The Fatal Glass of Beer (1933 film)

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The Fatal Glass of Beer is a short film released in 1933, starring W. C. Fields and produced by Mack Sennett. It was released theatrically by Paramount Pictures.

Written by Fields and directed by Clyde Bruckman, the film is a parody of rugged stage melodramas set in the Yukon. Fields serenades a mountie with "The Fatal Glass of Beer," a mournful song detailing the evils of foul drink and bad companions in the big city. A zither accompaniment recorded for the film seldom matches the vocal, because Fields subtly changes keys when the zither doesn't, resulting in a humorously off-key effect. Fields emphasizes the stagey satire by striking various poses and being overly theatrical with the dialogue. The most famous gag has Fields opening the cabin door periodically and exclaiming, "And it ain't a fit night out... for man nor beast!", with some obviously fake snow thrown into his face a moment later.

The Fatal Glass of Beer has always been a matter of taste. Much of the humor is so offbeat that the satire is lost on some viewers. Some enjoy its glaringly awful visual effects and Fields's under-the-breath improvisations, while others don't pick up on Fields's subtler ideas and simply don't find the film funny. The film was almost totally misunderstood in 1933. Producer Sennett thought it was terrible, although Fields defended it (in a letter reprinted in the book "W. C. Fields by Himself."). Exhibitors hated it, sending scathing reports to trade publications. Fields seldom tried so bizarre a satire again, although he did reprise the "man or beast" gag in the "old-time melodrama" sequence of The Old-Fashioned Way (1934).