Title: Pool Sharks Alternate Title: The Pool Shark Release Year: 1915 Starring: W.C. Fields (film debut), Bud Ross Directed by: Edwin Middleton Produced by: Gaumont Film Company Runtime: Approx. 9 minutes Country: United States Language: Silent (English intertitles) Genre: Comedy, Slapstick, Sports Short --- Overview: Pool Sharks is a short silent comedy film best known as the film debut of W.C. Fields, one of the greatest American comedic actors of the 20th century. The film blends live-action slapstick with early stop-motion animation, making it notable not only for its humor but also for its place in cinematic history. It follows two men competing for a woman's attention—using pool (billiards) as their battlefield. --- Plot Summary: The film opens at a picnic, where W.C. Fields and Bud Ross vie for the affection of a young woman. When their romantic rivalry gets physical, the woman suggests settling their conflict over a game of billiards. The match becomes increasingly absurd, with both men cheating and showing off ridiculous trick shots. The final segment features early stop-motion animation as the billiard balls perform impossible stunts—an imaginative precursor to the Rube Goldberg-esque comedy of later decades. The climax includes a chaotic outcome that reflects Fields' cynical brand of humor and his characteristic onscreen persona: arrogant, bumbling, and unlucky. --- Notable Aspects: W.C. Fields’ screen debut, marking the start of his legendary film career. Uses rudimentary stop-motion animation to depict outrageous pool trick shots. A rare example of blending live-action comedy with animation in the mid-1910s. Features Fields without his trademark nasal drawl, since it’s a silent film. --- Historical Significance: Pool Sharks captures the vaudeville energy of Fields’ early stage career and translates it into silent cinema. As Fields later became known for his iconic roles in the 1930s and '40s, this short offers a glimpse into the evolution of his comedic style. The billiards match, with its exaggerated physics and cheating antics, is an early example of visual absurdism in American film. --- Trivia: The billiard balls in the film were likely animated with frame-by-frame replacement, an early form of stop-motion. Despite its age, the film entered the public domain and is often featured in silent film collections. Fields was already a well-known juggler and vaudeville performer before this film, which helped his physical comedy land on screen. --- Hashtags (Curated): #PoolSharks #WCFieldsDebut #SilentComedy #EarlyCinema #StopMotionHistory #VaudevilleToFilm #BilliardsComedy #PublicDomainFilm #AnimatedTrickShots #1910sFilm #ShortFilmClassic #SlapstickPioneer #SilentFilmStar #EarlyAnimation #ComedyLegends