W.C. Fields: The Fatal Glass Of Beer 1933  HD [18:29]
Channel: ReelVideos
Date: 2024-03-20

The Fatal Glass of Beer is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy short film starring W. C. Fields.

Ma and Pa Snavely live in a cabin in the Yukon. Many years before, their son Chester left for the big city and became involved in crime after "the fatal glass of beer".

Officer Posthlewhistle, of the Canadian Mounted Police, stops by the mining cabin of Pa Snavely and asks him to sing "The Fatal Glass of Beer," a moralistic song about a young man whose life is ruined by drink. Snavely returns to his family home where Ma Snavely serves him a dinner of watery soup and bread. Over dinner they discuss the imminent release of their son, Chester, from prison. Each assures the other that they believe Chester to be innocent of taking the bonds he was convicted of stealing. When Chester returns home he assures his parents that he has learned his lesson and will never again leave the security of home for the lure of the wicked city. Separately Ma and Pa question Chester about the stolen bonds, and he confesses that he took them. Each parent tells Chester they knew he did it, but didn't want to let on for fear of disillusioning the other. However, when Chester reveals that he no longer has any of the bonds and threw the tainted money away, his parents kick the boy out into the cold.

Pa Snavely, as portrayed by Fields, serenades a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer with "The Fatal Glass of Beer", a mournful song detailing the evils of foul drink and bad companions in the big city. A zither accompaniment recorded for the film seldom matches the vocal, because Fields subtly changes keys when the zither does not, resulting in a humorously off-key effect.

Fields emphasizes the stagey satire by striking various poses and being overly theatrical with the dialogue. The most famous gag has Fields opening the cabin door periodically and exclaiming, "And it ain't a fit night out for man or beast!", with some obviously fake snow thrown into his face a moment later.

W. C. Fields as Pa Snavely
Rosemary Theby as Ma Snavely
George Chandler as Chester Snavely, their son
Richard Cramer as Constable Posthlewhistle, Royal Canadian Mounted Police.