This has got to be one of the funniest skits ever, by a genius comedian. I love how he plays with all the props. No CGI , no special gymnastics....Just PURE COMIC GENIUS!
I like how he rotated the cue ball while setting up, in order to....??? Up to now I overlooked that bit of nonsense. However, I still don't know how he got the name: Honest John
I didn't even notice this bit,because I was laughing so much, and I've seen it so many times, but the bit where he puts the chalk in his mouth and applies his cigar to the cue tip, is absolute genius!!
I grew up (I’m 62 now) loving WC Fields, but You Tube finally allowed me to truly appreciate what a comic genius he was. Here I am watching clips I’ve seen many times before and still enjoying every minute of them.
When I was 11 years old, my Father and I were visiting his parents in Pennsylvania. WPIX channel 11 was running a WC Fields marathon that started at 10pm and my Father let me stay up to watch a few movies. At 3:00am, my Grandfather came out and said to us, "Would you two please shut up - I'm trying to sleep!" He turned and went back to bed; my Father looked at me and started to laugh. I use to get in trouble when I laughed at my Father, but watching him laugh at his Father was just glorious. It was a perfect Father & Son moment. The movies were great and I've been watching WC ever since. He is by far, the funniest actor ever in a movie. Can you imagine how he'd be if he smoked marijuana? Yo.
I remember being up at a friends family cottage in Maine back in the 70's. We went out to have a few beers and then enjoyed a joint before heading back to the cottage. When we got back his mother was watching Saturday Night Live (it was a great show back then) and she was watching the bit about the instant tea machine, She watched it and said it made no sense to her, her son and I were rolling on the floor when his dad came in. His comment was I think they have been doing more than drinking beer,
The Marx brothers smoked weed, probably with musicians in their early days. I wouldn't doubt Fields had tried it, but he drank like Willie Nelson smokes. They don't often get along if you've spent a few years drunk then puff down a jazz cigarette some trumpet player gave you at a bar one night and you trip out til dawn still drinking but terrifyingly paranoid. I bet a lot of demonization back around 1900 had to do with well meaning black jazz musicians giving crazy drunk white men the odd spliff so they could give their liver a break. History is a wild ride when you start to get to know people by their action and art...
W.C. Feilds had that remarkable talent of making any person watching him comply with his time,and space. Fields may seem like a bafoon, but he is always in control from start to finish...... One of the best
Such great visual humour, I am crying at how well he did this. He was an amazing jugler, there is film of him doing an amazing routine, such great hands.
There are so many layers of comedy in this clip, you need to watch it several times. I miss so much with my eyes closed in laughter. Today's comedians are children compated to this genius.
The funniest scene ever made. Incredible how the guy kept a straight face as WC Fields went through his brilliant routine, he was a genius, we'll never see his like again mores the pity.
How do you keep repeating the same stupid schtick, trying to catch the waving pool cue .. over and over .. and it STILL makes you laugh out loud each time like the first?? THAT's comic genius!
You have discovered "irony," the use of words different from their literal intent. Congratulations. You've done it. The joke, you've found it. Scotland Yard will surely promote you for Detective Inspector for cracking this case, you're a credit to the Noticing Unit of the Look! Brigade. Brilliant work.
THE genius. Forget Chaplin, forget Keaton, forget all of them--I mean, don't FORGET them, just realize Fields was the true genius of the screen comedians then or now.
Absolutely brilliant clip!! Superb timing; and how the other guy keeps a straight face I'll never know. Every time i watch this it has me in stitches - fantastic!!!
The guy who turned me on to WC Fields was an alcoholic Mormon who would probably have been happier to have lived in the 1930's. I am forever indebted to him.
Today there was an actual news headline about a guy bringing up someone's prosthetic leg in a fishing net in the Gulf of Mexico, and then FINDING ITS OWNER!! First thing that pops into my head is..."DAMN! A real-life Honest John!!!" THANK YOU for posting this classic bit, Mr. Dunkenfield!
