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A key difference between W.C. Fields and Charlie Chaplin in their respective approaches to comedy is demonstrated in this short film THE PHARMACIST, which Fields made for Chaplin's old boss Mack Sennett. For most of his career Chaplin was careful to orchestrate audience sympathy for his character, so that even when the Little Tramp did something underhanded or naughty, we still liked him. But Fields frequently aimed for something very different, and portrayed mean, petty, blustery characters whose behavior can be inexcusable. (Perhaps this explains why Fields could be so deeply moving when he played likable fellows or made an especially noble gesture, as in the finale of POPPY and a few similar instances.) THE PHARMACIST marks one of those occasions when Fields practically defies us to like him, and although speaking for myself I tend to enjoy his work no matter what, viewer discretion is advised: in this go-round our leading man is not a nice guy.Fields plays a man named Dilweg who runs a drug store in a small town. He makes his entrance sourly ordering some children who are playing in front of his store to get lost. Dilweg lives over the store with his wife and two daughters, and while his older daughter seems pleasant enough the younger daughter is a brat, and Mrs. Dilweg is pompous and stuffy. When he's upstairs with his family Dilweg is loud and crude, constantly fuming at the little girl and grousing about his job, but when he's downstairs with the customers he turns ridiculously polite and accommodating, practically groveling for business-- which, on this particular day, is lousy.That, essentially, is THE PHARMACIST. The humor derives from Fields' hellish depiction of family life and hellish depiction of his workday, and although there are plenty of laughs the tone is bitter. The funniest bits, in my opinion, come in the downstairs sequences in the store, as Dilweg deals with a procession of difficult, uncommunicative, and demanding customers, such as the man who wants a stamp but insists on getting a clean one from the middle of the sheet, or the two ladies who insist on speaking to a female attendant . . . and only want directions to the washroom. One of the best gags is something of a throwback to silent comedy days: when an unfamiliar man comes in asking about the availability of some under-the-counter booze, Dilweg holds up an oscillating fan that blows back the man's lapel and reveals his badge, at which point our righteous pharmacist delivers a pious speech disavowing such illicit activity. Now that's funny!Surprisingly, the climax of this low-key short is a violent shoot-out between bandits and police that spills into Dilweg's store: the End of a Perfect Day for the proprietor, whose stock gets riddled with bullets. Whether you come away liking Mr. Dilweg at the end of his trying day will probably depend on whether you already liked W.C. Fields in the first place, before you sat down to watch THE PHARMACIST.
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