The Old Fashioned Way

In 1897, W.C. Fields plays the blustery actor-manager, The Great McGonigle, and his traveling theater troupe perpetually evades creditors and the law while entertaining a small-town audience with a stirring melodrama called The Drunkard. As part of the troupe, Fields' character exploits a wealthy widow to secure financial support, while also wooing her back into his orbit through his charming stage presence.