Two other IMDb postings have already summarised the plot of this film, so I'll just make some general comments. Chester Conklin plays the main character in "Fools for Luck", but the film is really a showcase for the comedic talents of W.C. Fields, in a smaller role. Conklin, a deft comedian elsewhere, gets stuck here doing an unfunny scene in which his dress suit comes apart at the seams. Harold Lloyd did the same idea, with much more hilarity, in "The Freshman".
The climax of the film is a game of pool between Fields and Conklin, with a large wager riding on the outcome. Fields had toured in vaudeville with a pool-table act, doing trick shots on a billiard table that was modified to his specifications. (Among other changes: the billiard cushions were ramped, so that if Fields did a bank shot the ball would fly off the table.) Here, Fields does an amazing series of trick billiard shots, with very little camera trickery. If you're wondering who wins the game of pool, you haven't been paying attention.
W.C. Fields was never at the top of his form until sound movies arrived, but even silent Fields is worth watching. As usual in a Fields movie, the comedy is diluted by a boring plot about young lovers: in this case Sally Blane (as Conklin's daughter) and Jack Luden. Luden was a handsome but untalented actor who had the sense to quit show-biz and go into his family's business. They made Luden's Cough Drops. Unfortunately, Jack Luden also had some other business interests which weren't as lawful as his cough drops.
The climax of the film is a game of pool between Fields and Conklin, with a large wager riding on the outcome. Fields had toured in vaudeville with a pool-table act, doing trick shots on a billiard table that was modified to his specifications. (Among other changes: the billiard cushions were ramped, so that if Fields did a bank shot the ball would fly off the table.) Here, Fields does an amazing series of trick billiard shots, with very little camera trickery. If you're wondering who wins the game of pool, you haven't been paying attention.
W.C. Fields was never at the top of his form until sound movies arrived, but even silent Fields is worth watching. As usual in a Fields movie, the comedy is diluted by a boring plot about young lovers: in this case Sally Blane (as Conklin's daughter) and Jack Luden. Luden was a handsome but untalented actor who had the sense to quit show-biz and go into his family's business. They made Luden's Cough Drops. Unfortunately, Jack Luden also had some other business interests which weren't as lawful as his cough drops.