I don't think he thought past sunrise the next day, and that he didn't give a damn about modern people laughing at him or anyone else. He was earning a paycheck to live high, and the higher the better.
@@bobtaylor170 No one can give it like Groucho or take it like Fields. It's always so satisfying when Fields wins once in a while. Both masters of their craft. Watch WC Fields juggling way back then, they said he was the world's best and I must say, he's pretty amazing. Cheers
The man was a genius at improvision with props. Red Skelton took his ques from WC Fields. WC Fields, the greatest comedian who ever lived. Died in 1946.
Fields died the same day that Great Grandfather did. I grew watching W.C. Fields movies on Saturday afternoon “tea time” movies and have been a huge fan of his ever since. If you ever get the chance check a movie called “W.C. Fields and Me” with Rod Steiger (as Fields) and Valerie Perine (as Carlotta Monti, his longtime mistress). It’s based on a book of the same title written by Monti.
I'm a 76 year old man.I have never seen this particular skit before,I have watched many of his other one's though. Today was the hardest I have laughed in many,many years. The man was the best at improv. I've saved it for future "pick-me-ups". Many thanks.
Not a second of that was improv, nor were any of his film performances. Almost all of his sight gags are recaps of his silent film antics, or vaudeville stage hijinks. His banter is 100% vaudeville. Fields was a well seasoned pro, every nuance scripted, choreographed, and rehearsed to perfection. Spontaneous generation of gags is a hallmark of stand-up, a genre of humor Fields never engaged in.
@@ludditeneaderthal spot on. Just ask what's the glass eye about. And quickly realize the poor thing was only returned after being knocked around the pool table into the wee hours.
Do yourself a favor and find the Fields clip that features a General store that Fields owns and this blind guy, Mr. Muckle comes in. One thing I can never do is say this is my favorite clip. There are at least 20 of my "favorite clip" out there and the other 22,000 are "incredibly funny clips."
WC Fields movies were usually played late at night on some obscure TV channel, probably UHF (I bet most don't even know what that is), before that days of cable TV. I watched while in bed, and had to contain my laughter so as not to wake up the wife and kids. That was impossible. The whole bed shook and so did the rest of the house, and I woke up everyone anyway. I've been watching a lot of his movie scenes on UA-cam this weekend and my gut hurts from all the laughing. What a genius!
I'm back on a binge again! I really love the way he sets up these situations. So much build up, knowing the audience is desperate to see the expected result to the point of frustration, and never quite finding satisfaction! Purest comedy at its finest!
Yes, it's really the comedy of frustration and slow burn. And it helps that it's so silent, which builds the tension (of course it's meant to be watched with a live audience, so there would be constant laughter).
That other guy gets just as much respect for being the perfect straight man for this bit. I would've been in tears from laughter after he flipped the cue ball.
That's Tammany Young, who played straight man in several of Field's movies. He died aged 49, in 1936, his death devastated Fields. Very interesting character in real life too.
One mark of great comedy is knowing what's coming and still laughing because the timing of the line is perfection. WC was the best in delivering lines and physical comedy. He refused to follow the Marx Bros on the stage, but he feared no one else. Thanks for posting footage of this American Classic
Supposedly Fields was quoted as saying that he never drank water because "fish fuck in it". I don't know that he actually said that, but if he did it was probably part of his schick. Anyway, W.C.Fields has to be one of the funniest and most talented people ever. RIP.....
He does another scene around a pool table where he bounces the the ball numerous times off of the cue stick. He had absolutely amazing dexterity. It's a longer scene than this, and even funnier, too, IMHO. It includes a peculiar little straight man who wears an insanely large hat, that adds a real humourous touch to the scene. It's a riot and a classic; Fields at his best!
