Monday, July 17, 2006

The Juggler


I suffer from vertigo. A couple years ago, as part of self-help therapy, I took up juggling to help me work on my balance. I taught myself by watching W. C. Fields in "The Old-Fashioned Way", from 1934.
Fields plays The Great McGonigle, leader of a troupe in the early 1900's travelling from town to town just one step ahead of the last town's sheriff who's chasing them for unpaid bills.
It's a film full of great comedic moments, not just by Fields, but also by Jan Duggan as a town's rich widow, Cleopatra Pepperday, horribly singing "The Sea Shell Song" for an audition.
After the troupe performs 'The Drunkard' to a captive small-town audience, Fields closes the show with a juggling routine which is incredible. The years he juggled in vaudeville comes to life in a great sequence with balls, sticks, and cigar boxes. A real joy.

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