"What is W.C. Fields without his curmudgeon mutter, without that voice? A master still. He began as a vaudevillian juggler and his silent films showcase that unexpected dexterity. Running Wild is the second of Fields' silents for Gregory La Cava, who also is remembered more for his work after the coming of sound (My Man Godfrey, Stage Door). Here Fields is meek toy-and-novelty store clerk and henpecked husband Elmer Finch ('His first mistake was his second wife'), who is regularly persecuted by his 'delicate' stepson and his dog. Until he gets hypnotized.... In outline, the film couldn't be more predictable, but it's carried out with comic timing and gestures all Fields' own." Scott Simmon