The last two shorts that W.C. Fields made for Mack Sennett at Paramount were a kind of dress rehearsal for the film character he was to develop in his classic features for Paramount and Universal. The ever henpecked proprietor of The Pharmacy with his wife and two daughters would be his staple character for years.

Elsie Cavenna who played Mrs. Fields in this isn't quite as shrewish a character as Kathleen Howard later would be for Fields, but that was a change he'd make in his feature. The two daughters are oblivious to his plight, one is perpetually hungry and would eat the pet bird faster than if a cat caught it. The other is going out with a guy named Cuthbert played by Grady Sutton who also would appear in several features with Fields and Fields can't stand anyone named Cuthbert. He feels one has to be a sissy if you got a name like that, it's foreordained.

Homophobia of course it to be deplored, but in the case of Fields he didn't like anybody. Under the Code same gender sex was just something so taboo as not to be even acknowledged. And Fields just didn't like anybody. He was a beloved misanthrope.

A lot of beautiful gags are in The Pharmacist make this really a treat. I did so love the man who insisted on buying a 'clean' postage stamp from the middle of the sheet. In the end Cuthbert proves to be a welcome addition to the family.

"The Pharmacist" is an 18-minute short film from the early days of the sound era. And writer and lead actor W.C. Fields is one of the biggest (American) stars from that era. Arthur Ripley is the director here. I had concerns before watching this short film that the setting at a pharmacy may not exactly be the best choice for a comedy film, because (lets be honest) it just isn't a funny place, but I guess if Fields makes a comedy at a dentist's office, he can also go for a pharmacy and not all the action takes place there anyway. It is pretty much the usual. Some slapstick, some romance and just Fields' character causing general chaos. I think Fields elevated the material once again in this over 80-year-old film, but it just wasn't (good) enough to let me recommend it. But he shaped the path for better sound movies that should follow afterward, so I am somewhat glad this one here existed, even if it never felt funny or convincing. Not recommended.

***SPOILERS***YOU WERE WARNED***

Pretty funny short film based on a skit from Fields' stint with the Ziegfield Follies, and a remake of part of a longer silent film, 'It's the Old Army Game'.

A collection of classic Fieldsiana centered around Mr. Dilweg, proprietor of a drug store. People who haven't seen this movie in decades remember the customer who demands a 'clean' postage stamp, leaving Fields to scissor his way through the entire sheet to get one out of the middle, then wraps it in about twenty square yards of butcher paper and a mile of twine.

Elise Cavanna is my favorite of Fields' female co-stars; it's a shame she didn't get to play his screen wife in any of his more famous long subjects, though her turn as a patient in his short film, 'The Dentist' is pure comedy gold. In this film, she's the perfect mix of languid disinterest and frowning disapproval towards Fields.

I can't speak for other prints, but the copy I have of this film has poor sound quality, even for an early sound film. The dialogue is often overshadowed, even by background noises. People who don't know the film well often miss many of the jokes because they can't be heard.

Among his best sound silents, but not as good as 'The Barbershop'. If you can get a decent sound quality, you'll enjoy this.