MovieChat Forums > You Can't Take It with You (1938) Discussion > 'The old army game'?

'The old army game'?

posted 18 years ago by novastar_6
3 replies | jump to latest

What did that guy with the bad twitch mean, when he said that Grandpa Vanderhof was playing the old army game, after he was told that when offered $50,000 for the house, somebody began singing, somebody else danced, and Martin sat down and played a mouth organ?

[–] Mr_McLaurel 17 years ago

This is probably way off, but I, having no historical reference for this, took it to mean that the family was trying to confuse him to get him to go away. Again, I have no reason to know this, just the impression I got.

What's the spanish for drunken bum?

[–] jashobeam5 16 years ago

http://www.wordorigins.org/index.php/site/old_army_game/

"Second, it can mean any form of trickery or deception. This later sense (about 1910) grew out of the first—gamblers would cheat. . .

"Third, by 1930 the meaning had shifted to that of evading responsibility, to passing the buck. The gambling sense gave way in favor of another activity for which soldiers are known for, but retained the connotation of ruthlessness"

[–] fast_fierce_and_funny 14 years ago

What did that guy with the bad twitch mean, when he said that Grandpa Vanderhof was playing the old army game, after he was told that when offered $50,000 for the house, somebody began singing, somebody else danced, and Martin sat down and played a mouth organ?

I, too, wondered about this phrase, all the more so since I've seen references to it in WC Fields' films. I saw Sally of the Sawdust more than a decade ago, but I specifically remember a reference made to "The Old Army Game" in that movie. In fact, Fields was in a film titled It's the Old Army Game a year later (1926).

Anyway, in that context, "The Old Army Game" was used as a synonym for gambling and con games (i.e. undertakings involving varying degrees of dishonesty and deception). In the context of You Can't Take It With You, Blakely (the real estate agent with the twitch) likely meant that the Sycamores were trying to boost the price by brushing him off after he made his offer.

I say this because Grandpa Vanderhoff subsequently makes it clear (when he's talking to Alice in her room) that he would never sell the house, as it would be like moving out on Grandma, and he only sells the house later when it becomes obvious that Alice won't return for a very long time (if ever) because of the flap with the Kirby family and her breakup with Tony Kirby.