University of Virginia Library

At Filmwatchers Club

Fields Movie Good

By Davis Howard

Last Thursday night the Filmwatcher's
Club presented its second
motion picture of the year, W. C.
Fields's classic "Never Give a
Sucker an Even Break," The tremendous
response of the audience
to this production was gratifying
because Mr. Fields ranks with the
greatest comedians of our century.

The plot revolved around a very
imaginative script which Mr. Fields
was writing for Esoteric Pictures.
The movie always flowed with that
wry brand of harsh humor for
which he was so famous. Fields
was a notorious drinker and the
picture was rich with those great
comments on alcohol. "You say
I'll drown in a vat of whiskey.
Death, where is thy sting?" And
then again, "I once met a beautiful
blonde who drove me to drink.
It's the one thing I'm indebted
to her for."

At the end of the movie there
was one of those great chase scenes
and then the inevitable applause
from an enthralled audience. Such
response from viewers is a very
rare thing, indeed, but it attests
to the high caliber of the movies
which the Filmwatcher's Club,
under the capable hand of Roy
R. Bonavita, has chosen for the
1967-68 season.

Visconti's masterpiece, "La
Terra Trema," is scheduled next
and will be presented on October
19. Memberships are still open and
cost seven dollars for the year, or
roughly forty cents per movie.
Considering the quality of the films
and the names of the stars, such
as Sarah Bernhardt, Claudia Cardinale,
and Jean Harlow, this is
one of the most unbeatable
organizations on the Grounds.
After all, these are the classics
that are responsible for the films
we see today, and this is probably
the only opportunity that many
of us will have to see these very
fine works.