Man on the Flying Trapeze (The Memory Expert) (1935)
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81% of users liked it
(108 ratings)
W.C. Fields plays Ambrose Wolfinger, the henpecked husband to end all henpecked husbands. A widower, Ambrose married a second time only to provide a mother for his pretty daughter (Mary Brian). What he got was an overbearing harpy of a wife (Kathleen Howard), a fussy and imperious mother-in-law… More W.C. Fields plays Ambrose Wolfinger, the henpecked husband to end all henpecked husbands. A widower, Ambrose married a second time only to provide a mother for his pretty daughter (Mary Brian). What he got was an overbearing harpy of a wife (Kathleen Howard), a fussy and imperious mother-in-law (Vera Lewis) and a shiftless brother-in-law (Grady Sutton). Ambrose plans to attend a much-awaited wrestling match, but can't get the day off of work. He lies for the first time in his life, telling his boss that his mother-in-law has died. En route to the wrestling meet, Ambrose suffers one mishap after another, from a string of traffic tickets to an encounter with a runaway tire. He gets to the match just in time to miss the whole thing, and ends up bruised and battered on the sidewalk. Meanwhile, his home is being deluged with flowers, offered in sympathy for his "dead" mother-in-law who is very much alive but not amused. When his boss discovers the deception, he fires Ambrose. The poor man returns home to face the cold stares of his wife's family. They goad and harass him until he can stand no more: when brother-in-law insults his daughter, Ambrose punches him out (a scene that always results in audience cheers) and tells everyone else where to go. Soon after, his anxious ex-boss calls up; only Ambrose can decipher the important messages left behind on his cluttered desk, and would Ambrose like to come back to work? His loyal and loving daughter negotiates a hefty salary hike for Ambrose, and the film ends with Our Hero assuming his proper role as head of the household, with his obnoxious in-laws literally left out in the rain. An uproarious "worm turns" farce, Man on the Flying Trapeze was an expanded version of 1932 Mack Sennett two-reeler, Too Many Highballs, and a partial remake of Fields' own silent feature Running Wild (27). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Clyde Bruckman
- Written By
- W.C. Fields, Ray Harris
- Genres
- Classics, Comedy
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Jan 1, 1935 Wide
- Studio
- Paramount Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
A plangent anti-Cult of Domesticity symphony
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
No Featured Audience Ratings Found…
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Cast
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W.C. Fields
as Ambrose Wolfinger
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Mary Brian
as Hope Wolfinger
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Kathleen Howard
as Leona Wolfinger
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Grady Sutton
as Claude Neselrode
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Vera Lewis
as Mrs. Cordelia Neselrode
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Lucien Littlefield
as Mr. Peabody
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Oscar Apfel
as President Malloy
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Lew Kelly
as Adolph Berg
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Arthur Ayleswofth
as Night Court Judge
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Tammany Young
as Willie the Weasel
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Walter Brennan
as "Legs" Garnett
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Harry Ekezian
as Hookallockah Mishabbob
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David Clyde
as J. Farnsworth Wallaby
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Jack Baxley
as Night Court Officer
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Mickey Bennett
as Office Employee
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Billy Bletcher
as Timekeeper
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Harry C. Bradley
as Peeved Driver
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James Burke
as Patrolman
- Eddy Chandler
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Charles "Heinie" Conklin
as Street Cleaner
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Sarah Edwards
as Car Owner
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James Flavin
as Henry the Chauffeur
- Edward Gargan
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Tor Johnson
as Tosoff Russian Behemoth
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Sam Lufkin
as Ticket Taker
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Carlotta Monti
as Ambrose's Secretary
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Charles E. Morris
as Turnkey
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Pat O'Malley
as Officer
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Lorin Raker
as Ring Announcer
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Eddie Sturgis
as Bystander at Arena Gate
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Rosemary Theby
as Helpful Pedestrian
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Minerva Urecal
as Italian Woman in Ambulance
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Michael Visaroff
as Homicidal Maniac
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Joe Sawyer
as Ambulance Driver
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Helen Dickson
as Miss Dickson
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Keith Daniels
as Ticket Seller
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Robert Littlefield
as Neighbor with Correct Time
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Albert Taylor
as Clerk
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Dorothy Thompson
as Information Girl
