The Fatal Glass of Beer – A Snowy Pint with Fields and Fish

Okay, so yesterday evening, I dug up WC Fields’ “The Fatal Glass of Beer” (1933), directed by Clyde Bruckman. I hadn’t seen this one since… what was it, my first year at Kulturama in ’83? Lycksele was cold as a freezer in January, and for some reason, this film came up at filmklubben, probably because Nisse thought it was “criminally funny.” Now I can see why it stuck in my brain like the taste of a forgotten gravlax left in the back of the fridge.

So, WC Fields is just pure energy – that dry, grumpy energy that screams old Västerbotten uncle who refuses to shovel snow because “it’ll just snow again.” He just owns the screen, standing in a snowy cabin pointing out the moral rot of drinking the titular “fatal glass.” There’s never a sincere moment, which cracks me up. Fields is in full satirical mode, making fun of melodrama like he’s poking fun at a stodgy schoolteacher. The song he sings, off-key and all, reminded me of midsommar when Per Sundberg refused to give up the accordion, even though he played like a broken radio.

Clyde Bruckman, who worked with Buster Keaton and all sorts of heavy-hitters, just lets Fields take the piss out of everything. The timing is all off – but intentionally! It’s so bad, it’s brilliant? Sometimes the fake snow hits Fields in the face and you actually hear him swear under his breath, I think. The whole thing is under 20 minutes but manages to feel both too short and too long. I’m honestly not sure why I love it.

It’s maybe a weird pick for a Tuesday night, but for those who have ever rolled their eyes at cheesy moral tales – or tried bad moonshine in Norrland – this one is worth a laugh or ten. Just don’t take it too seriously, or you’ll end up colder than a February dip in Torneträsk.

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