W.C. Fields as You've NEVER Seen Him Before...Talent Personified

This outtake, from the 1934 movie, The Old Fashioned Way, shows W.C. Fields as The Great McGonigle, a showman extraordinaire. Here we see him doing his amazing juggling, a talent which actually helped him succeed on the Vaudeville circuit, long before he became a motion picture star.

[@floggingadeadhorse2609]

when this scene was finished to Fields approval he autographed each cigar box and gave them to the extras who worked in the scene

[@ms.annthrope415]

Watch his other films and see how graceful his pratfalls and fumbling appears but were under total control. His juggling mastery allowed him to do such physical humor without any misteps. He was incredibly talented.

[@Lampshade51]

Tbis is not an outtake, but a featured scene from "The Old Fashioned Way". Fields did his old stage juggling act. No camera tricks or fakery. Its all real. So glad they got it on film.

[@christheother9088]

Real skill, but they edited the audience in later. They could retake any flops. It is film after all.

[@SocialSpit]

Chris Gonzales Pretty clever the way that they got the hecklers involved...

[@drteeth7054]

@@christheother9088 But they left some in the cigar box part. In any case, it shows the brilliance and talent of the man.

[@bjbell52]

@@christheother9088 Yes it is just a film but at the same time, Fields was considered on of the best jugglers in the world. Fields like to sneak little bits of juggling into his movies. He would use a candle in a candle stick holder to light his cigar and then toss the candle into the air. The candle would flip a few times and the Fields would catch it in the candle stick holder again.

[@kenlieck7756]

@@drteeth7054 The "flops" are intentional!

[@alkh3myst]

I had completely forgotten that Fields could also juggle! This era was when you really had to have talent(s) to make it in show business.

[@elliotskydel875]

He was considered the greatest vaudeville juggler and performed internationally for top dollar.

[@Screenwriting]

Are you trying to say the kardashian's don't have talent?

[@alkh3myst]

@@Screenwriting Yes.

[@joeltham1979]

A man of many hidden talents. His timing is amazing. Thank goodness this piece of film exists.

[@SuperNevile]

W.C. Fields Forever!

[@davidg4595]

He had the WOLRLD RECORD for juggling ELEVEN objects at once and im pretty sure it on YT somewhere. Better hand eye coordination than 99.999999999999% of people.

[@musicloverme-hj2sr]

@@SuperNevile Along with Strawberry.

[@alexk3088]

Can everyone just take a moment to appreciate the musicians behind the scenes, especially percussionist(s). All those "sound effects" are done live and precisely "at that moment", not video editing. It requires incredible rehearsal and attention for all of them. This is why professional circus can only have live music.

[@TheGreatAtario]

It was standard practice back in the Vaudeville days, which were just ending when this was made

[@barryallenflash1]

Unlike today where everything is "tracked" or "recorded".

[@alexk3088]

@@barryallenflash1 recorded wouldn't be half bad. Most things today are clicked, copied and pasted, and stretched to perfectly match the click track. No soul.

[@barryallenflash1]

@@alexk3088 Okay, I get all that, but just think how perfectly timed the "effects/music" is in this video. That's ALL they had back then....and THAT was magic!

[@alexk3088]

@@barryallenflash1 yep, that's exactly what I meant in my original comment 😎

[@tomsmith7742]

What a pleasure! I had heard that Fields once fell down a flight of stairs with a drink in his hand, and didn't spill a drop. Now I believe it. Despite his unimpressive physique, I think the man could have been a top flight athlete- his eye-hand coordination was extraordinary.

[@saber5585]

I remember watching this over 55 years ago with my grandmother and she explained that he got his start in vaudeville. I didn't understand then but I KNEW he was extremely talented. Great to see him again. GOD BLESS YOU W.C. FIELDS!!

