The Old-Fashioned Way

The great W.C. Fields romps again in THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY, this time as an impoverished, but pompous, manager of a group of hammy actors. As the film opens, a sheriff shares a train platform with the acting troupe, which is about to depart to another staging of that weary vehicle "The Drunkard." The sheriff waits with a summons for Fields, charging him with bad debts. But Fields, approaching from behind the lawman, spots the summons and lights it with a match, then steps in front of the sheriff. With a sinister grin, the sheriff announces to Fields, "I have something for you!"--and whips forth his now-blazing summons, which Fields uses to light his cigar (thanking...