You Can't Cheat an Honest Man
Encyclopedia
You Can't Cheat an Honest Man (1939
) is a comedy film
starring and scripted by W. C. Fields
.
(1923), "Let me give you just one bit of fatherly advice: Never give a sucker an even break." The character name is obviously a play on "larceny
", a point which Fields reinforces at one point when someone calls him "Larceny Whipsnake".
The film features Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy
, capitalizing on the popularity of their ongoing radio "feud" with Fields.
A scene from the film is featured in the opening to Dummy
(2002).
Fields' character in this film would inspire the authors of the comic strip The Wizard of Id
to create a shady lawyer character, a Fields caricature named "Larsen E. Pettifogger".
Fields had a running "feud" with Charlie McCarthy, and the movie contains a number of exchanges between them.
1939 in film
The year 1939 in motion pictures can be justified as being called the most outstanding one ever, when it comes to the high quality and high attendance at the large set of the best films that premiered in the year .- Events :Motion picture historians and film often rate...
) is a 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 and scripted by W. C. Fields
W. C. Fields
William Claude Dukenfield , better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler and writer...
.
Production background
Fields plays "Larsen E. Whipsnade", the owner of a shady carnival that is constantly on the run from the law. The whimsical title comes from a line spoken by Fields about ten minutes into the film. Whipsnade says that his grandfather Litvak's last words, spoken "just before they sprung the trap", were: "You can't cheat an honest man; never give a sucker an even break, or smarten up a chump." The line expanded on his character's comment to his daughter in the musical PoppyPoppy (1923 musical)
Poppy is a musical comedy with music by Stephen Jones and Arthur Samuels, and lyrics and book by Dorothy Donnelly, with contributions also from Howard Dietz, W. C. Fields and Irving Caesar...
(1923), "Let me give you just one bit of fatherly advice: Never give a sucker an even break." The character name is obviously a play on "larceny
Larceny
Larceny is a crime involving the wrongful acquisition of the personal property of another person. It was an offence under the common law of England and became an offence in jurisdictions which incorporated the common law of England into their own law. It has been abolished in England and Wales,...
", a point which Fields reinforces at one point when someone calls him "Larceny Whipsnake".
The film features Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy
Edgar Bergen
Edgar John Bergen was an American actor and radio performer, best known as a ventriloquist.-Early life:...
, capitalizing on the popularity of their ongoing radio "feud" with Fields.
A scene from the film is featured in the opening to Dummy
Dummy (film)
Dummy is a 2002 comedy-drama film written and directed by Greg Pritikin. It stars Adrien Brody, Milla Jovovich, Illeana Douglas, Vera Farmiga and Jared Harris. It was released to home media by Lionsgate Home Entertainment on February 17, 2004....
(2002).
Fields' character in this film would inspire the authors of the comic strip The Wizard of Id
The Wizard of Id
The Wizard of Id is a daily newspaper comic strip created by American cartoonists Brant Parker and Johnny Hart. Beginning in 1964, the strip follows the antics of a large cast of characters in a shabby medieval kingdom called "Id". From time to time, the king refers to his subjects as "Idiots"...
to create a shady lawyer character, a Fields caricature named "Larsen E. Pettifogger".
Plot
Whipsnade (Fields) is struggling to keep a step ahead of foreclosure, and clearly not paying his performers, including Bergen and McCarthy, who try to coax money out of him, or in McCarthy's case, steal some outright. Whipsnade's co-ed daughter pays a visit and falls in love with Bergen, but after she sees the financial mess that her father is in, she decides to marry a tiresome young millionaire. Whipsnade initially approves of the marriage, and just to be sure that the penniless Bergen doesn't win out (and make McCarthy an in-law), he sets the pair adrift in a hot-air balloon. However, Whipsnade creates a scene at the engagement party, and father and daughter escape together in a chariot, with Bergen and McCarthy in pursuit.Fields had a running "feud" with Charlie McCarthy, and the movie contains a number of exchanges between them.
Cast
- W. C. FieldsW. C. FieldsWilliam Claude Dukenfield , better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler and writer...
as Larsen E. Whipsnade - Edgar BergenEdgar BergenEdgar John Bergen was an American actor and radio performer, best known as a ventriloquist.-Early life:...
as Himself - Charlie McCarthy as Himself
- Mortimer Snerd as Himself
- Constance MooreConstance MooreConstance Moore was a singer and actress. Her most noted work was in wartime musicals such as Show Business and Atlantic City and the classic 1939 movie serial Buck Rogers, in which she played Wilma Deering, the only female character in the serial.-Life and career:Moore was born in Sioux...
as Vicky Whipsnade - Mary ForbesMary ForbesMary Forbes was an English film actress. She appeared in over 130 films between 1919 and 1958....
as Mrs. Bel-Goodie - Thurston HallThurston HallThurston Hall was an American film actor. He appeared in 250 films between 1915 and 1957 and is probably best remembered for his portrayal, during the later stages of his career, of often pompous or blustering authority figures.Hall's best-known television role was as Mr. Schuyler, the boss of...
as Mr. Bel-Goodie - Princess Baba as Herself
- John ArledgeJohn ArledgeJohn Arledge was an American film and stage actor. He played dozens of supporting roles in the Hollywood movies of the 1930s–1940s, including The Grapes of Wrath.-Filmography:...
as Phineas Whipsnade - Charles Coleman as Butler
- Edward BrophyEdward BrophyEdward S. Brophy was an American character actor, voice artist, and comedian. Small of build, balding, and raucous-voiced, he was known for portraying gangsters, both serious and comic.-Career:...
as Corbett - Arthur HohlArthur HohlArthur Hohl was a stage and motion-picture character actor. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and began appearing in films in the early 1920s...
as Burr - Blacaman as Himself
- Eddie AndersonEddie Anderson (comedian)Edmund Lincoln Anderson , also known as Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, was an American comedian and actor. His most famous role was that of Rochester van Jones, valet of Jack Benny, on his radio and television shows.-Early life:Anderson was born in Oakland, California...
as Cheerful - 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 Chester - Ferris TaylorFerris TaylorFerris Taylor was an American film actor. He appeared in over 120 films between 1933 and 1958.He was born in Texas, and died in Hollywood, California from a heart attack.-Selected filmography:...
as Deputy Sheriff - James Bush as Roger Bel-Goodie
- Ivan LebedeffIvan LebedeffIvan Lebedeff was a Russian film actor. He appeared in 66 films between 1926 and 1953.He was born in Ushpol , Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire, on June 18, 1894, and died in Los Angeles, California, from a heart attack.He migrated to the United States in 1925 and in 1930 was recorded at...
as Ronnie