actor. He appeared in over 200 films between 1928 and 1944.He was born in St...
as Adolph Berg - Tammany YoungTammany YoungTammany Young was an American stage and film actor, who appeared with W.C. Fields in seven films.-Early life:...
as 'Willie' the Weasel - Walter BrennanWalter BrennanWalter Brennan was an American actor. Brennan won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor on three separate occasions, which is currently the record for most wins.-Early life:...
as 'Legs' Garnett - Arthur AylesworthArthur AylesworthArthur Aylesworth was an American actor who was a part of the Warner Brothers studio of film actors.Aylesworth was born in Apponaug, Rhode Island and starred on Broadway in the musical Follow Thru . He was on the stage for over a quarter of a century and created all but two of his one hundred and...
as Night Court Judge - Tor JohnsonTor JohnsonTor Johansson , better known by the stage name Tor Johnson, was a Swedish professional wrestler and actor....
as Tosoff - Carlotta MontiCarlotta MontiCarlotta Monti was an American film actress who was also the mistress of W. C. Fields.Born Carlotta Montijo in Los Angeles, California, Monti appeared in B-movies like Kiss of Araby , Tarzan the Fearless and Night Cargo , usually cast as an exotic temptress...
as "Ambrose's Secretary" - And Patrick H. O'Malley, Jr., James FlavinJames FlavinJames William Flavin, Jr. was an American character actor whose career lasted nearly half a century.-Life and career:...
, Eddy ChandlerEddy ChandlerEddy Chandler was an American actor who appeared in over 300 films. Three of these films won the Academy Award for Best Picture: It Happened One Night , You Can't Take it With You , and Gone with the Wind .- Selected filmography :The following were with John Wayne:* The Desert Trail * In Old...
, Edward GarganEdward GarganEdward Gargan born July 17, 1902 in Brooklyn, New York, USA and died February 19, 1964, aged 61 in New York City, New York, USA. He born of Irish parents, he was one of the most prolific bit players in the history of the movies ; the Internet Movie Database lists 293 feature films to his credit...
, James BurkeJames Burke (actor)James Burke was an American actor born in New York City. He made his stage debut in New York around 1912 and went to Hollywood in 1933. He made over 200 film appearances during his career, which ranged from 1932 to 1964...
, Sam LufkinSam LufkinSamuel "Sam" William Lufkin was an American actor who usually appeared in small or bit roles in short comedy films.-Career:Born in Utah, Lufkin spent most of his career at the Hal Roach Studios where he made over 60 films...
, Billy BletcherBilly BletcherWilliam "Billy" Bletcher was an American actor, comedian, and voice artist, a native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.-Career:...
, George B. FrenchGeorge B. FrenchGeorge B. French was an American film actor. He appeared in 92 films between 1915 and 1943.He was born in Storm Lake, Iowa and died in Hollywood, California from a heart attack.-Selected filmography:...
, Rosemary ThebyRosemary ThebyRosemary Theby was an American film actress. She appeared in some 250 films between 1911 and 1940.-Early life and career:Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Theby studied at Sargent's School in New York...