Product Details

• Actors: W.C. Fields, Edgar Bergen, Charlie McCarthy (II), Constance Moore, John Arledge
• Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Universal Studios
• VHS Release Date: October 13, 1998
• Run Time: 79 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 078322835X
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #216,851 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A True Classic, Honest, February 4, 2001

By 

AntiochAndy "antiochandy" (Antioch, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: You Can't Cheat an Honest Man [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is a truly classic comedy featuring W.C. Fields and Edgar Bergen. Fields plays circus proprietor Larson Whipsnade. His circus is not a blazing success, and Whipsnade and company are on the run from the law and on the lam from creditors. Despite all, Whipsnade has managed to keep his son and daughter in college. As the story begins, Whipsnade's son is urging his sister to marry a fellow student who is wooing her. The suitor is from a wealthy family and Whipsnade Jr. sees the marriage as a way to improve the Whipsnade family fortune. Unfortunateley, sis isn't in love with the boy. Instead, she falls for Bergen, who works in dad's circus.

I suppose, if you like Fields but not Bergen, you might think there is too much Bergen & company in this movie and not enough of Fields. Then, again, a Bergen fan might make the opposite argument. Personally, I find them both hilarious. The plot here is rather thin, but the comedy is non-stop. Of course, Whipsnade can't stand Bergen, and Charlie McCarthy is a constant thorn in his side. Similarly, the idea of Whipsnade as Bergen's father-in-law is more than Charlie can take. Both Fields and Bergen get in some classicly funny scenes. Add in a couple of cameo appearances by Mortimer Snerd, a whole load of one-liners, and you one of the best comedies ever filmed.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Nose versus The Noise, August 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: You Can't Cheat an Honest Man [VHS] (VHS Tape)

One of the great events to spring from Radio's Golden Age was the long running feud between W.C. Fields and Charlie McCarthy, the wooden alter ego of ventriloquist Edgar Bergen. Universal Pictures took full advantage of this by producing the classic comedy YOU CAN'T CHEAT AN HONEST MAN. Fields plays circus proprietor Larson E. Whipsnade, Bergen plays sideshow star The Great Edgar, and Charlie McCarthy plays Edgar's assistant (and the eternal thorn in Whipsnade's side). When Whipsnade's daughter (Constance Moore) comes to visit, Edgar is smitten with her and the feeling is mutual. Charlie, of course, is disgusted at the idea of Whipsnade being Bergen's father-in- law! Let's not even talk about how Whipsnade feels! This gem of a comedy also features very funny performances from Grady Sutton, as Whipsnade's dimwitted apprentice, and Eddie "Rochester"Anderson as a roustabout called Cheerful. The video transfer is excellent. Now, if only MCA Home Video would release CHARLIE MCARTHY, DETECTIVE!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Cinematic Hodgepodge, January 6, 2001

By 

Scott T. Rivers (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: You Can't Cheat an Honest Man [VHS] (VHS Tape)

W.C. Fields' "You Can't Cheat An Honest Man" (1939) is a rather schizophrenic affair. As Larson E. Whipsnade, Fields remains his old inimitable self - whether playing high-society ping pong or getting hosed by a circus elephant. However, when he is off-screen for long stretches, the film becomes an Edgar Bergen-Charlie McCarthy vehicle and drags terribly. Though the Fields-McCarthy radio "feuds" have become classics, they do not translate as well in cinematic form. With the exception of a brief reunion in "Song of the Open Road" (1944), it's easy to see why there never was a Fields-Bergen encore on the big screen. "You Can't Cheat An Honest Man" has its moments of hilarity, but a little more Fields would have helped.