[@richardschneller7674]

I actually remember seeing him juggle those cigar boxes when I was young. I think he actually did it in one of his full length films. Late night tv was different when I was a youth

[@CoronadoBruin]

It was indeed in one of his full-length films. I was a big fan at a young age and always assumed he was "just" a film comedian, and then I saw this routine. I'm guessing it was in the mid-60s when I saw it, probably an afternoon film on one of the off-channels in LA (5-KTLA, 9-KHJ, 11-KTTV, or 13-KCOP); I was about 8. His humor and talent still resonates. Very, very talented guy, with or without his physical humor. "Go away, kid, you bother me"

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

People didn't insist on colour.

[@ShadowsOnTheScreen]

This is from one of his full length movies.

[@clydegoodrich6720]

​@@CoronadoBruinYeah, that "Go away, you bother me" is my response to a lot of the wackiness that is plaguing our world today. Such an apt expression.

[@saucerful4351]

"A woman drove me to drink. I never got the chance to thank her."

[@bjbell52]

@@43mackmobile He also said that water rusts pipes..... "There comes a time in the affairs of man when he must take the bull by the tail and face the situation." - W.C.Fields

[@motopanza]

@@bjbell52 He said he would never drink water as fish fucked in it

[@leighdee2084]

His incredible coordination probably helped him later in his filming life when he was drinking two quarts of alcohol a day. Some of the funniest stuff you will ever see. A true original.

[@garypaquin9571]

I am a retired psychologist and would be very interested in reading about his descent into alcoholism. That much ethanol in a 24 hour period might kill me. His tag lines, set pieces, impeccable timing came later. He must have been so dedicated to develop the reflexes, concentration, and muscle control to juggle with such ease and elegance.

[@fhotzel]

I've wondered if this was him as a drunk older man what was he like in his prime

[@jdanderson915]

Incredible talent! Before any movies(silent or talkies) he toured the world as a vaudeville act. He put any common magician, juggler or pool shark to shame. Superhuman physical dexterityand amazing eye-hand coordination made him world renowned for his vaudeville juggling act. Fields unique and outrageous comedy (both visual and verbal) set him far apart from the crowd.He astounds to this day.

[@windstorm1000]

Absolutely. The best

[@scottkay6495]

He was really talented

[@NuisanceMan]

What's really amazing is that all that pineapple juice didn't affect his coordination.

[@TheLifeTerm]

I had no idea that Fields had such talent. Amazing

[@joannleichliter4308]

I have seen some of his film work, but never had seen this. Thanks! I think I will go back and find a biography.

[@Datokah]

Wow! Incredible talent. My respect for him as a performer just increased quite a bit.

[@zmaxx21]

I remember seeing him juggling like this in one of his movies and it was the first time I actually saw someone juggling in a full circle. Just an amazing talent!

[@byronp2311]

I've seen this, being a huge fan of Fields as a kid, and back when they still showed movies like this on regular TV (cable was still far off). I was astounded. There's another movie where he flips a lit candle in a holder, catches it back in the holder and the damn thing is still lit. He was awesome. He worked very hard to land the role of Mr Micawber in the film of David Copperfield and for good reason. He was perfect for the role.

[@milano61]

Great! At least we have film of this guy, we are lucky.

[@herbertwright7670]

This guy was a genius...he made me laugh so much RIP Mr. Fields 🙏🙏 !!! Herb

[@jpaxonreyes]

Oh, god, he DIED‽

[@James-ux5kv]

Imagine the fun he would have today with todays wokies? Lol

[@mikekemp9877]

on my dvd set of fields movie one of the notes says that fields was very fond of this movie and wanted to make a picture accurately depicting the then lost world of the travelling showman and leave a permanent record of what it was like watching them.in the u.k we had an old barnstormer actor called tod slaughter who did the same with melodrama and thanks to both of them we have an idea of what local theatre was like pre film.

[@duenge]

I'm 58,....I never cared much for any W.C. that I have seen in the past,...but now!,.....RESPECT!...

