You're Telling Me!

{{short description|1934 film by Erle C. Kenton}} {{About|the 1934 film starring [[W.C. Fields]]|the 1942 film starring [[Hugh Herbert]]|You're Telling Me (film)}} {{more citations needed|date=May 2019}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}} {{Infobox film | name = You're Telling Me! | image = Poster - You're Telling Me 01.jpg | caption = | director = [[Erle C. Kenton]] | writer = [[Walter DeLeon]] [[W.C. Fields]] Paul M. Jones [[J.P. McEvoy]] [[Julian Leonard Street]] | producer = Emanuel Cohen [[William LeBaron]] | based_on = {{based on|''Mr. Bisbee's Princess''|Julian Leonard Street}} | starring = W.C. Fields [[Buster Crabbe|Larry "Buster" Crabbe]] [[Joan Marsh]] [[Adrienne Ames]] | music = W. Franke Harling [[Arthur Johnston (composer)|Arthur Johnston]] John Leipold Tom Satterfield | cinematography = [[Alfred Gilks]] | editing = [[Otho Lovering]] | distributor = [[Paramount Pictures]] | released = {{Film date|1934|04|05}} | runtime = 67 min. | country = United States | language = English }}

'''''You're Telling Me!''''' is a 1934 American [[pre-Code]] comedy film directed by [[Erle C. Kenton]] and starring [[W.C. Fields]]. It is a remake of the 1926 [[silent film]] ''[[So's Your Old Man]]'', also starring Fields. Both films are adapted from the short story ''Mr. Bisbee’s Princess'' by [[Julian Leonard Street]]. It was released by [[Paramount Pictures]].

==Plot== Sam Bisbee is an [[optometrist]] and amateur inventor. His daughter Pauline is in love with Bob Murchison, but Bob's upper-class mother disapproves of the Bisbee family. Sam's wife Bessie is ashamed of Sam because he prefers to act as himself rather than feigning sophistication. Pauline is the one woman who truly loves Sam, accepting her father as he is.

Sam receives a letter from a tire company expressing interest in one of his inventions, a puncture-proof tire that can resist bullets. However, his opportunity becomes a disaster when he mistakenly uses a police car as the subject of his demonstration. When the car's tires fail to resist Sam's bullets, he must flee the irate police.

On the train trip home, feeling that he has failed completely, Sam contemplates committing suicide by drinking a bottle of [[Tincture of iodine|iodine]], but decides against it at the last minute. On the train, he meets a woman who also has a bottle of iodine. Mistakenly thinking that she is also considering suicide, Sam tries to dissuade her by telling her about his own troubles. He does not know that she is Princess Lescaboura, engaged in agood-will tour of the area. She is moved by Sam's story and secretly decides to help him.

The next day, the Princess visits Sam's town and informs its residents that he once saved her life. As a result, the townspeople, including Mrs. Murchison, suddenly see Sam as admirable. Sam, believing the Princess is posing as royalty to help him, quietly congratulates her on her successful ruse.

At a new golf course, Sam is given the honor of driving the first ball. After a number of random events foil Sam's attempts to hit the ball, Mr. Robbins, the president of the tire company, arrives at the course. He excitedly tells Sam that they have found his car and tested his tires, and want to manufacture them. He offers Sam $20,000 for his invention, but the princess says that she wants the patent for her own country. She bids against Robbins until Robbins finally offers $1,000,000 plus a [[Royalty payment|royalty]] for each tire, which Sam accepts.

Later, Sam's family is wealthy and respected, and his daughter Pauline is married to Bob. Sam is happy, but he still doesn't realize the Princess is genuine. As she is about to leave, she says, "Goodbye, Sam—I want to thank you for a lot of fun!” Sam says, "The pleasure's mutual," then leans closer and says, "We certainly put that princess stuff over, didn't we?" To which she replies, "You're telling ''me!''"

==Cast== * [[W.C. Fields]] as Sam Bisbee, optometrist * [[Adrienne Ames]] as Princess Lescaboura * [[Joan Marsh]] as Pauline Bisbee * [[Buster Crabbe|Larry "Buster" Crabbe]] as Bob Murchison * [[Louise Carter]] as Mrs. Bessie Bisbee * [[Kathleen Howard]] as Mrs. Edward Quimby Murchison * [[Dell Henderson|Del Henderson]] as Crystal Springs mayor Brown * [[Nora Cecil]] as Mrs. Price, town's spinster * [[George Irving (American actor)|George Irving]] as Mr. Robbins, president of National Tire Co. * James B. "Pop" Kenton as Doc Beebe, Sam's friend * [[Robert McKenzie (actor)|Robert McKenzie]] as Charlie Bogle, Sam's friend * [[Tammany Young]] as the Caddy

==Production== The sequence at the golf course is largely the routine that formed the nucleus of Fields' earlier short film ''[[The Golf Specialist]]''. This was filmed at the Lakeside Golf Club in [[Burbank, California]], which was also used in Fields' short ''[[The Dentist (1932 film)]]''.

The triumph of Fields' character over his circumstances, and the happy ending thanks to a windfall profit, would be repeated later in 1934 in ''[[It's a Gift]]''.

The film received only a cursory review in William K. Everson's 1967 book ''The Art of W.C. Fields'' as it was unavailable because of ownership issues. The issues were resolved and the film is included in the Universal DVD set ''W.C. Fields Comedy Collection, Volume Two''. Everson mentions that the name of the film's minor character Charlie Bogle was adopted as Fields' writing pseudonym for several of his later films.

==See also== * [[National Recovery Administration]] (NRA), the logo displayed at start of film

==External links== *{{IMDb title|0026017}}

[[Category:1934 films]] [[Category:1934 comedy films]] [[Category:American comedy films]] [[Category:1934 English-language films]] [[Category:American black-and-white films]] [[Category:Sound film remakes of silent films]] [[Category:Remakes of American films]] [[Category:Paramount Pictures films]] [[Category:Films directed by Erle C. Kenton]] [[Category:Films with screenplays by W. C. Fields]] [[Category:1934 American films]] [[Category:English-language comedy films]]