BrianRxm Coins in Movies 235/385
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941)
Waitress warns W. C. Fields about counterfeit pennies and nickels
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The 1941 film "Never Give a Sucker an Even Break" is a comedy starring W. C. Fields as basically himself. The film is a series of separate skits satirizing the film industry.
 
Early in the film Fields visits the cafe and is "served" by a surly waitress. He gives her a very small tip in change and she gives him a warning about counterfeit coins.
 
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Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
1. Title
The title is a cartoon figure of W. C. Fields expanding.
 
Fields visits the Esoteric Pictures studio offices and pitches a script for a new film to studio executive Mr. Pangborn (Franklin Pangborn). He then leaves the studio and goes to a coffee shop.
 
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
2. The "Cozy Corner Cafe"
The Cozy Corner's waitress appears.
 
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
3. The waitress (Jody Gilbert)
She is reading a racing form magazine and appears surly.
 
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
4. W. C. Fields orders
Fields orders several items and is is told that they are not available and finally gets some bread.
 
The waitress brings him a glass of water and spills ice into his pants.
 
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
5. Ice in the pants
W. C. Fields remarks "No extra charge for the cold shower, I hope."
 
Fields heads to the counter to pay the thirty-five cent charge.
 
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
6. W. C. Fields pays his 35 cents
Fields puts a couple of coins into a saucer.
 
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
7. Coins in the saucer
The coins are small and hard to see.
 
He buys some cigars and pays another quarter for them and mentions something to the waitress.
 
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
8. W. C. Fields explains about counterfeit money
You know, if anybody ever comes in here and gives you a $10 tip, uh, scrutinize it carefully because there's a lot of counterfeit money going around.
 
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
9. The waitress replies:
If I get any counterfeit nickels or pennies, I'll know where they came from.
 
Oddly enough, W. C. Fields was prophetic. In the early 1950's a New Jersey man, Francis Henning, minted over 100,000 counterfeit nickels. He was later arrested and spent time in prison.
 
Back at the movie studio, Field's niece (in the film), teenage singer Gloria Jean (Gloria Jean), is rehearsing a song.
 
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
10. Goose-stepping Nazis interrupt Gloria Jean
Nazis were a serious problem at the time.
 
Fields and Gloria Jean take an airplane to Russia where Fields falls out of a window.
 
He lands in the mountaintop home of the Hemoglobens, mother and daughter.
 
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
11. Fields meets Ouliotta Delight Hemogloben
Fields and Ouliotta Delight (Susan Miller) kiss and then the mother (Margaret Dumont) appears with her large intimidating dog.
 
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
12. Mrs. Hemogloben with her dog
The dog has big teeth.
 
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
13. The saber-tooth hound
Some other people arrive and Delight turns her affections to a young man.
 
Fields makes another friend.
 
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
14. W. C. Fields and friend
He and Gloria Jean leave and return to Hollywood.
 
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
15. W. C. Fields explains to the audience
This scene is supposed to be in a saloon, but the censor cut it out!
 
Fields is driving in Hollywood and is stopped by the police. The tell him that a Mrs. Wilson needs to go to the maternity hospital and Fields offers to drive her there.
 
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
16. Driving Mrs. Wilson to the maternity hospital
He drops her off at the hospital and returns to the studio.
 
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
17. W. C. Fields arrives at the studio
Cast, Directors, Writers:
 
W. C. Fields as himself
Franklin Pangborn as Mr. Pangborn
Jody Gilbert as the waitress
Gloria Jean as herself
Susan Miller as Ouliotta Delight
Margaret Dumont as Ouliotta's mother
 
Director: Edward F. Cline
Writers: John T. Neville, Prescott Chaplin, and Otis Criblecoblis (Fields)
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