You Can't Cheat an Honest Man

You Can't Cheat an Honest Man

Director: Edward F. Cline, George Marshall Cast: W.C. Fields
W.C. Fields
, Edgar Bergen
Edgar Bergen
, Constance Moore
Constance Moore
Edward F. Cline
You Can't Cheat an Honest Man

You Can't Cheat an Honest Man

Director: Edward F. Cline, George Marshall Cast: W.C. Fields
W.C. Fields
, Edgar Bergen
Edgar Bergen
, Constance Moore
Constance Moore
Edward F. Cline

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Overview

In his starring film for Universal Pictures, W.C. Fields plays circus manager and all-around flim flam man Larson E. Whipsnade. When he's not trying to fleece the customers or elude the sheriff, Whipsnade busys himself trying to break up the romance between his daughter Vicky (Constance Moore) and carnival ventriloquist Edgar Bergen (playing himself). He also carries on a running feud with Bergen's nattily attired dummy Charlie McCarthy ("I'll slash you into venetian blinds!"). Bergen's other dummy is Mortimer Snerd, who occasionally comments upon the action in his own thickheaded fashion. Anxious to arrange a marriage between Vicki and the wealthy Roger Bel-Goodie III (James Bush), Whipsnade disposes of Bergen and his dummies by sending them aloft in a hot-air baloon. Attending a party at the Bel-Goodie mansion, Whipsnade makes a pest of himself by constantly referring to snakes, a subject that invariably causes Mrs. Bel-Goodie (Mary Forbes) to swoon. He also engages in a zany ping-pong tournament with socialite Ronnie (Ivan Lebedeff). But it is Vicki, and not Whipsnade, who breaks up the engagement by telling off her pompous fiance. At that very instant, Bergen, having escaped from the balloon, arrives to claim Vicki and to help Whipsnade escape the sheriff once more. A partial remake of the W.C. Fields silent Two Flaming Youths, You Can't Cheat an Honest Man was scripted by Fields under the pseudonym "Charles Bogle." As published in the 1973 compendium W.C. Fields by Himself, the original screenplay was to have had dramatic overtones, including the death of Fields' trapeze-artist wife and a climactic soul-baring scene wherein Fields expresses his genuine love for his daughter. All this was jettisoned when it was decided to capitalize on the Fields-Charlie McCarthy "feud" then blazing on radio's Chase and Sanborn Show. While nowhere near as funny as Fields' subsequent Universal feature The Bank Dick, You Can't Cheat an Honest Man still contains a generous supply of laughs. Our favorite line: "Somebody's taken the cork out of my lunch."

Product Details

Release Date: 10/01/2019
UPC: 0191329030486
Original Release: 1939
Rating: NR
Source: Universal
Language: English
Time: 1:19:00
Sales rank: 47,761

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
W.C. Fields Larson E. Whipsnade
Edgar Bergen The Great Edgar
Constance Moore Victoria Whipsnade
Eddie Anderson Cheerful,Cheerful
Mary Forbes Mrs. Bel-Goodie
Thurston Hall Archibald Bel-Goodie
John Arledge Phineas Whipsnade
Edward Brophy Corbett,Corbett
Arthur Hohl Burr
Grady Sutton Chester Dalrymple
Ferris Taylor Deputy Sheriff
James Bush Roger Bel-Goodie III
Ivan Lebedeff Ronnie
Irving Bacon Jailer
Eddie Dunn Cop
Frank O'Connor Cop
Jan Duggan Mrs. Sludge
James C. Morton Judge
Walter Tetley Boy with Candy Cane
Evelyn Del Rio Little Girl Who Cries
Delmar Watson Boy in Bleachers
Lloyd Ingraham Mayor
David Oliver Man at Window
Edward Woolf Thin Man
Lee Phelps Sheriff
Ethelreda Leopold Blonde at Party
Frank Jenks Jerry,Hillbilly
Don Terry Ping Pong Player
Byron Munson Ping Pong Player
Ed Thomas Butler With Phone
Charles Murphy Lon
Ted Hardy Russian Circus Performer
Dorothy Arnold Debutante
Joseph King Policeman
Frank Melton Yokel
Ralph Sanford Truck Driver
Eddy Chandler Highway Patrol Officer
Dora Clement Woman
Lelah Tyler Society Woman
Jack Clifford Riding Master
Otto Hoffman Mayor
Ray Mayer Fire Eater
George Offerman Jr. Western Union Messenger
Grace Goodall Spinster
Minerva Urecal Spinster
Dick Dickinson Contortionist
Bill Wolfe Hillbilly Twin
Bill Worth Hillbilly Twin
Kay Marlowe Deb
Jenifer Gray Deb
George Ovey Circus Attendant
Billy Engle Circus Attendant
Lewis H. Morphy Circus Attendant
Bobby Hare Circus Attendant
Beryl Wallace Girl
Jack Gardner Ticket Seller
Duke York Man
Art Yeoman Barker
Ernie Adams Barker,Actor
Jimmie Lucas Barker
Jack Kenney Barker
Drew Demarest Barker
Major Sam Harris Wedding Guest
Russell Wade Wedding Guest
Ralph Brooks Wedding Guest
Dale Van Sickel Wedding Guest
Princess Baba Herself
Leyland Hodgson Butler
Dummy: Charlie McCarthy Himself
Ted Offenbecker Western Union Messenger
Mortimer Snerd Actor
Charles Coleman Butler
David Ward Chester
Charles Previn Composer

Technical Credits
Edward F. Cline Director
Lester Cowan Producer
Everett Freeman Screenwriter
George Marion Jr. Screenwriter
George Marshall Director
W.C. Fields Screenwriter
Richard Mack Screenwriter
Robert Pritchard Sound/Sound Designer
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