Please don't spend money on this.

Captivating movie !

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

This is the only film comedy legends W.C. Fields and Mae West made together. They're both larger-than-life characters who usually dominate their movies by themselves with only occasional help from talented supporting players to guide them through their classic shtick. They only share few scenes together but there's some gold in those few scenes though it's even better when they do separate and interact with the usual character types both have been known to associate with. One player here who does well with both is Margaret Hamilton, fresh from her Wicked Witch of the West role in The Wizard of Oz, who scowls her best scowl and acts suitably flustered whenever she encounters these two either together or separately. In summary, My Little Chickadee is worthy of these two legendary comedians despite some unevenness on the part of the screenplay they both wrote.

One of the oddest pairings in screen history is also one of the funniest. While their films helped Paramount rise out of the depths of the depression in the mid 1930's, they didn't work together until this one film. Legend has it that they didn't get along, but if that is true, they do not show it on screen. Sure, West's Flower Belle is out to con Fields into a bogus marriage to try and look respectable (if that is possible), and Fields is certainly no match in the looks department for her previous leading men like Cary Grant and Randolph Scott. But their comedy styles, while totally different, really suit each other, and both of them get opportunities to shine both on their own and together.The basic plot line has West as the scourge of the west, being forced from her town when she is seen gallivanting with the mysterious masked bandit, a robber of the prairie coaches. Town busybody Margaret Hamilton (wearing her "Wizard of Oz" Miss Gulch outfit) escorts West out of town, then stands up for her at the fake wedding to Fields aboard a train. Fields is anxious to consummate the "marriage", but West keeps distracting him, first simply by locking him out, then planting a goat in her bed! Hamilton gets to repeat her "Wizard of Oz" scream as well, hysterically reacting to Fields stepping on her face while he makes the mistake of trying to imitate the masked bandit to get into Wests' boudoirs. Fields ends up becoming town sheriff which sets up all sorts of great comedy bits as well.West has a great scene "teaching" class. ("I am a good boy. I am a good girl", she reads on the blackboard. "What is this, propaganda?") While this is far from a classic compared to the same year "The Bank Dick" (starring Fields), the presence of these two scene-stealer's is enough to keep the interest from waning. Ruth Donnelly, Donald Meek and Jimmy Conlin are among the many character actors who pop in and out of the action.

An Old West comedy that doesn't make a lot of sense, "My Little Chickadee" is mostly a cinematic vehicle for the talents of its two stars: Mae West and W.C. Fields.Mae, all decked out in flowery glad rags, does her usual shtick, as she rolls her eyes, smiles mischievously, and walks in the slinky, suggestive manner that she's known for. I love it. She doesn't "act" so much as she projects her own unique on-stage persona. In this film she sings only one song: "Willie Of The Valley". It's okay, but I could have wished for a song more suitable to her wonderfully bawdy public image.Wearing a high top hat and white gloves, and with that big nose and eccentric way of speaking, W.C. Fields plays Cuthbert J. Twillie, a blustery, flamboyant older man who uses big words to impress, and devious tricks to hoodwink. He's not seriously criminal, just a good-natured, booze-loving flimflam man trying to get along in life as best he knows how. Sometimes he succeeds, sometimes not. Fields is just as unique as Mae West. And his comedic routine is straight out of vaudeville.The script's dialogue contains lines that highlight the humor of Fields, like when he tries to impress Flower Belle (Mae West): "The days of chivalry are not over. I've been worried about you my little peach fuzz. Have you been loitering somewhere? ... You are the epitome of erudition, the double superlative ...". His flowery metaphors sometimes get on Flower Belle's nerves, like when he says to her: "I climb the ladder of love to reach for the stars". She snaps back: "I'm in no mood for astronomy".For all his bluster, Twillie is actually the weaker of the two characters. It's Flower Belle who uses a pistol to knock off villainous Indians, and Twillie whose use of a kid's slingshot backfires.In this story, Margaret Hamilton, in her best witch voice, plays a histrionic busybody, in a support role.This is a film that will appeal mostly to fans of Fields and/or West. I think the film probably showcases Fields' talents a little better than those of West. What hurt this film is the real-life villainous Production Code which tried to water down the bawdy dialogue. As a result, both the plot and some of the dialogue come across as flat. Had the self-righteous censors left the scriptwriters alone, "My Little Chickadee" could have really sizzled.

It is true that "My Little Chickadee" does have some stereotypical portrayals of American Indians. Other than that, it's a pretty good time. W.C. Fields plays his usual character: a simple-minded weirdo going on and on about his exploits (would people in the Old West have really been familiar with Afghanistan?). But there's a reason that Mae West is the star. She plays a bitchy woman taking some real pride in her illegal activities, so much so that she calmly and self-assuredly sasses the court. But the real action takes off when Fields becomes sheriff.As for the news that Mae West and W.C. Fields didn't like each other, that doesn't change the movie. This film remains a piece of nice, short entertainment, despite the occasional racism. Even more interesting still is Margaret Hamilton's character: she basically plays a human version of the Wicked Witch of the West! So, this is far from the funniest movie, but certainly an important part of cinematic history. Worth seeing.Flower Belle Lee and Cuthbert J. Twillie. What a whacked-out pair of names.