The Barber Shop

The Barber Shop (1933) is a short American pre-Code comedy film starring W.C. Fields, directed by Arthur Ripley, and produced by Mack Sennett.

The Barber Shop
Directed by	Arthur Ripley
Written by	W. C. Fields
Produced by	Mack Sennett
Starring	W. C. Fields
Cinematography	John W. Boyle
Production company	Mack Sennett Productions
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	July 28, 1933 (1933-07-28)
Running time	21 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Plot

Cornelius O’Hare, a laid-back barber, enjoys chatting on his shop’s porch while his joke-loving son, Ronald, entertains passersby—much to Mrs. O’Hare’s annoyance. An Italian vendor tries to sell Cornelius a bass fiddle, but he already owns one, affectionately named "Lena." The vendor leaves his fiddle in the shop, unknowingly setting up a comical twist.

Inside, O’Hare attempts to impress manicurist Hortense with his unorthodox bass playing. Meanwhile, he shaves a customer and locks a heavyset man in the steam room for weight loss, warning him not to stay in too long. Distracted by Hortense, O’Hare leaves his shaving customer unattended and forgets about the man in the steam room, who emerges dramatically thinner.

Mrs. O’Hare, irritated by her husband’s antics, demands shopping money and declares she’ll get a manicure—just not from Hortense. Chaos escalates when an armed bank robber bursts in, forcing a mother and child out and demanding O’Hare alter his appearance. Nervous, O’Hare accidentally clips the robber’s ear, panics, and flees on a stolen bicycle—only to loop back to his shop as the robber steps outside.

In an unexpected turn, Ronald, playing baseball in the street, accidentally knocks out the robber with a well-placed hit, sending both the criminal and Cornelius tumbling inside. Seizing the moment, O’Hare takes credit for the capture to impress Hortense, but a policeman reveals Ronald is the real hero. Just then, Cornelius picks up Lena and hears an odd sound—his beloved bass has “given birth” to tiny violins. Disgusted, he throws out the Italian’s fiddle, ending the day on a surreal note.

Cast List

• W. C. Fields ... Cornelius O'Hare
• Elise Cavanna ... Mrs. O'Hare
• Harry Watson ... Ronald O'Hare
• Dagmar Oakland ... Hortense - Manicurist
• Frank Alexander ... Steam Room Victim - Before (uncredited)
• Billy Bletcher ... Steam Room Victim - After (uncredited)
• Joe Bordeaux ... Passerby (uncredited)
• Harry Bowen ... Cop (uncredited)
• Fay Holderness ... Little Girl's Mother (uncredited)
• William McCall ... Man with Horse (uncredited)
• Cyril Ring ... Escaped Bank Robber (uncredited)
• Dick Rush ... Cop (uncredited)
• John Sinclair ... Mr. Flugg - Shave Customer (billed as John St. Clair)

External links

• The Barber Shop at IMDb
• "The Barber Shop". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
• "The Barber Shop (1933)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 18, 2025.