The film’s plot revolves around two rivals—played by Fields and Bud Ross—who vie for the affections of a woman by engaging in a high-stakes game of pool. As the two men try to outdo each other with increasingly exaggerated shots, their contest quickly turns into a slapstick display of absurd billiard tricks and escalating chaos. The narrative is minimal, serving mostly as a vehicle for Fields to display his comedic timing and physical humor.
What sets Pool Sharks apart from other shorts of the era is its focus on the visual gags that W.C. Fields would later perfect in his more well-known films. His character, a man determined to win by any means necessary, uses everything from trick shots to outright cheating in an attempt to best his opponent. The billiards game becomes a metaphorical battlefield, with pool cues as weapons and balls as projectiles, leading to an inevitable comedic climax of destruction and disorder.
Fields’ physicality is central to the film’s humor. His exaggerated mannerisms and expressions, coupled with the increasing ridiculousness of the pool shots, create a blend of visual comedy that would later become synonymous with his style. In one memorable scene, Fields takes a shot that sends pool balls flying in every direction, completely disregarding the rules of the game. The scene exemplifies the film’s playful, anarchic spirit, where the characters care less about winning than they do about causing mayhem.
While the special effects and editing are rudimentary by modern standards, Pool Sharks uses basic cinematic tricks to enhance the absurdity of the pool game. The use of stop-motion techniques, though rough around the edges, adds a layer of surrealism to the film, as impossible trick shots defy the laws of physics. This creates an otherworldly quality to the competition, turning the ordinary game of pool into a fantastical showdown of one-upmanship.
Beyond the slapstick, Pool Sharks provides an early look at W.C. Fields’ ability to blend arrogance with vulnerability. His character is not so much a villain as he is a bumbling antihero—self-assured but destined for failure. This character type would become a hallmark of Fields’ later work, where his protagonists often appear to be in control of a situation, only to have it spiral into chaos through their own missteps.
Though Pool Sharks is a modest short, it is an essential part of film history, as it introduced W.C. Fields to the world of cinema. His comedic style, combining visual gags with sharp wit, would later become iconic in films like The Bank Dick (1940) and My Little Chickadee (1940). In Pool Sharks, we see the beginnings of his comedic persona—an overconfident man whose attempts at finesse inevitably lead to disaster.
Overall, Pool Sharks is an enjoyable and lighthearted short that offers a humorous glimpse into the early days of silent film comedy. While it lacks the sophistication of Fields’ later work, it remains an important film for its historical significance and for introducing audiences to one of the most distinctive comic actors of the 20th century.
