It's a Gift

It's a Gift. 1934 Paramount Pictures, now owned and distributed by Universal Pictures.
Starring: W.C. Fields, Kathleen Howard, Jean Rouverol, Julian Madison, Baby LeRoy
Director: Norman Z. McLeod
Currently available only as part of the W.C. Fields Comedy Collection.

This could very well be W.C. Fields' funniest film, so I'll give it a viewing and see for myself...

Harold Bissonette (pronounced "bis-son-ay") inherits some money, and decides to give up his corner grocery store in favor of running an orange grove in California. His family objects, and Harold is even told outright that the land he bought it worthless, which doesn't stop him from taking his family there, only to find a tumbledown shack and one tumbleweed.

Just as Harold is ready to throw in the towel, a neighbor tells him that a developer is desperate to buy his property to build a grandstand for a racetrack. Harold surprises everyone by holding out for a large sum of money, which includes a commission for the neighbor, and a demand that the developer buy him an orange grove. The movie ends with Harold on his new property, squeezing orange juice into a glass (with some booze added) while his happy family goes for a ride in their new car.

During the course of the movie, Harold fails to prevent a blind customer and Baby LeRoy from wrecking his store (in between a customer's irate demands for "ten pounds of KUMQUATS!!"), has a destructive picnic on private property, and is driven out of bed and onto the porch by his nagging wife, where he tries to sleep, but is kept awake all night by neighbors, salesmen, and other noises or calamities.

Very good movie, although it's only 73 minutes long. I'd definitely watch it again. Highly recommended.