Dirty Dealing With W. C. Fields

W. C. Fields was one of the earliest comedic film stars, with his Malcolm McDowall nose and conman’s eyes just a little too close together. He worked with the great D. W. Griffith in the nineteen-twenties and went on to star in big hits throughout the 30s and 40s. More often than not, playing a shark or hustler.

The roles may have been a case of typecasting, although he was infamously risk averse in later life, Fields started life as a pool hustler, and in one summer job would even pretend to drown every now and again in the hopes that his rescue would bring curious tourists into his employer’s seaside cafe.

Following his turn as a soggy waiter, he did a stint in vaudeville before Hollywood came knocking. From then on Fields’ career was made on the turn of the onscreen card, either comically gloating or gurning the most pitiful sorts of faces across a losing hand.

Mississippi’s Cameo Scene

Fields’ was a reasonably recognizable name when he put in a bit part performances in the Bing Crosby vehicle Mississippi as the gun toting steamboat Captain whose card games are somewhat less smooth than his voyages.

In an escalating game of cheat-counter cheat the poker scene in that film see Fields’ opponents all slipping four aces into each of their hands while Fields’ captain frantically tries to get rid of the telltale fifth ace in his own hand. Drawing again and again from a deck that appears to contain nothing else.

In the end is a quick draw shootout that wins the chips, not the draw of the cards.

Four of a Kind with Tillie and Gus

Martin Harris, who teaches a course on Poker in Film, goes so far as to pick one particular scene from Fields’ role as Augustus ‘Gus’ Winterbottom in Tillie and Gus as one of the great poker performances in film.

In this movie Gus finds himself in court justifying his murdering another player in a game of cards. When asked if he has anything to say for himself, Gus’ only defence is that after showing down four aces the other guy flipped over five.

He’s a broad minded gent, asserts Gus, not objecting to there being nine aces in a deck.

"But when a man lays down five aces in one hand…” Before adding: “Besides, I know what I dealt him.”

In a later scene he hustles his way into a game by acting the innocent.

"Poker?” he asks. “Is that the one where one receives five cards? And if there’s two alike that’s pretty good?”

He goes on to have Tillie signal his opponents cards through comically transparent code. “I saw those two sailors of the ship,” she says when the opponent is dealt a pair of jacks.

This scene also has the immortal showdown exchange: “It’ll take four aces to beat me,” says the opponent.

“What a coincidence,” is the response. Though in his game, whatever the movie, it rarely is.