Morgan Wallace is worth noticing for the respectable manner that makes an unreasonable man seem briefly entitled to his demands. We value him most beside W.C. Fields, where a customer’s persistence becomes a precise source of comic aggravation.
Fi1m perspective
In It's a Gift (1934), Morgan Wallace's James Fitchmueller keeps asking W.C. Fields' grocer for kumquats. It is a modest request, repeated until it becomes an ordeal. We laughed at his persistence, because each renewed demand gives Fields another petty difficulty to endure. Wallace's contribution is small, but the timing matters: repetition needs to keep making the situation worse if it is going to remain funny. This is where we rate him most highly, giving a comic lead someone specific and maddening to deal with.
The Marquis de Praille in Orphans of the Storm (1921) is a nastier use of the same respectable bearing. D.W. Griffith casts Wallace as a lecherous aristocrat, though our recommendation rests chiefly on Lillian Gish and the film's suspense. Its emphatic storytelling can be tiring, and Wallace's presence is no reason to overlook that. Beside the kumquat customer, however, the marquis helps make sense of a career full of businessmen, officials and urbane villains: he is useful when somebody in a scene expects to be accommodated.
Between those films came a retreat to the stage. Wallace had also worked with Griffith on Dream Street (1921), then left films in the mid-1920s before returning around 1930 as sound took hold. His subsequent freelance character work included a chauffeur in Grand Hotel (1932) and the district attorney E.A. Smith in The Mouthpiece (1932). Those parts put him at different levels of the social order, without making him the central attraction. His reputation rests on a few recognisable parts, particularly the encounter with Fields, rather than on leading dramatic roles.
My Little Chickadee (1940) gave him another supporting appearance beside Fields, this time as a gambler. We would still begin with It's a Gift, where his comic timing has such a clear purpose. The family aggravation can outlast our patience, so we recommend the film with that reservation. Save it for an evening when other people's unreasonable demands have begun to seem funny again.
Biography
Morgan Wallace (born Maier Weill) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1914 and 1946, often in supporting or uncredited character roles. He began his screen career after experience on the New York stage.
Wallace is noted for his performances in two W.C. Fields comedies: as the persistent customer James Fitchmueller in It's a Gift (1934) and in My Little Chickadee (1940). Other credits include the Marquis de Praille in Orphans of the Storm (1921), roles in Gaslight (1944), Fury (1936) and Grand Hotel (1932), and appearances in several Charlie Chan and Mr Moto films. He retired from acting in 1946.
Born in Lompoc, California, Wallace attended the University of California. He was married to actress Louise Chapman Wallace and was a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild.