[@grovermarchand3282]

Thank Goodness you approve

[@hungfao]

Many many years ago I was watching one of his movies and he did this subtly clever and hilarious routine with a pool stick. We were sitting around discussing how he must have practiced this to get it to look so unintentional and smoothly spontaneous. We learned later what a great juggler he was. That explains everything.

[@tomitstube]

fields at one time was considered the greatest juggler in the world, so good in fact that he bought his father a house and enabled him to retire. and he did travel the world doing this very act, in silence just like this.

[@eddierayvanlynch6133]

Good point: Silence is something most "stars" haven't mastered. Fields is in rare company.

[@pleasegetalife_whatswrongwu]

@@eddierayvanlynch6133 I always thought of fields being known for making stupid comments under his breath all the time

[@chasbodaniels1744]

“Stupid comments”?? Some of those were comedic gems my friend!

[@pleasegetalife_whatswrongwu]

@@chasbodaniels1744 Well yeah I agree I was just saying the other guy said he's the master of silence

[@tomcoryell]

@@pleasegetalife_whatswrongwu His comedy came about because when he would inevitably drop something while juggling, he would then make a smartass remark to kind of keep the entertainment flowing. He noticed that he did very well at making people laugh by doing that and built it into his act.

[@FordFracture]

Holy cow ! I never thought he could do all that Very impressive !

[@hmroa3056]

One of my childhood favorites! A true master.

[@Problembeing]

Amazing! I always thought of him as a cunning linguist. Now I see his slapstick prowess.

[@STEELERBUM]

I never knew he was all that!! So glad I watched this

[@pauladler9572]

You should see him when he’s sober! Can’t hold a glass unless it’s got whiskey in it.

[@sanakassara]

But then he is not sober...

[@James-kv6kb]

I'm a professional juggler , that guy was seriously good

[@cdiaz55]

Whoever played the trap drums was one busy fellow on this bit!!

[@randyelliott9152]

What a magnificent piece of film history..This is why I like youtube.Fields humor and talent are timeless.

[@godfreymccammon4531]

I have seen a boatload of W.C.Fields movies and comedy shorts over the years and this takes the cake...it made me yell out "holy s--t" in total amazement.

[@misterwhitman4368]

Exquisite dexterity in a juggler vein!

[@thisiszaphod]

Knew he was a juggler - never seen the act until now. Thanks for sharing!

[@duradim1]

No way.

[@stranraerwal]

check upon his incredible Billiard-Table-Act.

[@trxxxtr]

I love wc. I've got a great collection of very rare clips of him from his days on the follies....even some that still to this day people don't think exist. over 10 yrs ago I set out to find all I could which ment doing a lot of homework and a lot of talking to different people etc..... this was one of the first I added to my collection. wc is so under rated and that's a shame cause he was brilliant!

[@deaterk]

soooo, why are you keeping this stuff to yourself?! Post on KZbin and let the world appreciate and enjoy 'ol Bill

[@dingopisscreek]

Fields was an incredibly talented man. His juggling skills perfected over many years in vaudeville. No fakery here. What you see is a performer at the top of his craft.

[@russellgoulding4263]

To have that unique personality and hand eye coordination in one individual. This guy was one in a jillion.

[@josephgurzynski1053]

Fantastic post!!! Such a talented man.

[@ShawnaGraham50]

Wow his old Vaudeville act on film! What a gem! Real entertainers back then, such egotistical fake manufactured ones today. One good box office film and your a superstar today

[@ITALJUTE]

That was far better than I expected, and I already knew the man was super talented.

[@tomlevier3615]

A lot of people forget that Fields was an amazing juggler. He had skills.

[@TheStockwell]

He once spoke about how he taught himself, as a young boy, to balance a stick on his foot and flip it end over end, catching it with his foot. 2:30 He stated that the stick would bang into his shins, making it bruised. He kept at it, crying continuously, until he finally had it worked out. So much work and suffering in order to make it look easy . . .

