Early cinema was made considerably brighter by the appearance of legendary comic actor W.C. Fields in a number of prominent features.

Early cinema was made considerably brighter by the appearance of legendary comic actor W.C. Fields in a number of prominent features.

The prodigal son of a Yukon prospector comes home on a night that "ain't fit for man nor beast."

J. Effingham Bellweather plays golf despite many slapstick setbacks.

An unconventional dentist deals with patients in slapstick fashion.

Hollywood responded to the exigencies of the Depression with such glorious nonsense as International House. The plot is motivated by a revolutionary television device called the Radioscope, which its Chinese inventor (Edmund Breese) is offering to the highest bidder. All interested parties are obliged to converge at International House, an ultra-modern hotel in the bustling Chinese community of Wu Hu. Among those parties is American envoy Stu Erwin, Russian general Bela Lugosi (a hilarious, pratfalling performance), the general's ex-wife Peggy Hopkins Joyce (a much-married showgirl of the era, who like Zsa Zsa Gabor was famous for being famous), and that celebrated aviator Professor Quail, better known as W.C. Fields. The lunacy begins even before Fields arrives, thanks to the antics of the hotel's doctor George Burns and nurse Gracie Allen. When Erwin comes down with the measles (he is always struck down by a childhood disease whenever he's about to marry his fiancee Sari Maritza), the hotel is quarantined.

A circus entertainer fights snobbery in her search for romance in Her Majesty Love (1931) featuring W.C. Fields in his first sound feature.

W.C. Fields plays Egbert Souse, a bibulous denizen of Lompoc who supports his family by winning radio contests. When a fleeing bank robber is knocked cold upon tripping over the park bench where Egbert sits, Souse is hailed as a hero and offered the job of bank guard. The next day, he is approached by one J. Frothingham Waterbury (Russell Hicks), who offers to sell Egbert shares in the Beefsteak Mines. Souse raises the necessary money by convincing bank clerk Og Oggilby (Grady Sutton), the fiance of Egbert's daughter Myrtle (Una Merkel), to borrow some funds from the bank; it isn't really embezzling, explains Egbert, because the mine is bound to pay off. Unfortunately, bank examiner J. Pinkerton Snoopington (Franklin Pangborn) comes calling, spelling possible trouble for Souse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide.

Originally Vielle qui Marchait dans la Mer, this elegiac French comedy is also known as The Old Lady Who Wades in the Sea. Based on a novel by San-Antonio (Frederic Dard), the film stars Jeanne Moreau as an ageing beauty, living with her travelling companion (and ex-lover) Michel Serrault in Guadeloupe. Though forced to hobble about with a cane, Moreau's infirmities do not slow her down in her chosen profession: con artist. She and Serrault have been responsible for some of the most ingenious swindles and extortion schemes in recent memory. While taking her morning walk on the seashore, Moreau is robbed by handsome young Luc Thullier. Not in the least outraged, she senses great potential in the boy, and begins training him for major robbery-while Serrault seethes in comic jealousy. The W.C. Fields-like terms of endearment bandied about between Moreau and Serrault will either charm or annoy you; we liked it. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide.