W.C. Fields in the Land of Wu-Hu
Added 5/19/2005
One of the cinema's unheralded treasures, "International House" (1933) is a refreshingly bizarre musical-comedy that could only be made during the Depression era. Untouched by the Hays Office, the laughs come at a good clip with a once-in-a-lifetime cast: W.C. Fields, Burns and Allen, Stu Erwin, Bela Lugosi, Franklin Pangborn, Cab Calloway, Baby Rose Marie, and other names too numerous to mention. As Professor Quail, Fields does not make his grand entrance until the halfway mark, but dominates the proceedings with a nonstop stream of one-liners and alcoholic intake. A must-see!
6 out of 6 people found this helpful.
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Complete Mayhem!
Added 9/4/2002
With regard to the review of Nov 19 2001, it sounds like the reviewer obtained an incomplete copy of the film. My VHS has the scenes he states were deleted on his copy, and the video quality is great on mine! I wonder if he obtained a 'third party' video?I've loved this film since I was a child and know almost all the lines by heart. It is still fun to watch every so often just to see everyone ham it up! W.C. Fields was masterful in his role, having been done before alcohol took its toll on him. Peggy Hopkins Joyce, who was so well-known then and so little-known now, fills her role (and her gowns) with professional ease. Burns and Allen are a pleasure, as always, as the doctor and nurse at the hotel. This is a rare opportunity to see Bela Lugosi in a comedy part, and it makes me regret once more that he was so typecast as Dracula. Franklin Pangborn camps it up as usual as the hotel manager. Yes, there is a dated cultural ethnocentricity as one would expect with a film from this era, but nothing really offensive. Not a bad moment in this film. If you receive a cassette with the scenes missing as reviewed below, return it. Get the whole movie, it's worth it!
11 out of 12 people found this helpful.
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If you aren't the kind of person that likes comedy, then this film is not for you. You have to have a pulse and a funny bone to view this crazy side splitting 1933 comedy. I had never knew W.C Fields was so down to earth with his jokes. When Rudy Valee was singing a rather bizarre ballad, W.C. Fields made a rude remark about his singing. There's another scene in the movie where W.C. Fields drove his car down the outside stairs of the hotel. As crazy as it may seem, it was really funny. (Yoohoo!) This is the word you'll hear when Mr. Fields asks from his helicoptor "What city is this?" (PRICELESS!)
6 out of 6 people found this helpful.
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If you want to see this film in all its wacked-out glory...
Added 11/19/2001
This is one of our favourite films, and we all know it very well. Some years back before the DVD was available, we bought a VHS copy here at amazon, which must have been a cheap knockoff. It was 70 minutes of the worst editing we have ever seen.
A number of continuity scenes were deleted -- relatively minor offenses, but these scenes had assisted in setting the general ambiance. A crucial plot point was lost, and the entire lavish "China Teacup" production with Sterling Holloway was gone! I'm astonished they left Cab Calloway in there. These cuts are jarring, confusing and unnecessary. In addition, the quality of the print was murky.
It is available uncut on VHS, but we recommend the DVD because this is archival, and because (at least on the DVD we found) it also includes the excellent W.C. Fields episode of "Biography."
Also, the complete Fields oeuvre needs to come out on DVD along with Mae West and the Mark Brothers. I'll say that as often as I need to. Thank you.
[Edited 8-23-03 and re-edited 6-20-09.]
5 out of 7 people found this helpful.
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They don't make 'em like this anymore.
Added 6/13/2001
I've always liked movies where lots of unassociated stuff happens. Movies like this, which are little more than showcases for popular acts of the time they were made, are among my favorites. ("Stormy Weather" is another good example.)You won't find a better example of this than "International House." The plot, such as it is, involves a Chinese guy who has invented something called a "radio scope" which, even though they didn't know it at the time, basically predicted the concept of satellite television. All kinds of bidders are flying to China from all over the world to bid on the contraption, including an Eastern Eurpopean Millionaire (Bela Lugosi, in one of his few non-horror roles; he's actually pretty good here), an American Ingenue with a capital "I" (Peggy Hopkins Joyce, who apparently really WAS an American ingenue) and other sorts. Tossed into the mix is of course WC Fields, who manages to land a bizarre flying contraption in the lobby of the hotel (you need to see this at least once before you die. It's pretty funny)! The acts on TV (and in the hotel, in the case of Burns and Allen) are really what the movie is all about. Cab Calloway's "Reefer Man" is a stand out, as is Rose Marie, all of about eight years old at the time singing a song that Sophie Tucker might have sung, given the chance. Fields is simply excellent here, as is his perennial movie nemesis, Franklin Pangborn (as the head clerk at the hotel desk--but why is this guy running a hotel in CHINA?) This is definitely a film you can watch many times, either all the way through or just for the parts you like best. Recommended!
9 out of 9 people found this helpful.
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OUTSTANDING!
Added 10/30/2009
this was probably the best video purchase i have ever made. amazing service and the greatest videos.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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W. C. Fields DVD Comedy Collection
Added 9/13/2009
Excellent reproduction of movies dating from the 1930's and 1940's by one of the greatest comic genius of all time.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Wonderful
Added 12/27/2008
I've reviewed some of these movies in their VHS format. This and volume 2 are a great collection if you are a Fields fan, and I'm hoping there will be a vol. 3.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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