W.C. Fields in RUNNING WILD & It's The Old Army Game (1926)w/ Louise Brooks

W.C. Fields became a cult hero in the 60's, a poster of him adorning many walls. But today he is considered politically incorrect and is forgotten. Let's remedy that.

W.C. Fields created his comedy onstage and honed it for several years with Ziegfeld and worked with Louise Brooks during this time. By the time he started making movies he was more than ready.

It’s The Old Army Game was an expression during World War 1 about Army recruiters lying to get people to join. It also was used in “shell games”. Louise Brooks laughs and smiles in this film more than any other film she made.

The film is based on the revue The Comic Supplement by Joseph P. McEvoy and Fields and included several skits from Fields' stage plays. He later incorporated entire sections of the film into the sound films he made.

William Claude Dukenfield (January 29, 1880 – December 25, 1946), better known as W. C. Fields, was an American actor, comedian, juggler and writer. His career in show business began in vaudeville, where he attained international success as a silent juggler. He began to incorporate comedy into his act and was a featured comedian in the Ziegfeld Follies for several years.

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Behind the paywall: Unknown Chaplin - Episode 2 (The Great Director)