''The Golf Specialist'' is a 1930

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorshi ...

comedy

short subject A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

from

RKO Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orphe ...

, 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 ...

. It was his first

talkie A sound film is a motion picture A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, percep ...

. The film was shot in

Fort Lee, New Jersey Fort Lee is a borough at the eastern border of Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, situated along the Hudson River atop the Palisades. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 40,191. As of the 2010 U.S. census, th ...

when many early

film studio A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company or motion picture company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to make films, which is handled by the production ...

s in

America's first motion picture industry Fort Lee is a borough at the eastern border of Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, situated along the Hudson River atop the Palisades. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 40,191. As of the 2010 U.S. census, th ...

were based there in the early part of the 20th century. The film features lines such as "I would never hit a woman, not even my own mother" and "Stand clear and keep your eye on the ball", a line Fields also used in the golf scene in ''

The Dentist ''The Dentist'' is a 1996 American slasher film directed by Brian Yuzna and written by Dennis Paoli, Stuart Gordon, and Charles Finch. It stars Corbin Bernsen, Linda Hoffman and Ken Foree. It is the first installment in ''The Dentist'' film serie ...

'' (1932). Fields had first performed his golf routine on film in his silent feature ''

So's Your Old Man ''So's Your Old Man'' is a 1926 American silent comedy film directed by Gregory La Cava and starring W. C. Fields and Alice Joyce. It was written by J. Clarkson Miller based on the story "Mr. Bisbee's Princess" by Julian Leonard Street as adap ...

'' (1926) and reprised it in that film's sound remake, ''

You're Telling Me! ''You're Telling Me!'' is a 1934 pre-Code comedy film directed by Erle C. Kenton and starring W.C. Fields. It is a remake of the silent film ''So's Your Old Man'' (1926), also starring Fields. Both films are adapted from the story ''Mr. Bisbee� ...

'' (1934).

Plot

In a Florida hotel, the House Detective's wife likes to flirt with other men. The House Detective catches her flirting with a man, and he bodily throws him out. Deep Sea McGurk comes in and asks the Desk Clerk for J. Effingham Bellweather, but he is not in. McGurk dictates a note for the Desk Clerk to give to Bellweather that he wants to collect the money that is owed to him. Bellweather enters, and the Desk Clerk gives him the note from McGurk, which he tears up. After brief encounters with a bratty little girl and the House Detective, Bellweather offers to teach the Detective's Wife how to play golf. The two of them and their Caddy go out to the golf course, but Bellweather never gets to hit the ball. He is continuously interrupted by such distractions as the incompetent Caddy's squeaking shoes, the wind blowing papers into his path, and accidentally stepping into a pie that the Caddy had brought. Finally, the Sheriff and the House Detective come out to the course to arrest

con artist A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibility, and greed. Researchers have def ...

Bellweather for a list of absurd crimes (including "eating spaghetti in public", "jumping board bill in seventeen lunatic asylums", "failure to pay installments on a strait-jacket", and "possessing a skunk"); the police put handcuffs on him just as he's showing the Detective's Wife the importance of keeping the wrists close together while gripping the club.

Cast

W.C. Fields WC or wc may refer to: * Water closet or flush toilet Arts and entertainment * ''W.C.'' (film), an Irish feature film * WC (band), a Polish punk rock band * WC (rapper), a rapper from Los Angeles, California * Westside Connection, former hi ...

as J. Effingham Bellweather *Johnny Kane as Walter, the Hotel Desk Clerk *John Dunsmuir as House Detective *

Shirley Grey Shirley Grey (born Agnes Zetterstrand; April 11, 1902 – August 12, 1981) was an American actress. She appeared in more than 40 films between 1930 and 1935. Biography Born in Naugatuck, Connecticut, Grey was the daughter of E. A Zetterstr ...

as House Detective's Wife * William Black as Deep Sea McGurk *Naomi Casey as Bratty Little Girl *Allen Wood as Caddy *

Harriet MacGibbon Harriet MacGibbon (born Harriet E. McGibbon; October 5, 1905 – February 8, 1987) was an American film, stage and television actress best known for her role as the insufferably snobbish, "blue-blooded Bostonian" Mrs. Margaret Drysdale in ...

as Woman Walking Dog

Notes

* ''The Golf Specialist'' is one of three W. C. Fields short films that fell into the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...

after the copyright lapsed in the 1960s (the other two being ''

'', 1932, and '' The Fatal Glass of Beer'', 1933). As such, these three films frequently appear on inexpensive video or DVD compilations.DVD writeup
/ref>

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Golf Specialist, The 1930 comedy films 1930 films 1930 short films American black-and-white films American comedy short films Golf films Films shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey Films with screenplays by W. C. Fields RKO Pictures short films Public domain 1930s English-language films Films directed by Monte Brice 1930s American films