[@micahlowbe9067]

That guy was talented and very athletic. I would have never guessed this of him until now. What a treat!!

[@brianjones3191]

So he was one of the best jugglers AND comedians! Not many people are so gifted.

[@barryallenflash1]

Never knew this about him. Such a, for lack of better words, "funny" guy! "Get away from me kid, ya bother me." -Fields One of the most famous lines in the biz!

[@TonkaSoul]

Fields started out as a juggler. Juggling is what he was most known for during his vaudeville days.

[@CLASSICALFAN100]

Bill Fields often complained about how long it took him (10 years!) to shake the "comic juggler" typecasting, before he started doing straight comedy...

[@bradleyvantassal8328]

@@CLASSICALFAN100, did you mean William Claude Dukenfield?

[@stranraerwal]

@@bradleyvantassal8328 : Exactly-you read his biography!

[@MJWPub]

What a skill! All skill and hours practice, accept the bit when the two cigar boxes (which flicked aside) were moving on their own, - that was real magic!!

[@DJTOBY]

Truly classic entertainment and natural skills. I never knew he had these extra talents.

[@lynneferencik1378]

I am soon to be 60 yrs old - love wcf and never new till now that he was so adept at juggling!

[@jamesgoines7663]

The cane on the foot is an awesome feat or feet!

[@vincentreynolds2127]

PERFECTION.

[@adriancole3165]

A great talent, juggler, actor, comedian, script writer, world traveller etc. He toured Australia in 1919. My late father recounted this a number of times over the years. He was a great fan. Thanks for sharing.

[@wayne-brock7515]

Boy, was he good in doing them things, and funny too. I never had watched W.C. Fields till about 2 weeks ago. Ever since I have came to love the man and his work. Thank You Mr. W. C. Fields for making us laugh. Rest in Peace.

[@waderaney7]

Brilliant !!

[@muzkat101]

That was utterly amazing and incredible; in all my years of watching W.C. Fields, I never knew he had this talent. Thanks so much for the video. ; )

[@larrylebowski8386]

An unstable genius. I laugh every time I watch his old stuff. “Honest John” pool table scene is timeless.

[@rlevitta]

As a juggler on the vaudeville circuit, he would make funny comments during his act which became more and more popular and eventually juggling would (almost) fade away. This is much like how Nat King Cole just played piano in his early days and only sing at after hours parties. Eventually he became a singer who played piano.

[@MrJpm1989]

For more than 15 years I've watched TCM mostly. The early years of movie making like from 1927 to 1949 were some of the best ever. W.C fields was one of the best.

[@jimmorrison714]

I've see it many times and it's still great. The kid who threw the tomato was known as "Baby Lee Roy" who later appeared as his son in a full length movie.

[@jpstenino]

thank you much appreciated

[@jimbobaroobud]

Baby LeRoy was in three more films with Fields besides this one. He did not play his son in any of them.

[@bjbell52]

In a famous scene Fields kicked little baby lee roy in the butt because he was being a real brat at the breakfast table.

[@chasbodaniels1744]

The battle axe wife: “Don’t you dare strike that child!” Brat: “Whattsa matta Pop, don’t ya love me anymore?” Fields (preparing a backhanded swat at his kid): “Don’t tell me I don’t love ya!”

[@steveadams5190]

@@chasbodaniels1744 "Hit em again, Ma!"

[@monstercommenter9587]

BRAVO! BRAVO!!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🤣😀😅😆😂😥

[@sergiofalchi1447]

We should NEVER forget to pay tribute to those who used to amuse us in that glorius 'old fashioned way', as Mr. Fields did... Memory is the most extraordinary tool to maintain, fix and/or repair our spirit, heart or soul when the world around us gets too heavy to carry on... Thank you!

[@HopSkipLimp]

I always preferred Fields on the radio, but this is magnificent! Such talent and skill!

[@leifvejby8023]

And his son, Chester.

