Has strong elements of W.C. Fields' films 'Running Wild' and 'Man on the Flying Trapeze', especially within the family unit, but it predates both of them. Now. how this chronology covers Fields, or any of the other performers'/writers' skits performed on the live stage, can only be left to conjecture.
But this film does run very close to Fields' silent 'Running Wild,', though it leaves out the subplot of getting tickets to the wrestling match. And, as opposed to 'Man on the Flying Trapeze', our henpecked protagonist in this film IS having an affair with his secretary. In real life, Fields was having an affair with the actress who PLAYED his secretary in 'Man on the Flying Trapeze'.
This flows along satisfactorily, in the classic battleaxe/henpecked character flow, until the end, which I suspect was cut off in the version I have access to. It ends after Collier wrecks the new car, and he's trying to convince the cop not to arrest him, while his wife and mother-in-law shout for his incarceration. He lifts his lapel to the arresting cop, talks to him, and shows it to him again, then it fades out.
But this film does run very close to Fields' silent 'Running Wild,', though it leaves out the subplot of getting tickets to the wrestling match. And, as opposed to 'Man on the Flying Trapeze', our henpecked protagonist in this film IS having an affair with his secretary. In real life, Fields was having an affair with the actress who PLAYED his secretary in 'Man on the Flying Trapeze'.
This flows along satisfactorily, in the classic battleaxe/henpecked character flow, until the end, which I suspect was cut off in the version I have access to. It ends after Collier wrecks the new car, and he's trying to convince the cop not to arrest him, while his wife and mother-in-law shout for his incarceration. He lifts his lapel to the arresting cop, talks to him, and shows it to him again, then it fades out.