Punch Line? The skit needed none. I just watched this for the first time, and found it rather funny, not for the dialog alone, but the sight gags as well. Far more entertaining that a lot of modern comedy that requires base language to entertain. Besides, this was a movie, and the characters backgrounds only served to make it funnier that the one scene shown here.
This has got to be one of the funniest skits ever, by a genius comedian. I love how he plays with all the props. No CGI , no special gymnastics....Just PURE COMIC GENIUS!
I like how he rotated the cue ball while setting up, in order to....??? Up to now I overlooked that bit of nonsense. However, I still don't know how he got the name: Honest John
I don't know how many times I've seen this, but I'm in tears every time.
Solid gold.
Never gets old 😂
@@bamboo59.52I’m here again!
same. I'd forgotten about this
I didn't even notice this bit,because I was laughing so much, and I've seen it so many times, but the bit where he puts the chalk in his mouth and applies his cigar to the cue tip, is absolute genius!!
I grew up (I’m 62 now) loving WC Fields, but You Tube finally allowed me to truly appreciate what a comic genius he was. Here I am watching clips I’ve seen many times before and still enjoying every minute of them.
Priceless, superb timing. The moment he chalks the cue with the cigar is just comic perfection.
When I was 11 years old, my Father and I were visiting his parents in Pennsylvania. WPIX channel 11 was running a WC Fields marathon that started at 10pm and my Father let me stay up to watch a few movies. At 3:00am, my Grandfather came out and said to us, "Would you two please shut up - I'm trying to sleep!" He turned and went back to bed; my Father looked at me and started to laugh. I use to get in trouble when I laughed at my Father, but watching him laugh at his Father was just glorious. It was a perfect Father & Son moment. The movies were great and I've been watching WC ever since. He is by far, the funniest actor ever in a movie. Can you imagine how he'd be if he smoked marijuana? Yo.
How do you know he wasn't on weed while acting? Hard to tell the difference.
I remember being up at a friends family cottage in Maine back in the 70's. We went out to have a few beers and then enjoyed a joint before heading back to the cottage. When we got back his mother was watching Saturday Night Live (it was a great show back then) and she was watching the bit about the instant tea machine,
She watched it and said it made no sense to her, her son and I were rolling on the floor when his dad came in. His comment was I think they have been doing more than drinking beer,
He probably wouldn't be as funny. Shalom
The Marx brothers smoked weed, probably with musicians in their early days. I wouldn't doubt Fields had tried it, but he drank like Willie Nelson smokes. They don't often get along if you've spent a few years drunk then puff down a jazz cigarette some trumpet player gave you at a bar one night and you trip out til dawn still drinking but terrifyingly paranoid. I bet a lot of demonization back around 1900 had to do with well meaning black jazz musicians giving crazy drunk white men the odd spliff so they could give their liver a break. History is a wild ride when you start to get to know people by their action and art...
Beautiful dad story.
W.C. Feilds had that remarkable talent of making any person watching him comply with his time,and space.
Fields may seem like a bafoon, but he is always in control from start to finish...... One of the best
Such great visual humour, I am crying at how well he did this. He was an amazing jugler, there is film of him doing an amazing routine, such great hands.
There are so many layers of comedy in this clip, you need to watch it several times. I miss so much with my eyes closed in laughter. Today's comedians are children compated to this genius.
The funniest scene ever made. Incredible how the guy kept a straight face as WC Fields went through his brilliant routine, he was a genius, we'll never see his like again mores the pity.
I agree if he was still around today some wan** would be offended
This is a routine he performed in Vaudeville as many of his movies drew from his act.
How do you keep repeating the same stupid schtick, trying to catch the waving pool cue .. over and over .. and it STILL makes you laugh out loud each time like the first?? THAT's comic genius!
@@pfwed3443 It's the slow burn of the repetition. It's the comedy of frustration. Each time it repeats, it's funnier.
A true genius at work - absolutely hilarious!
An absolute classic!! It doesn't matter how many times i've seen this, it still makes me laugh & cry
He is called "honest" John, but quickly covers the rip on the pool table and walks away.
