It's a Gift (1934)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Norman Z. McLeod

Writers:

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

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 | Porch | Inheritance | Insurance Salesman

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)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ernie Adams	...	Pedestrian (uncredited)
Eddie Baker	...	Yard Attendant (uncredited)
Helene Chadwick	...	Mrs. Abernathy (uncredited)
Billy Engle	...	Campground patron (uncredited)
Budd Fine	...	Driver (uncredited)
Edith Kingdon	...	Old Woman in Limousine (uncredited)
Jerry Mandy	...	Vegetable Man (uncredited)
Jack Mulhall	...	Butler (uncredited)
Patsy O'Byrne	...	Mrs. Frobisher (uncredited)
William H. Tooker	...	Old Man in Limousine (uncredited)
Chill Wills	...	Campfire Singer (uncredited)
Jane Withers	...	Little Girl Playing Hopscotch (uncredited)

Directed by
Norman Z. McLeod		(as Norman McLeod)

Writing credits
Jack Cunningham		(writer)
J.P. McEvoy		(play "The Comic Supplement")
W.C. Fields		(original story) (as Charles Bogle)
Claude Binyon		uncredited
Lou Breslow		uncredited
Howard J. Green		uncredited
Harry Ruskin		uncredited
John Sinclair		uncredited
John Sinclair		uncredited
Paul Girard Smith		uncredited
Eddie Welch		uncredited
Garnett Weston		uncredited

Produced by
William LeBaron	....	producer

Cinematography by
Henry Sharp

Art Direction by
Hans Dreier		(uncredited)
John B. Goodman		(uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Edward Montagne	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Harry Caplan	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Earl S. Hayman	....	sound (uncredited)

Stunts
John Sinclair	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
John Sinclair	....	stunt double: W.C. Fields (uncredited)

Music Department
John Leipold	....	composer: incidental music (uncredited)

Other crew
Adolph Zukor	....	presenter
Teet Carle	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
Rachel Smith	....	studio teacher (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1934) (USA) (theatrical)
• MCA/Universal Pictures (1958) (USA) (TV)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)

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 portrait of the late Uncle Bean is the same portrait of actor Donald Meek seen in Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch (1934) filmed. In this film the portrait has a mustache drawn on it.

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:

Harry Payne Bosterly: You're drunk!
Harold: And you're crazy. But I'll be sober tomorrow and you'll be crazy for the rest of your life.

Movie Connections:

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs: America's Funniest Movies (2000) (TV)

Soundtrack:

California, Here I Come

Very Enjoyable Silliness

In "It's A Gift", W.C. Fields delivers enjoyable silliness as only he could do it. It's quite a showcase for his brand of humor, and this movie has it all, from sight gags to dry wit to hilarious predicaments to a put-upon hero. There have been few comedians like Fields who could get so much mileage out of simple ideas, or who could make outrageous ideas work so well.

The plot ostensibly concerns store owner Harold Bissonette (Fields), who dreams of owning an orange ranch in California, but very little actually happens in terms of a story - the emphasis is on the trials of daily life that Harold must endure. The movie is a series of comic set pieces in which Fields takes a simple situation and turns it into a stream of gags and laughs. His ability to find endless sources of humor in the most mundane of settings is an impressive contrast with the labored and often inappropriate efforts of so many of today's comic actors.

In this one, Fields also manages to create a pleasant atmosphere that, despite all the disorder in Harold's life, makes you feel at home with the characters. Many of the scenes also give one of the other cast members a chance for some good moments, and Kathleen Howard helps out a lot, too, as Harold's nagging wife. There's nothing to take seriously here, but if you're in the mood not to take anything seriously, this is a very enjoyable way to spend an hour or so.