What It's About:

This first-ever docu-portrait of curmudgeonly funnyman W.C. Fields details the comedian's rise from the streets of Philadelphia to the heights of fame- first in vaudeville, then early Hollywood. Through lively interviews and loads of hilarious clips, the fullest picture yet of the inter-relationship between Fields's on-screen genius and off-screen persona comes clearly into focus.

Why I Love It:

Critics loved this documentary on the arch gagman with the funny twang when it first appeared on PBS in the 1980s, but except for a few TV airings on other channels, it nearly vanished into obscurity. We should be glad it didn't: Adamson's loving, scrutinous attention to everything that made Fields tick really couldn't be better displayed. Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Will Fowler, Leonard Maltin, and even a grown-up Baby Leroy show up to divulge remembrances and appreciations, as well myth-busting bits of information. (Yes, he had an alcohol problem, and no, he never made that infamous comment "People who hate dogs and children can't be all that bad.") A fine tribute to the sour king of a comic era now long gone, "Straight Up" is pure pleasure.