Therein lies the comedic theme
Thanks, I didn't notice
You have discovered "irony," the use of words different from their literal intent. Congratulations. You've done it. The joke, you've found it. Scotland Yard will surely promote you for Detective Inspector for cracking this case, you're a credit to the Noticing Unit of the Look! Brigade. Brilliant work.
THE genius. Forget Chaplin, forget Keaton, forget all of them--I mean, don't FORGET them, just realize Fields was the true genius of the screen comedians then or now.
Like him with Mae Wedt.
Timeless! absolutly classic..the catching the tip of the pool cue is still tear enducing! love it!
The Greatest Comedian who ever lived........
+Catso Mann May have also been the greatest juggler of his era. Excellent tennis player, and golfer.
Catso Mann For a man that hated kids and dogs, he wasn't all that bad.
Catso Mann ; So True!
Cannot think of anyone else doing this. He was a one-man genre. Perfect.
Absolutely brilliant clip!! Superb timing; and how the other guy keeps a straight face I'll never know. Every time i watch this it has me in stitches - fantastic!!!
His routine with the pool cue is absolutely priceless.
The guy who turned me on to WC Fields was an alcoholic Mormon who would probably have been happier to have lived in the 1930's. I am forever indebted to him.
One of the funniest comedian of all-times and my fav!!! Fields had been doin this pool routine since his vauldville days.
This may be his most famous sequence. It is brilliant on several levels and has ever been surpassed.
Loved the waving cue stick schtick! That takes practice!
Today there was an actual news headline about a guy bringing up someone's prosthetic leg in a fishing net in the Gulf of Mexico, and then FINDING ITS OWNER!! First thing that pops into my head is..."DAMN! A real-life Honest John!!!" THANK YOU for posting this classic bit, Mr. Dunkenfield!
I haven't seen this clip is years. My wife had to come into the room to see what I was laughing so hard at. PURE GENIUS!
This is one of the funniest clips I've ever seen.I can make myself laugh out loud just by thinking of it!
The funniest man of the 20th century. I laugh so hard I squirt tears watching this master. My role model for adulthood. Terrific.
Steve
I have watched this at least 10 times and it still makes me laugh.
The Russian army walking over my tongue in their stocking feet! I know the feeling. What a great comic.
I wonder if he ever thought 80 year's later we'd still be laughing ?
I don't think he thought past sunrise the next day, and that he didn't give a damn about modern people laughing at him or anyone else. He was earning a paycheck to live high, and the higher the better.
still funny in 2018.
He has me in tears...as usual....
Christopher Beckens kudu C
There's no apostrophe in years. Junior College is very near. GO.
I haven't seen this in about 25 - 30 years. I laughed so hard I cried. So good to see his genius again. Thanks for posting.
Do you still answer 11 years later pls?
He drinks a whole bottle of hard liquor, and then cringes at the thought of drinking water :-)>
Absolutely Hilarious !!!! I never got to see any of W.C. Fields work as I was growing up. What a treat !!!
"Everything you like to do is wrong." That's so me and my wife.
Just the absolute epitome of comedic genius. The director really adds to it as well.
Fields had it all ....comedy genius with a HUGE likable personality 👏
I havent seen that movie in 45 years and still this clip makes me laugh out loud.
I’m in tears I can’t stop laughing after he took that cue ball to the head!
Fields' character, unlike Groucho's, is forever assaulted, isn't he? I love Groucho, but no one can make me laugh like Fields.
@@bobtaylor170 No one can give it like Groucho or take it like Fields.
It's always so satisfying when Fields wins once in a while.
Both masters of their craft.
Watch WC Fields juggling way back then, they said he was the world's best and I must say, he's pretty amazing.
Cheers
He once said,"I don't drink water....fish make love in it!"
He did not say that. He used the word FUCK. That's what he once said.
