Never Give a Sucker an Even Break

Never Give a Sucker an Even Break is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Edward F. Cline and starring W. C. Fields, Gloria Jean, and Leon Errol. Fields also wrote the original story, under the pseudonym Otis Criblecoblis. Fields plays himself, promoting an extravagant screenplay he has written. As he describes the script to a skeptical producer, the often surreal scenes are shown. It was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. In some international releases it was known by the alternative title What a Man!

The title is derived from lines from two earlier films. In Poppy (1936), he tells his daughter "If we should ever separate, my little plum, I want to give you just one bit of fatherly advice: Never give a sucker an even break!" In You Can't Cheat an Honest Man (1939), he tells a customer that his grandfather's last words, "just before they sprung the trap", were "You can't cheat an honest man; never give a sucker an even break, or smarten up a chump."

During his Hollywood career, Fields fought with studio producers, directors, and writers over the content of his films. He was determined to make a movie his way, with his own script and staging and his choice of supporting players. Pleased with the success of his previous film, The Bank Dick (1940), Universal finally gave him the chance, and Never Give a Sucker an Even Break was the result. Fields himself cast most of the supporting actors. He chose Universal's young singing star Gloria Jean to play his niece and hired two of his favorite comedians, Leon Errol and Franklin Pangborn, to play supporting roles. Margaret Dumont, best known as the matronly foil for the Marx Brothers, was cast as the haughty Mrs. Hemogloben. Universal paid Fields a total of $150,000 for this film; $125,000 for his performance and $25,000 for his original story.