[@catherinechilton2093]

@@leifvejby8023 , hee hee! Right, Chester. Chester Fields...who enjoyed that other kind of cigarette, the name of which I can't even remember!

[@451F]

A true artist that pass this way once. Thankfully we have film to preserve such talent. I applaud you Mr. Fields.

[@ltcolumbo9708]

Good Lord! I had no idea! WC FIELDS OWN STYLE OWN COMEDY OWN ORIGINAL SUPERB TALENT!!!

[@bjbell52]

He was considered the world's greatest juggler.

[@bjbell52]

and legend has it that he invented the juggling of cigar boxes because when he was learning how to juggle, he didn't have the money to buy bowling pins but did have access to cigar boxes.

[@terrybader8595]

He was nowhere near the best juggler (check out Enrico Rastelli), but he was a tremendous entertainer.

[@catherinechilton2093]

@@bjbell52 , and cigar boxes are NOT easy to juggle! And nobody else juggled them, which made him even more special. Long before he was at all well known, he got a gig juggling at a church, but he was told he couldn't use cigar boxes, because the church was completely anti-tobacco. He told the pastor in all seriousness that they weren't REAL cigar boxes: he had them specially made for his act, and they had never been near a cigar. The pastor believed him, and it was on with the show.

[@Confused_Philosopher]

I was never a W.C . Fields fan,. That has changed after watching this. Incredibly talented!

[@carlwalker3557]

Dog, never knew he was that talented. The dude’s a riot, and now he holds even more regard than before. W.C. - alright!

[@fr.brucedouglas2143]

Absolutely incredible and “real” talent. Amazing!!!

[@darklordojeda]

Wow this is amazing. So effortless.

[@GASMan-57]

Great stuff. Always nice to be reminded of the time when it took trained talent to make it in the biz. LT WCF fan.

[@jamescarter3196]

Lol, you're calling this "trained talent"? Juggling balls and cigar boxes is "trained talent" eh, from Juggling University? Studied with the masters? No. It's really sad that in your clumsy attempt to bash the modern era of entertainment, all you did was reveal that you don't know what "trained talent" means. I'm a huge fan of WC Fields but it's sickening to see people pretend to have 'good taste' just because you ignore the modern era. Your ignorance isn't providing you with information..

[@danbartko164]

@@jamescarter3196 I dunno.58 people agreed with him, with just one dissenter, you. Your arrogance isn't providing you with information.

[@Baltihunter]

There’s no end to his talent 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇬🇧

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

Thank you dad, for my abiding and enduring love of WC.

[@Chr.U.Cas1622]

👍👌👏 Oh WOW, simply fantastic! Until now I never watched anything from him that I really liked. But this is really a great performance. Thanks a lot for uploading and sharing. Best regards, luck and health in particular.

[@fuzzlenuff]

That was wonderful!

[@lescobrandon3047]

Saw it before and have been hoping to see it again. Thanks, Rosie! This was the vaudeville Fields before he got into his later character.

[@ronnieknotts2376]

I never knew he could do this...brilliant and thanks for posting

[@GodsFavoriteBassPlyr]

Wow... An Entertainer's Entertainer. It's a shame he never got to see that his legend would live on through the miracle of youtube. :)

[@lescobrandon3047]

I did see this before, quite a while ago but not the full scene. What a talent! Thank you very much, Rosie.

[@mcbragg3779]

How could he have been such a legendary drinker with such a steady hand?

[@jamescarter3196]

By drinking before the performance

[@brendarodgers5686]

Maybe the drinking was a myth, and he didn't drink.

[@billthestinker]

great post WC Fields was unique

[@tscorban]

Before Television, movies people had to entertain themselves. Or go mad.

[@jeffcraven7376]

My favorite comedian ever. Bill was dead 21 years before I ever heard tell of him. William Claude D...Fields would've given Robin Williams fits of "Where did I poop last Bill, I think it was a sousaphone" Mae West says she's looking for loopholes...bring a bottle of gin with ya. W.C. Fields remains my favorite comedian.

