Movie Reviews

‘You’re Telling Me’ Blu-Ray Review – W.C. Fields Pre-Code Comedy Is Drop Dead Funny

By Dillon Gonzales
May 4, 2022
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Comedy legend W.C. Fields (The Bank Dick) plays an inventor with a taste for drink in You’re Telling Me!, a rough-and-tumble Pre-Code. Having failed to sell his latest invention, Sam Bisbee (Fields) meets Marie Lescaboura (Adrienne Ames, The Death Kiss) on the train back to Crystal Springs, unaware that she is a foreign princess traveling incognito. Deciding to help make her new friend a success, Marie pays a visit to Sam’s hometown where she attempts to turn an uncouth eccentric into the darling of the country club set. Directed by Erle C. Kenton (Island of Lost Souls) and co-starring Joan Marsh (Road to Zanzibar) and Larry “Buster” Crabbe (Buck Rogers), this zany gem also features Fields’ uproarious recreation of his classic golfing sketch first performed in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1918.

For thoughts on You’re Telling Me, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/_Ii4uA0MNE8?t=4708]

Video Quality

You’re Telling Me makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Kino Classics with a brand new 1080p master from a 2K scan. This presentation is honestly very impressive for a film that is almost 90 years old. The new transfer shows off a great amount of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s composition. Black levels are deep with no overwhelming occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is well defined, and the track only experiences a minor amount of flicker and density fluctuation in the print. There is a pleasing amount of detail present with nice textures on the clothing and within the production design. The sparkling black-and-white photography shot by Alfred Gilks shines in high definition with natural grain intact. There is still a pretty fine layer of minor nicks and scratches, but it is apparent that it has been cleaned up immensely. Kino Classics has done some great work here.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a pretty decent DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that serves this movie well considering its place in early cinema. As is typical of this time, the track sounds a bit thin when it comes to the music, which almost assuredly dates back to the source elements. Dialogue and background noises are represented in harmony with all competing elements. Music never overpowers the dialogue or other important information throughout the duration. This track only presents with a small amount of age related wear and tear and some light hissing and crackles. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film. Kino Classics has done some admirable work to make this sound as pleasant as the material will allow.

Special Features

Wayne and Shuster Take An Affectionate Look At W.C Fields: A terrific 52-minute vintage documentary hosted by Wayne and Shuster in which they take a look at the career of W.C. Fields, his gift for physical comedy, the unlikely way he got audiences to root for “unlikable” characters, his exaggerated takes, his poverty-stricken childhood, his rough family life, the hilarious names he gave his characters, his penchant for drinking and more. This is a fun one for old-school fans and newcomers alike.

Trailers: There are trailers provided for The Old Fashioned Way, You Can’t Cheat An Honest Man, The Bank Dick, My Little Chickadee and Alice In Wonderland.

Final Thoughts

You’re Telling Me is one of the best early Hollywood comedies we have seen to date. The Pre-Code nature of the production gives it a free-wheeling energy that helps it stand out as a bit daring. W.C. Fields does some of his best work here as he delivers some of the most gut-busting routines of his career. The brief runtime ensures that this one never drags, just asking you to revisit it again and again. Kino Classics has delivered a Blu-Ray release that sports both a lovely A/V presentation and a fun retrospective feature. Fans of the performer will especially like this one, but anyone with a soft spot for old Hollywood comedies should add this to their list. Highly Recommended

You’re Telling Me is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.