Redwarmin This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Lawbolisted Powerful

Brainsbell The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Wizard-8 I wanted to see this movie for a couple of decades after I first heard about it, but none of the TV stations in my area ever aired it, and (despite its cult) it has never been released on video or DVD. Thank goodness for Turner Classic Movies, which aired this recently.Was it worth the wait? Yes it was. Certainly, the movie isn't perfect - there are several episodes that seem a bit too close to their themes. Two segments concern criminals who can't cash their checks, and there are two segments about cowed individuals who get revenge against their bosses once they get their checks. But there's a lot more positive to say about the movie. ALL the episodes are entertaining, the best being the W. C. Fields episode (hilarious even though you'll think of modern day and deadly road rage while watching it.) And enough of the segments concern people getting what they have desired to get for a long time - you'll really relate to them.Come on, Universal, release this on DVD!

mukava991 This box of Paramount chocolates contains a couple of duds but enough tasty morsels to justify consumption. The episodes are housed in a raucous, funny framing story starring the one and only Richard Bennett as a cantankerous millionaire who decides to give his fortune away to total strangers rather than leave it to the greedy pack of family vultures lurking around his death bed. We are presented with several outcomes of the bestowal of sudden unearned wealth: fulfillment of revenge fantasies, degrees of self-indulgence, and even two unfortunate cases where character flaws or plain old uncooperative fate prevent the recipient from enjoying the miraculous bounty offered.The best segment, combining high comedy with deep drama, stars the incomparable May Robson as a sad denizen of an old ladies' home who turns the tables on management when her ship comes in. Another geriatric entry stars Alison Skipworth as a tea shoppe proprietress (and former vaudeville performer) and her male companion (WC Fields) who avenge themselves on every roadhog they can find after one such menace totals their new car. Although much of this little adventure is given to repeated car crashes, the performances of the leads lift it from common slapstick.Second runners up: A sweet tale about a mild-mannered, henpecked clerk in a china shop (Charles Ruggles, in the kind of role one would normally associate with WC Fields) whose money provides the opportunity for messy and satisfying revenge on his boss; Mary Boland is on hand as his chatterbox wife. Equally good is Charles Laughton in a very short segment about how a clerk reacts to the arrival of a check in the mail—simple, beautiful, stately and very obviously directed by Ernst Lubitsch. One notch down from these are segments with George Raft as a desperate forger who can't cash his check because he's wanted by the law; Wynne Gibson as a prostitute who treats herself to a luxury hotel room as reward for having suffered a life of degradation. At the bottom: a uncomfortable bit with Gene Raymond as a death row prisoner; a rather strained segment with Gary Cooper, Roscoe Karns and Jack Oakie as three disobedient Marines who think their check is a practical joke.

MartinHafer Wow, is this a terrific old film. I've enjoyed it so much that I've seen it several times and it really has withstood the test of time.The film is made up of many short films all linked together with an overarching plot. Each segment has its own director and the film is absolutely chock full of talent--making it one of the most star-studded films of the era.The film begins in the mansion of a sick old multimillionaire. As he's lying there supposedly about to die, the house if full of sycophantic relatives all hoping to get a piece of the pie when he dies. However, the old codger will have none of it and gets the idea of giving away his fortune to total strangers--giving each a check for $1,000,000.Some of the segments are ironic or sad (such as the guy on death row) but most are humorous. My favorites (and they all are good) include W.C. Fields and his wife as they deal with "road hogs", Charles Lawton in a terrifically understated short as well as Charlie Ruggles as the put upon man working in a china shop. However, THE best one is the last one that involves an old folks home where fun and excitement are strictly forbidden.This film nearly earns a 10 due to exceptional writing, direction and cast. It's a joy to watch from start to finish and is a film that deserves to be seen again.

roger-513 The Charles Laughton section was the first I saw of this film when it was run at The National film Theatre in London in the 60s.It seems there were two versions of this part made. For the US all Laughton does is blow a large raspberry (Bronx Cheer for those in the US). In a version that was, presumably, made for the British audiences he also does a perfect V sign (palm back) which is the equivalent of 'the finger' in the US.Was this because the Americans did not understand the meaning of the V sign or was it to avoid offending their sensibilities. We will probably never know. Either way it a marvellous part of the film.