@@jesush.christ3003 thank jesus someone knows the quote!
my 13 year old son love this and other W.C. clips! he says it's some of the funniest stuff he's ever seen1
The man was a genius at improvision with props. Red Skelton took his ques from WC Fields. WC Fields, the greatest comedian who ever lived. Died in 1946.
Fields died the same day that Great Grandfather did. I grew watching W.C. Fields movies on Saturday afternoon “tea time” movies and have been a huge fan of his ever since. If you ever get the chance check a movie called “W.C. Fields and Me” with Rod Steiger (as Fields) and Valerie Perine (as Carlotta Monti, his longtime mistress). It’s based on a book of the same title written by Monti.
What a guy! I’ve seen this one several times and it still makes me laugh. His motions and timing are perfect. 👌
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸😎👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I'm a 76 year old man.I have never seen this particular skit before,I have watched many of his other one's though. Today was the hardest I have laughed in many,many years. The man was the best at improv. I've saved it for future "pick-me-ups". Many thanks.
Not a second of that was improv, nor were any of his film performances. Almost all of his sight gags are recaps of his silent film antics, or vaudeville stage hijinks. His banter is 100% vaudeville. Fields was a well seasoned pro, every nuance scripted, choreographed, and rehearsed to perfection. Spontaneous generation of gags is a hallmark of stand-up, a genre of humor Fields never engaged in.
@@ludditeneaderthal Well excuse me. I didn't know you were there for the filming.
@@ludditeneaderthal spot on. Just ask what's the glass eye about. And quickly realize the poor thing was only returned after being knocked around the pool table into the wee hours.
This routine is right up there with the "Carl LaFong" porch scene in "It's a Gift"! PRICELESS.
It never stops being funny especially when the cue ball cracks him on the head.
LMAO!!!!
Thanks for posting! This clip has stayed with me for 40 years. And still makes me laugh
One of the funniest scenes I’ve ever seen!
Must agree with last statement. I watch at least once a day, most uplifting.
Breaking with laughter -just rediscovering this old character, never knew his comedy well, now I see it is pure pure genius.
Do yourself a favor and find the Fields clip that features a General store that Fields owns and this blind guy, Mr. Muckle comes in. One thing I can never do is say this is my favorite clip. There are at least 20 of my "favorite clip" out there and the other 22,000 are "incredibly funny clips."
@@TopazShane Thank you good Sir, I certainly will do - Mr. Fields was one of a kind.
WC Fields movies were usually played late at night on some obscure TV channel, probably UHF (I bet most don't even know what that is), before that days of cable TV. I watched while in bed, and had to contain my laughter so as not to wake up the wife and kids. That was impossible. The whole bed shook and so did the rest of the house, and I woke up everyone anyway. I've been watching a lot of his movie scenes on UA-cam this weekend and my gut hurts from all the laughing. What a genius!
Ah the vaudevillians were masters and formed a foundation to so much of our timeless comedy. Thanks for posting! I needed a good 'ole fashioned laugh.
I haven't seen this in so long...I laughed till my chest hurt even though I knew what was comming.
I love it when he just starts humming at the most random moments. . .
Cue manipulation is marvelous, he creates the same angst as laurel an hardy do in the music box
One glass for everyone on top of the water cooler 😄
Total classic so shuttle so smooth so lucky to grownup watching real talent
Hard to believe that was his real nose. When he died they put it in a pickle jar to preserve it for posterity. Posterity didn't want it either.
Fields said to someone once, you are making fun of an affliction. And so are you.
I'm back on a binge again! I really love the way he sets up these situations. So much build up, knowing the audience is desperate to see the expected result to the point of frustration, and never quite finding satisfaction! Purest comedy at its finest!
Yes, it's really the comedy of frustration and slow burn. And it helps that it's so silent, which builds the tension (of course it's meant to be watched with a live audience, so there would be constant laughter).
