It's the Old Army Game 1925 advertisement from book - 25 Paramount Showman's Pictures (1925) (page 67 crop)

''It's the Old Army Game'' is a 1926 American silent comedy film starring

W. C. Fields William Claude Dukenfield (January 29, 1880 – December 25, 1946), better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler, and writer. Fields's comic persona was a misanthropic and hard-drinking egotist who remained a sympathe ...

and

Louise Brooks Mary Louise Brooks (November 14, 1906 – August 8, 1985) was an American film actress and dancer during the 1920s and 1930s. She is regarded today as an icon of the Jazz Age and flapper culture, in part due to the bob hairstyle that she helpe ...

. The film was directed by

Eddie Sutherland Albert Edward Sutherland (January 5, 1895 – December 31, 1973) was a film director and actor. Born in London, he was from a theatrical family. His father, Al Sutherland, was a theatre manager and producer and his mother, Julie Ring, was a vau ...

and co-stars Sutherland's aunt, the stage actress

Blanche Ring Blanche Ring (April 24, 1871 – January 13, 1961) was an American singer and actress in Broadway theatre productions, musicals, and Hollywood motion pictures. She was best known for her rendition of "In the Good Old Summer Time." Early l ...

in one of her few silent film appearances. The film is based on the revue ''The Comic Supplement'' by Joseph P. McEvoy and Fields, and included several skits from Fields' stage plays. The "army game" in the title is in reference to a

shell game The shell game (also known as thimblerig, three shells and a pea, the old army game) is often portrayed as a gambling game, but in reality, when a wager for money is made, it is almost always a confidence trick used to perpetrate fraud. In conf ...

, a con-trick which Fields’ character observes being played. "It's the old army game," he says, sagely. Large sections of the film, including the "picnic" and "sleeping on the porch" scenes; were incorporated into Fields' classic talkie film ''

It's a Gift ''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 Wonderlan ...

'' (1934)

Synopsis

Elmer Prettywillie is a small town druggist/general store owner whose customers are eccentric at best and rude and demanding at worst. They include a man who wants "a nice, clean two-cent stamp" from the center of a massive sheet of them. Prettywillie' sole joy is his pretty clerk , but not her homely maiden aunt, who has an unrequited crush on him. Attempting to sleep on an outdoor back porch, Prettywillie is disturbed by a series of noisy peddlers, including a surly ice man who insists Prettywillie heft his own heavy, rapidly melting block of ice. A neighbor then insists Prettywillie watch her bratty baby; whom Prettywillie cheerfully attempts to smother to stop its crying. The baby eventually gets hold of a large mallet and knows exactly what to do with it. Prettywillie ends up destroying the back porch when he accidentally discharges a shotgun. Later, Prettywillie and family stage a picnic on the front lawn of a private estate, and order the owner of the house to clean up their unholy, paper-strewn mess. Real estate hustler George Parker arrives in town and becomes smitten with Marshall. Marshall talks Prettywillie into letting Parker sell real estate out of the store. When New York City police arrive and take Parker away in connection with a previous "bad deal", Prettywillie is left to face the wrath of the investors. Prettywillie makes a quick trip to New York City, hoping to locate Parker. Not used to city traffic, he drives the wrong way on a one-way street and has various parts of his car sheared off. He hires a mule to pull the car. The mule refuses to budge. Prettywillie tries to give the mule a

hot foot The hot foot is a prank where the prankster sets the victim's shoe laces or shoe on fire with a match or lighter. There are several other versions of the hot foot prank, but all involve using a source of flame near a victim's foot. Other versi ...

,and only succeeds in burning up what's left of the car. Returning home in defeat, Prettywillie gives himself up at the police station, but he learns a developer has re-bought the lots at a high price, enriching the town and making him a hero. When the maiden aunt arrives, Prettywillie locks her in a cell and makes a hasty retreat. Prettywillie and Parker meanwhile, have eloped.

Cast

as Elmer Prettywillie *

as Mildred Marshall *

as Tessie Overholt *

William Gaxton William Gaxton (né Arthur Anthony Gaxiola, December 2, 1893 – February 2, 1963) was an American star of vaudeville, film, and theatre. Gaxton was president of The Lambs Club from 1936 to 1939, 1952 to 1953, and 1957 to 1961. He and Victor ...

as George Parker *Mary Foy as Sarah Pancoast *

Mickey Bennett Michael Richard Bennett (born 27 August 1969) is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger. During his career, he made over 150 appearances in the Football League. Since his retirement from playing, Bennett has become inv ...

as Mickey *

Josephine Dunn Mary Josephine Dunn (May 1, 1906 – February 3, 1983) was an American stage and film actress of the 1920s and 1930s. Early years Dunn was born in New York City and educated at Holy Cross convent school. Career At age 14 and a 5'5" tall bl ...

as Society Bather *

Jack Luden Jacob Benson Luden (February 8, 1902 – February 15, 1951) was an American film actor. Early life The son of Jacob and Anna Luden, he grew up in Reading, Pennsylvania. His uncle was confectioner William H. Luden, who developed the menthol coug ...

as Society Bather *George Currie as Artist *

Elise Cavanna Elise Alyse Cavanna (January 30, 1902 – May 12, 1963) was an American film actress, stage comedian, dancer, and fine artist. She went by the following names: Elise Seeds, Alyse Seeds, Elise Armitage, Elise Cavanna, and Elise Welton. Stage an ...

as Nearsighted woman (uncredited) *John Merton as Fireman (uncredited) *Rose Elliott (uncredited)

Production

The film was shot mainly at Paramount's

Astoria Studios The Kaufman Astoria Studios is a film studio located in the Astoria section of the New York City borough of Queens. The studio was constructed for Famous Players-Lasky in 1920, since it was close to Manhattan's Broadway theater district. The p ...

facility in

Astoria, Queens Astoria is a neighborhood in the western portion of the New York City borough of Queens. Astoria is bounded by the East River and is adjacent to three other Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City to the southwest, Sunnyside to the southeast ...

and in Manhattan, and is preserved complete in the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

. A few outdoor scenes were filmed in

Ocala, Florida Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County within the northern region of Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 63,591, making it the 54th most populated city in Florida. Home to ...

and

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from several nearby cities including West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intracoas ...

.Curtis, James (2003). ''W.C. Fields: A Biography''. Alfred A. Knopf. p. 185. . A 2018 DVD release, 75 minutes long, contains a newly written organ music score played by noted silent film restorist

Ben Model Ben Model (born 1962) is an American musician, historian, publisher, and presenter of silent films. An accompanist, he composes and performs organ or piano music for silent films. He accompanies films live and records scores for home video release ...

References

External links

*
''It's the Old Army Game''
at SilentEra * {{A. Edward Sutherland 1920s American films 1926 comedy films American black-and-white films American silent feature films Famous Players-Lasky films Films directed by A. Edward Sutherland Films shot in Florida Films shot in New York City Paramount Pictures films Silent American comedy films