[@christopherjones5561]

Wow! Just amazing! Thank you for sharing!

[@henrycorrea9586]

Man. Didnt know that about him. Very impressive.

[@capricosm8086]

Fields at age 19 , did this juggling performance in front of The King of England !

[@stevewebb7318]

@laughinggravy2 You seem nice

[@heartsparkdollar]

@laughinggravy2 You're funny! Like we really care about stupid in-bred royals.

[@thinkbeforyouvote]

@laughinggravy2 I bet your teeth are neither crooked nor yellow...

[@sanakassara]

@laughinggravy2 Huh... Couple of things. 1st. If you are keen of calling someone an idiot, you might want to learn to type for example the Roman numerals, if you need to use them in a sentence. There is no such numeral among them as triple i. It's III. 2nd. Even though typing may be a touchy subject and all to some with the dyslexic problems also enjoying the joys of the internet, you might want to at least learn the basics like the capital letters and punctutation. You might actually come across bit more coherent than you do now. 3rd. Last King of England was George VI, 1895-1952. The reason he is not always called the "King of England" is in the fact that during his time England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales formed the United Kingdom. That formation process started during 1535 and 1542 with the Laws in Wales Act. William of Orange's time ended in 1702, not in 1689. Your rant would have looked a lot more nicer if you would have just copy pasted the Wikipedia article about George IV, which you quoted on your comment. That's a peculiar username BTW, does it mean alcohol or did you just pull it out of your a... hat?

[@sanakassara]

@laughinggravy2 "Idiot American". You would be much more convincing if you would know some Finnish, in which my username is spelled because I am Finnish. And if your syntax would not look like scrambled shit. Tell me, for I'm such an idiot, what is the first name of the countries forming the UK and wasn't George IV the King of that country? Are you British? If you are, why do you suck in English so bad?

[@middleclassic]

Once I saw the hat flipping I was hooked! The sound effects are so key to its hilarity. Great stuff.

[@Philobiblion]

I have always been proud to have been born about 200 yards from Fields' birthplace in Darby, PA. Fields was born at the National Cafe, which still existed when I was a child living in the area in the '50s and early '60s. I was born at the Fitzgerald Mercy Hospital just up Lansdowne Ave.

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

Aahh, yes, kids. They should be seen and not heard. I used to do cigar box juggling, and WC was quite the inspiration. Bravo.

[@DailyBrusher]

Straight outa Vaudeville! If you wonder what kind of things they did on stage, before the movies! This is it!

[@miketemple7686]

Damn! I actually enjoyed that. I think I chuckled at the opening hat scene.🎩 🎬 👏

[@Hopeless_and_Forlorn]

All that talent, plus he hated children. I fear we will never see such greatness again.

[@zaqvoir4856]

this is why W.C. Fields became a Star he knew how to juggle the system

[@m.f.m.67]

Just think of the hours, months and years of practice it took to master these routines. Incredible talent.

[@julianwaugh968]

Love WC fields banter especially choking the little girl. And anecdotes about some fella

[@philip25041948]

Never realised, what a clever talented man he was.AMAZING.

[@jamesdunn9714]

He practiced very hard to achieve this level of skill. Amazing!

[@mike_98058]

I only associated WC Fields with him saying, "My Little Chickadee". I had no idea he was so talented. I'm sorry I missed him by about 50 years.

[@morganwalker9636]

Thank you Rosie. Bill was a great talent. Now I have that song stuck in my head "Rosie you are my posey"

[@buzzawuzza3743]

If McGonigle was any Greater it might be too much Greatness for one stage!

[@motioninmind6015]

That final routine with the cigar boxes, wow!

[@emilyoshiro]

One of the first clips of him, I ever watched.

[@WhiteNorthStar1]

Sacre bleue! Magnifique! 😃

[@Kazyman]

Back then you HAD to have well developed talent.