Comedy! In rare form. I love it still! 🤣😂🙃🤣😂🙃Rolling on the floor funny, even after all these years,
When that ball hit him in the head if you listen closely you can hear him say, “Damn.” Lol
The cue changing handa at 2:05 is brilliant.
That other guy gets just as much respect for being the perfect straight man for this bit. I would've been in tears from laughter after he flipped the cue ball.
That was a bit of genius.
That's Tammany Young, who played straight man in several of Field's movies. He died aged 49, in 1936, his death devastated Fields. Very interesting character in real life too.
I was in tears from laughter after he flipped the cue ball. I had not seen that one before.
Tammy Jung was a well-known Hollywood party crasher
oh... just watched it a second time and it still brought tears to my eyes of laughter. brilliant
Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
We killed 3 quarts of rye. No the Duchess doesn't drink....
That put a smile on my face, ear to ear!
One mark of great comedy is knowing what's coming and still laughing because the timing of the line is perfection. WC was the best in delivering lines and physical comedy. He refused to follow the Marx Bros on the stage, but he feared no one else.
Thanks for posting footage of this American Classic
What a master! Also, this is the best 'Shaggy-dog story' ever to be filmed.
I can't think of a greater comedic genius.
Watch The Skies : Nor can I!
Have watched this several times and it breaks me up each time as much as the first. It’s brilliant!
Great physical comedian!
Best sketch Ever!
Must agree with last comment Since findig this have watched at least once a day for a good laugh!!!
An underrated genius! RIP sir ❤
Comedic genius, that's for sure!
"...I gave it back to him". Perhaps the funniest line in comedy.
Priceless. Simple humor, the best. Thanks for the video.
the guy called "DOC" in the Billiard Parlor , is none other than Tammany Young, who was in several films with W.C.
one of the funniest sketches ever
! ...."Honest John, why do you drink so much?",... "because I like it."
Amazing writers. Amazing direction. Amazing actors.
Fields wrote his films himself.
My wasted youth will testify to the accuracy of his break shot method by drunks. And seriously phenomenal coordination went into that skit as well.
Can anyone watch this without laughing several times?
I was watching this while donating blood and trying to lie still despite shaking from laughing.
Supposedly Fields was quoted as saying that he never drank water because "fish fuck in it". I don't know that he actually said that, but if he did it was probably part of his schick. Anyway, W.C.Fields has to be one of the funniest and most talented people ever. RIP.....
"he used to take this glass eye out and put in a tumbler of water"
JacoZawinul : “WEATHER REPORT”?! Is that you?!
Yes the funnest man we've had,, W.C. ...
Drinking that whole bottle of booze wrecked him😆🤣
I've watched a lot of these little bits and this is the first time, I have to admit, I laughed my guts out. Thanx for posting.
How old are you ?👋
Best ever W C Fields scene.
This is definitely one of his very best. Most famous, too, probably. The one with him golfing is very strong as well, "Eye on the ball, ladies!"
Great scene of the great man.
Fantastic I can’t stop laughing 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I saw these when I was a kid and loved them then. They are even funnier now.
LOL...gr8 clip...still makes me laugh, brings tears to my eyes...I admired him so, my poker screen name is dedicated to him...AAAAYES
So brilliant. Timing at its' best.
He does another scene around a pool table where he bounces the the ball numerous times off of the cue stick. He had absolutely amazing dexterity. It's a longer scene than this, and even funnier, too, IMHO. It includes a peculiar little straight man who wears an insanely large hat, that adds a real humourous touch to the scene. It's a riot and a classic; Fields at his best!
He was considered the world's greatest juggler as well!!
Punch Line? The skit needed none. I just watched this for the first time, and found it rather funny, not for the dialog alone, but the sight gags as well. Far more entertaining that a lot of modern comedy that requires base language to entertain. Besides, this was a movie, and the characters backgrounds only served to make it funnier that the one scene shown here.
Genius.
My stomach is aching with laughter!