W.C. Fields was a pioneer of the American cinema. As such, he was a true original who not only acted, but also wrote most of the material for his films. Mr. Fields left an important body of work for us to watch, laugh and admire.<br/><br/>His &quot;Never Give a Sucker an Even Break&quot; was his last film. The film, although a bit dated, still has some sparks thanks to Mr. Fields, playing the Uncle Bill of the story. The film, directed by Edward C. Cline, still has a lot of laughs.<br/><br/>The film is a satire about the movie industry that Mr. Fields knew so well. Mr. Fields takes us behind the cameras to show us the craziness that is associated with making films. Of course, it is somewhat exaggerated as we don&#39;t believe what goes on at some of the Esoteric Studios.<br/><br/>Aside from Mr. Fields, Gloria Jean plays his niece, the sweet voiced girl appearing in one of the films in production. Also, Leon Errol, Margaret Dumont and some old pros are seen doing their best.

Fields adds a commentary on the indignities of old age to his repertoire. Often more somber than his reputation -- and all the funnier because of it -- Fields here plays a version of himself trying to sell a script to a movie studio. So we see a drawling, slow-moving older fellow in the humiliating position of pitching an idea to a producer who isn&#39;t necessarily honored or interested. Fields&#39;s script is, of course, ridiculous, just as his ideas in real life must have seemed crazy to many a studio executive. We &quot;see&quot; the script played out as the producer reads it, giving Fields a chance to go through his paces -- delightful, as usual, even if his obviously failing health makes it melancholy at the same time. Leaving the meeting with his tail between his legs, Fields is lovingly embraced by his niece, Gloria Jean, who contrary to what you might think, is wonderful. Her love for her uncle, and all his eccentricities, is endearing throughout. What can one say about the Keystone Kops-like windup, except that they probably had to tack a conventional finish onto a very unusual movie? This was Fields&#39;s final full-length performance, as if he knew the end was near. A sad and funny sign-off by the best comedian in movie history.

Never Give A Sucker An Even Break was W.C. Fields&#39;s last starring film and last one that he had complete creative control. All of his future film work would be guest appearances and specialties. <br/><br/>This film is as anarchistic as anything the Marx Brothers ever did, in fact it anticipates Monty Python by over 30 years. Most of it is Fields relating an idea for a screenplay to studio head Franklin Pangborn. This is where it gets positively surreal.<br/><br/>To cement the Marxian connection Fields gets to pay court to Groucho&#39;s favorite foil Margaret Dumont. But the relationship here is totally different. Margaret is always the butt of Groucho&#39;s bon mots half of which she confessed herself went over her head. With Fields as with other women like Kathleen Howard who henpecked him previously, the women dominate and Fields gets his points across, but mostly with pantomime and facial expression. <br/><br/>The film is also to showcase Universal&#39;s backup teenage soprano Gloria Jean. Remember at this time before Abbott&amp;Costello score a hit with Buck Privates, Deanna Durbin was their number one star. But the best way to keep a star under control was to have a replacement waiting in the wings. That was Gloria Jean&#39;s function. She had done well with Bing Crosby in a film the previous year, If I Had My Way, that allowed a far better expression of her talents. She had a pleasing soprano voice and Fields lowered the cynicism quotient in his scenes with his &#39;niece&#39;.<br/><br/>Still Never Give A Sucker An Even Break is a Bill Fields film all the way. Too bad this was the last film to give his talents full range.