Poppy (1936 film)

Poppy
Directed by A. Edward Sutherland
Produced by Paul Jones
William LeBaron
Written by Waldemar Young
Virginia Van Upp
Based on Poppy
by Dorothy Donnelly
Starring W.C. Fields
Rochelle Hudson
Richard Cromwell
Catherine Doucet
Music by Friedrich Hollaender
Cinematography William C. Mellor
Edited by Stuart Heisler
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release dates
June 17, 1936
Running time
73 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Poppy is a 1936 comedy film starring W. C. Fields and Rochelle Hudson. The film was based on a 1923 stage revue of the same name starring Fields and Madge Kennedy. This was the second film version of the revue, following Sally of the Sawdust in 1925 with Carol Dempster in the title role and which also starred Fields.[1][2]

Plot

Eustace McGargle (Fields), a con artist, snake oil salesman and exponent of the shell game, tries to escape the sheriff while taking care of his beloved adopted daughter, Poppy (Hudson), who after pretending to be an heiress to win an inheritance, turns out to really be an heiress.[3]

Cast

Production

At the time of filming, Fields was suffering the effects of his heavy drinking, together with attempts to stop drinking. He injured his back during the making of the film. These factors mean that Fields was not able to give his best performance.[4] Fields was ill during the production, and a fairly obvious double was used in several scenes requiring physical exertion. He still managed a memorable performance, including these well-known lines spoken to his daughter Poppy (Hudson):

Critical reaction

On its release, The New York Times called it a "glorious victory" for Fields and comedy, while conceding that the scenes without Fields were "painfully frail" and would provoke some squirming and eye-rolling.[5]

More recently, The Age of Comedy was unimpressed, finding the film uninteresting and over-serious apart from Fields' presence, and Fields not at his best.[4]

Accolades

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

References

  1. Slide, Anthony (2012). The Encyclopedia of Vaudeville. Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 178.
  2. Menefee, David W. The First Female Stars: Women of the Silent Era.
  3. Bordman, Gerald (2001). American Musical Theater:A Chronicle. Oxford UP. p. 428.
  4. 1 2 "Poppy". The Age of Comedy. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  5. Nugent, Frank S (June 18, 1936). "Movie Review: Poppy (1936)". New York Times.
  6. "AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-07-30.
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