It's a Gift

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

W.C. Fields and Baby LeRoy in It's a Gift (1934)

A henpecked New Jersey grocer makes plans to move to California to grow oranges, despite the resistance of his overbearing wife.A henpecked New Jersey grocer makes plans to move to California to grow oranges, despite the resistance of his overbearing wife.A henpecked New Jersey grocer makes plans to move to California to grow oranges, despite the resistance of his overbearing wife.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

5.9K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win

Photos18

+ 11

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The final scene, on Bissonette's "orange ranch", was filmed at the house and property W.C. Fields was living in at the time of the filming. For his entire life, Fields rented living quarters, adamantly refusing to buy a house or land.

Goofs
When Bissonette is opening the can of tomatoes with an ax you can tell that the splash of tomato juice is coming off-screen and not from the can.

Quotes
Harry Payne Bosterly: You're drunk!
Harold: And you're crazy. But I'll be sober tomorrow and you'll be crazy for the rest of your life.

Crazy credits
The confrontation between W.C. Fields and Baby LeRoy was such a popular success that for this rematch the title card includes "with Baby LeRoy" as if the infant had second billing.

Connections
Featured in Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter (1982)

Soundtracks
California, Here I Come
(1924) (uncredited)
Music by Joseph Meyer
Played during opening and end credits, as well as on a record

User reviews86

Review

Featured review

10/10

It's the Best

I'm not going to repeat the story here. The story line is serviceable, but not as important as the situations and the set pieces. Mundane things like light bulbs and back porches become magical in this movie, though exactly what kind of magic is open to debate.

But I will say that this is the best of W.C. Fields's films, and that's saying something (though I do like "Million Dollar Legs" an awful lot). And I'd put "It's a Gift" in the Top 10 list of the best sound comedies ever made, and maybe in the Top 5.

The production is about as tacky as Golden Age Paramount was capable of. Compared to the Marx Brother's "Duck Soup" which was made in the same place at almost the same time, it looks like home movies.

But "It's a Gift" is every bit as funny as "Duck Soup," if not more so, and has aged less than Paramount's high-style comedies with MacDonald and Chevalier (which are still wonderful but require more of an effort from modern audiences).

Whether you plug into Fields's comedy as a painful commentary on the human condition, or if you just want some belly laughs with no strings attached , this is the film to watch. And if it's the first time you're seeing it, I envy you.

And best regards from Carl LaFong.