International House Review: A 1933 Fever Dream with W.C. Fields

Is this worth your afternoon?

Honestly, if you like W.C. Fields or if you just want to see what people in 1933 thought television was going to look like, yes. Watch it.

If you need a plot that actually goes from point A to point B without tripping over its own feet, you might hate this. It’s basically a bunch of skits held together by Scotch tape and hope.

I think people who like weird history or early comedy will find it charming. It’s better than Puzzled by Crosswords, mostly because it actually has a budget for some of its insanity.

It’s short, too. Only about 70 minutes, so it doesn't overstay its welcome much. 🕰️

The Setup

The whole thing happens in Wuhu, China, at a hotel. An inventor named Dr. Wong has created the "Radioscope."

It’s basically a TV, but it works like a magic portal. You just tune a dial and see people performing in other countries.

Representatives from all over the world show up to bid on it. They all act like they’re in a different movie.

There’s a guy who is terrified of getting sick. He spends half the movie worrying about a quarantine.

Then there is Bela Lugosi. He plays General Petronovich, and he is just... there.

He’s playing a jealous ex-husband, but he still looks like he just crawled out of a coffin. It is so weird to see him in a comedy like this.

The Arrival of Professor Quail

The movie really starts when W.C. Fields shows up. He flies in on this thing called an Autogiro, which looks like a plane and a helicopter had a baby.

He lands it right on the roof of the hotel. He thinks he’s in Kansas City.

Fields is doing his usual thing, which means he’s drinking and being rude to everyone. It’s magnificent.

There’s a moment where he tries to walk a dog that isn't really a dog, or maybe it’s the way he talks to the nurse. He calls her "my little chickadee" or something similar and it just feels so effortless.

He has this tiny car that he drives around inside the hotel. It shouldn't be funny, but seeing a grown man in a car the size of a suitcase is always a win. 🚗

Burns and Allen

George Burns and Gracie Allen are also in this hotel. Gracie is doing her "dim-witted" act, and it’s actually pretty sharp.

She keeps looking for her brother. It’s a running gag that doesn't really have a punchline, but her timing is so fast.

George just stands there looking at the camera like he can't believe he's getting paid for this. Their banter feels like it belongs in a different era, but it still works.

They have this conversation about a "physician" that goes on for way too long. I found myself smiling even though the joke was probably eighty years old.

The Musical Bits

Since it’s a variety-style movie, the Radioscope keeps showing us musical acts. Some of them are boring.

Rudy Vallee sings a song, and he looks very stiff. He’s got that old-fashioned megaphone voice that feels like it’s coming through a tin can.

But then, Cab Calloway appears. He performs a song called "Reefer Man."

"Have you ever met that funny reefer man?"

It is wild. He’s dancing around, and the band is high-energy.

It feels very pre-Code. You can tell the censors hadn't quite figured out how to stop people from singing about drugs yet. 🌿

The energy shifts completely when he’s on screen. The rest of the movie feels like a dusty museum, but Cab feels like he’s from the future.

Small Weird Details

The hotel is full of people who just seem to be wandering around. There are these shots of the lobby that feel way too crowded.

I noticed a guy in the background of one scene just staring at a wall for no reason. Maybe he forgot his lines?

Also, the way they portray China is... well, it’s 1933. It’s all very "Hollywood backlot" and not very accurate.

There’s a bit with a cat that gets stuck in a box. It’s a very physical gag that feels like it belongs in The Man-Eater or some other slapstick flick.

The ending is very abrupt. Like, they just ran out of film and decided to stop.

W.C. Fields gets back in his flying machine and leaves. That’s it. That is the whole resolution.

Final Thoughts

I like how messy this is. It doesn't try to be a masterpiece.

It’s just a bunch of talented people being silly in a hotel. Sometimes that’s enough.

The jokes about the "television" are funny because they were so close and yet so far. They thought we'd use it to watch stage plays in our living rooms.

Well, they weren't entirely wrong. But I don't think they expected us to be watching it on our phones while sitting on the bus.

If you see it on a streaming service or a late-night cable channel, give it a look. It’s a strange little time capsule that doesn't take itself seriously at all.

Just don't expect a lot of logic. Logic wasn't invited to this party. 🍸