It's a Gift

It's a Gift
Theatrical poster to It's a Gift (1934)
Directed byNorman Z. McLeod
Written byJack Cunningham
Based onThe Comic Supplement
1925 play
by J.P. McEvoy, story by Charles Bogle (Fields)[1]
Produced byWilliam LeBaron
StarringW.C. Fields
Baby LeRoy
CinematographyHenry Sharp
Music byJohn Leipold
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • November 17, 1934 (1934-11-17)
Running time
68 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

It's a Gift is a 1934 American comedy film starring W.C. Fields. It was Fields's 16th sound film, and his fifth in 1934 alone. It was directed by Norman McLeod, who had directed Fields in his cameo as Humpty Dumpty in Alice in Wonderland (1933).

The film concerns the trials and tribulations of a grocer as he battles a shrewish wife, an incompetent assistant, and assorted annoying children, customers, and salesmen. The film reprises routines honed by Fields from his career over the years 1915–1925. Fields often tried to recapture sketches that led to his stage success onto film; skits such as "The Picnic", "A Joy Ride", and most famously, "The Back Porch" are all featured in It's a Gift.[2]

Lesser known than some of Fields' later works such as The Bank Dick, the film is perhaps the best example of the recurring theme of the Everyman battling against his domestic entrapment. Historians and critics have often cited its numerous memorable comic moments. It is one of several Paramount Pictures in which Fields contended with child actor Baby LeRoy.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Deschner was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Louvish, p.20