Product Details

• Actors: Mae West, W.C. Fields, Joseph Calleia, Dick Foran, Ruth Donnelly
• Directors: Edward F. Cline
• Writers: Mae West, W.C. Fields
• Producers: Jack J. Gross, Lester Cowan
• Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Universal Studios
• VHS Release Date: January 1, 1998
• Run Time: 83 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6300181294
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #160,281 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

When Columbia Pictures sought to pair Mae West and W.C. Fields in a film, neither was thrilled, but since both stars' careers were on the skids, they agreed to the project. They fought about everything: script, billing, casting, philosophy, work habits, style. Onscreen, Fields is always the butt of his own jokes. West never is. He's all broad slapstick, she, all sly innuendo. In the film West hangs onto her precious image--that inimitable combo of sexiness and wit--as Fields systematically subverts it. It's the clash of the screen-legend titans.

In the Wild West town of Greasewood, West, as Flower Belle Lee (her usual seductive saloon singer), is kidnapped by the Masked Bandit (Joseph Calleia, in a role Bogart turned down). After refusing to turn him in, she's run out of town and can only return when she's "married and respectable." She meets flimflam man Cuthbert J. Twillie (Fields) on a train. He's instantly smitten: "My heart is a bargain today, will you take me?" "I'll take you, and how," she agrees, spying his satchel of cash. Many plot twists later, Twillie's on the gallows. Hangman: "Have you any last requests?" Twillie: "I'd like to see Paris before I die. Philadelphia will do." In her ideal happy ending, West's Flower Belle finds true love--with two men--the Masked Bandit and the town muckraker, Wayne Carter (Dick Foran).

The film's funniest scenes involve Field's futile attempts to get West into a compromising position: "I have some very definite pear-shaped ideas I'd like to discuss with thee." Suffice it to say that Fields ends up in bed with a goat. --Laura Mirsky

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars it's enough to make me avoid this temptation--unless, of course, I can't resist it, May 31, 2008

By 

Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: My Little Chickadee [VHS] (VHS Tape)

My Little Chickadee is a very good film starring W.C. Fields and Mae West. Sure, maybe the rumors are true that they didn't like each other; but you'd never know it when you watch this movie. Their on screen chemistry is good and the plot moves along at a good pace. It held my attention every step of the way and the acting is very convincing as well.

The action begins when Flower Belle Lee (Mae West) is kidnapped by the masked bandit when he holds up her stagecoach. Amazingly enough, Flower Belle returns that night unharmed--and a love affair starts to blossom between her and the masked bandit! He has even given Flower Belle some of the gold he stole from the stagecoach. The people of Little Bend finally give up on Flower Belle when she is caught after she obviously had another tryst with the masked bandit. She is not allowed to return to Little Bend until she is "respectable"--and married.

Flower Belle boards the train to Greasewood with her escort Mrs. Gideon (Margaret Hamilton) and she fakes a marriage along the way to a ne'er-do-well Cuthbert J. Twillie (W.C. Fields), a complete stranger she meets on the train--but she thinks Cuthbert has money so they have a wedding with a fake preacher just so Flower Belle can get her hands on that money--and she does, only to find out it was as fake as her marriage to Twillie! Flower Belle has some time avoiding Twillie who wants to consummate their "marriage;" but true to form Flower Belle always manages to get out of THAT situation.

Moreover, Flower Belle meets two men in Greasewood who catch her eye--the straight and narrow good guy Wayne Carter (Dick Foran) and the owner of a huge saloon and party club, Jeff Badger (Joseph Calleia). All sorts of interesting scenes ensue as the two men pursue Flower Belle and flirt with her even though they still think she is actually married to Twillie. Badger even makes Twillie the town's new sheriff because that's the quickest way to bump him off--and get Flower Belle to be his wife!

Of course, from here the plot can go anywhere. Will Twillie survive being sheriff? Will Flower Belle eventually be free of Twillie to marry either Badger or Wayne Carter? What about Mrs. Gideon--will she cause trouble for Flower Belle as she flirts with all these men? No plot spoilers here, folks--watch the movie and find out.

Of course, this VHS tape has no extras. This movie is available on a DVD set called Mae West - The Glamour Collection; but even there according to the reviewers there is only the extra of the original trailer for this movie.

My Little Chickadee is an entertaining film with lots of action, comedy, suspense and great acting. Mae West and W.C. Fields fans will love this film; and fans of classic movies in general will also enjoy this movie.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars W.C. Fields & Mae West: What Euphoneous Appellations!, April 26, 2002

By 

Gary F. Taylor "GFT" (Biloxi, MS USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Little Chickadee [VHS] (VHS Tape)

MY LITTLE CHICKADEE was originally released to mixed reviews, but by the 1970s a revival of interest in both W.C. Fields and Mae West sparked renewed attention to the film--and while it is somewhat uneven and does not give us either actor at their best, this single pairing of two of Hollywood's most legendary comics offers enough amusement to keep us watching right through to the end.

By every account available, Fields and West absolutely loathed each other. After Field's death West went to considerable effort to belittle both Fields and his contribution to this film, insisting that she herself wrote the story and the script and Fields was responsible for his personal material only. Ironically, her claims re this are hardly flattering to her talent, for the great weakness of CHICKADEE is the actual story itself, which is remarkable for its lack of imagination: Flower Belle becomes mixed up with an outlaw and is run out of town--and told she can't return until she can prove she is respectably married. The opportunity to do precisely that arrives in the form Cuthbert J. Twillie, an inept con-man who becomes her dupe.

Although uninspired, the plot does have the benefit of allowing both West and Fields to do their own thing both separately and occasionally together--and when it works, it goes off with a bang. Their meeting on the train, their wedding night, and West's unlikely stint as a schoolmarm (teaching the young about figures, of course) are all hilarious bits, and Margaret Hamilton gets in some good moments in the supporting cast. The film only sinks whenever it returns to the storyline of West and her bandit lover--so all in all, although not the best, it is well worth a watch, particularly for Fields and West fans. Recommended, but don't expect too much.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Easy on the ears and a Banquet to the eyes", November 13, 2005

By 

Samantha Glasser "Maliejandra" (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: My Little Chickadee [VHS] (VHS Tape)

My Little Chickadee is the story of a wild woman (Mae West) who is ejected from her town for her indiscreet behavior. She is only allowed to be accepted by marrying, so she fakes a wedding with a man she meets on a train (WC Fields). However, she does not give up her behavior and avoids her new husband as much as possible. The most powerful man in town takes to the woman and makes her husband sheriff, a position that does not hold members for long.

Mae West's saucy, purring voice can sometimes be annoying, but it is quite pleasing in this film. She is a suave gunslinger who is never surprised adorned with great costumes that show off her ample body. In the one song in the film, she sings "Willie of the Valley" with an excellently utilized vibrato voice with a bluesy style. She is excellent in the film, especially the schoolhouse scene.

WC Fields makes a great entrance into the picture. He has a great personality, and an extravagant, stagy voice, but he is slightly upstaged by West.

West and Fields wrote the screenplay, and it is filled with snappy, sophisticated dialogue. There are several great one-liners, like, "My heart is a bargain today; will you take me?" and "I'd like to see Paris before I die; Philadelphia will do."

There are some racial stereotypes in this film including those aimed at Indians, Spaniards, and Chinese.

The picture of this film is crisp and clear, beautifully photographed.

Overall, this is an excellent film.