Bissonette's Blue Bird Oranges
by James K. Sayre
In the 1934 classic movie, It's a Gift, W. C. Fields plays a hen-pecked husband who owns a small grocery store in a little town in New Jersey. For years he has been abused by all around him, his shrewish wife, his two children and his customers, his neighbors and even strangers.
Late one night, after being nagged and verbally abused by his wife, he retreats to try to sleep outside on a large swing on the second floor porch. There he is further harassed by noisy neighbors, a milkman who oddly leaves a coconut, which later manages, bump, bump, bump to roll down two flights of stairs, his wife, a small child on the third floor who drops grapes on him through a hole in the floor, and an insurance salesman. These painful scenes go on for at least ten minutes in the movie.
Finally, on the strength of a coming inheritance, he makes a downpayment on an orange ranch in California, although his wife argued against it. He sells the grocey store, buys an automobile and the family drives out to California to his new orange ranch. Unfortunately, it is an almost totally worthless piece of land, with a crappy old shack of a house. W. C.'s character is quite depressed but seemingly resigned to his fate of trouble and problems. However, unexpectly, a wealthy developer comes along and wants to purchase his property. Fortunately, W. C.'s character has been forewarned by a helpful neighbor, so he is able to hold out for his terms: his dream orange ranch plus $44,000 (including a 10% commission for the helpul neighbor. In the last few scenes, we first see a box of Bissonette's Blue Bird Oranges, then we see many rows of these boxes.. So, after a long life of struggle and abuse, he is finally contented and well-off. Poetic justice.
End.
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Web page last updated on 6 June 2010.