June 11, 1928 was the release date of the lost film Fools for Luck starring W.C. Fields and Chester Conklin, directed by Chuck Reisner. The plot concerned Fields as a shady businessman who sells a dubious oil well to Conklin. The well proves to be dry; the pair quarrel; then Conklin strikes oil after all. Happy ending.
Fools for Luck was the last of three films the team co-starred in and indeed Fields’ last silent film. Paramount dropped him after its failure, and it was only with great difficulty that he made his way back in a few years later after proving his viability in talking comedy shorts. The lack of interest in this film at the time resulted in its complete disappearance, and fans today count it as a great loss.
For more on silent and slapstick comedy, including the comedies of W.C. Fields and Chester Conklin, please see my new book Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube
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