Running Wild (1927)

W C Fields as a Good Silent Actor

"Running Wild" is the sort of movie that presents a problem to hard-
core W.C. Fields lovers.
We are told that W.C. did not do well in silent movies, which
eventually let him to become a persona non grata in Hollywood until
he was rediscovered again with the advent of sound. But Fields is
good in this movie, and it proves that as a visual, not slapstick,
comedian and actor, he was just as good as the rest of his peers at
the time. Just what he lacked was a great gimmick.
Fields plays a put-upon husband, a frequent subject in his later
movies. As in "The Man On The Flying Trapeze" he has a shrew of a
second wife, her nasty son, and a daughter from his first marriage
who supports him. What is different from "Trapeze" is that he is not
showing any great creativity at his job. He has not blossomed there,
yet, and the bosses are ready to fire him after a few botched
incidents.
But he has more supporters in "Running Wild" wich includes the
daughter's fiance who happens to be the boss's son. Both films have
their turning point, and this one uses a horseshoe, which Fields as
Elmer Finch flings through a window and is chased into a theater
where a hypnotist turns him into "a lion!" At this point he rights
the wrongs, and discovers his true character and everything comes out
happily in the end.
What is missing? Fields' great voice-his astounding use of the
English language that propelled him so greatly in the sound era. This
could have been even a greater movie in the sound era of only a few
years later.
But for Fields fans, buy this movie, it is a good one. Fields proves
here that without pratfalls and many of the pecadillos that were to
become his character in the later movies, that the man really was a
fine visual and sympathetic actor. As an actor, he is better here
than in many of his later movies, and that's without us even hearing
a word. March 1, 2007

FATE PLAYS A HAND IN FIELDS FARCE.

W.C. Fields portrays Elmer Finch, a milquetoast whose persona is sunk with fear of everything, including sidewalk lines, but particularly of his wife, stepson and boss, resulting in a comically miserable life with affection shared only with his daughter, played by the excellent Mary Brian. His extreme inferiority complex has kept him mired in the same dull job for 20 years without promotion or pay raise, as he is overly timid about approaching his employer, performed very well by Frederick Burton in his final silent effort. All of this comes to an abrupt end, due to Finch finding a horseshoe, as the scenario cleverly builds to a point where chance controls events, and Elmer has an opportunity to revise his failed life. The second half of the film becomes largely farce, with a rather slender and extremely energetic Fields not being still for a moment, with his body or his extremely expressive face, as he produces all of the crowdpleasing correctives that are called for by the script. The story is graced with a splendid organ score written and performed by the ever reliable Gaylord Carter and is well written and directed by Gregory La Cava, who continued in the talkies at the helm of such snappy classics as MY MAN GODFREY and STAGE DOOR.

April 3, 2006

Running Wild - A Classic Silent Comedy

The films of W.C. Fields are often filled with domineering wives, bratty children, and hateful dogs and "Running Wild" is no exception. This film was made during Fields' silent film days at Paramount Pictures in the late 20's and he had yet been able to attain the stardom that would follow after the invention of "talking pictures."

In Running Wild, Fields plays Elmer Finch a timid man who gets no respect from his second wife or her spoiled son or his boss and co-workers. In fact the only person who has any faith in him is his daughter from his first marriage, played by the talented Mary Brian. In a matter of one day Elmer is hypnotized into believing that he is no longer timid, but is a roaring lion and wildly goes about winning the respect of his boss by landing a huge contract (and making a large commission) and taking control of his house by giving his step-son some much needed discipline and showing his wife that he is now boss.

"Running Wild", while it might not be as spectacular as some of Fields' later work, is still a great silent comedy. His performance is great and it makes the viewer truly feel sorry for Elmer Finch and all he must endure, but he also keeps one laughing throughout, especially with his exaggerated facial expressions when he is hypnotized. It should also be noted that this film inspired Field's 1935 classic film, "Man on the Flying Trapeze", with Mary Brian reprising her role as Fields' daughter. The video quality of this edition of "Running Wild" is very clear and sharp with some scratching and wear, which is typical of films of this age. Overall the film looks very good and is a great addition to the video collections of W.C. Fields fans. May 5, 2001

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