It's a Gift (1934)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Norman Z. McLeod

Writers:

Jack Cunningham (writer)
J.P. McEvoy (play)

Release Date:

17 November 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

LOOK THIS GIFT IN THE FACE IF YOU WANT A BIG HORSE-LAUGH (original herald - all caps)

Plot:

A henpecked New Jersey grocer makes plans to move to California to grow oranges, despite the resistance of his overbearing wife.

Plot Keywords:

Orange | California | Inheritance | Insurance Salesman | Porch

Cast

W.C. Fields	...	Harold Bissonette
Kathleen Howard	...	Mrs. Amelia Bissonette
Jean Rouverol	...	Mildred Bissonette (also as Jean Rouveral)
Julian Madison	...	John Durston (Mildred's fiance)
Tommy Bupp	...	Norman Bissonette (as Tom Bupp)
Baby LeRoy	...	Baby Elwood Dunk
Tammany Young	...	Everett Ricks, Mr. Bissonette's assistant
Morgan Wallace	...	Fitchmueller (where are my kumquats?)
Charles Sellon	...	Mr. Muckle (blind man)
Josephine Whittell	...	Mrs. Dunk
T. Roy Barnes	...	Insurance Salesman
Diana Lewis	...	Miss Dunk
Spencer Charters	...	Gate Guard
Guy Usher	...	Harry Payne Bosterly
Dell Henderson	...	Mr. Abernathy (as Del Henderson)

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate number not listed)

Filming Locations:

Paramount Ranch - 2813 Cornell Road, Agoura, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The final scene, on Bissonette's "orange ranch", was filmed at the house and property W.C. Fields was living in at the time of the filming. For his entire life, Fields rented living quarters, adamantly refusing to buy a house or land.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the "back porch" episode, a neighbor is hanging washing on a rope between the houses. The squeaking pulley causes him to walk to the front of the porch to investigate the noise. He then notices a pair of large bloomers come into view against the porch column. In the next shot, there is a distant view of the entire back of that same building. None of the laundry is visible and there was not ample time for the neighbor to remove it.

Quotes:

[Harold ripped a pillow playing with the dog]
Amelia: Those were my mother's feathers!
Harold: Never knew your mother had feathers.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Sopranos: Long Term Parking (#5.12)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

California, Here I Come

It's the Best

I'm not going to repeat the story here. The story line is serviceable, but not as important as the situations and the set pieces. Mundane things like light bulbs and back porches become magical in this movie, though exactly what kind of magic is open to debate.

But I will say that this is the best of W.C. Fields's films, and that's saying something (though I do like "Million Dollar Legs" an awful lot). And I'd put "It's a Gift" in the Top 10 list of the best sound comedies ever made, and maybe in the Top 5.

The production is about as tacky as Golden Age Paramount was capable of. Compared to the Marx Brother's "Duck Soup" which was made in the same place at almost the same time, it looks like home movies.

But "It's a Gift" is every bit as funny as "Duck Soup," if not more so, and has aged less than Paramount's high-style comedies with MacDonald and Chevalier (which are still wonderful but require more of an effort from modern audiences).

Whether you plug into Fields's comedy as a painful commentary on the human condition, or if you just want some belly laughs with no strings attached , this is the film to watch. And if it's the first time you're seeing it, I envy you.

And best regards from Carl LaFong.