Monday, May 16, 2011

W.C Fields, Part One

 

Was there ever a comedian more in tune with the dissatisfactions of domestic life in America  than one William Claude Dukenfield? Born in 1880  near Philadelphia, he later came to be known simply as W.C. Fields to his legions of fans and later as "Uncle Claude" to his younger friends and just plain Bill to his older peers.     His father was an immigrant from Sheffield, England, who went on to serve in the Union Army during the Civil War.  His mother was of German heritage.    
 
Some memorable quotes from Mr. Fields:  

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Yes I do like children ... Girl children...about eighteen or twenty.

'Twas a woman who drove me to drink, and I never had the courtesy to thank her for it.

Sex isn't necessary. You don't die without it, but you can die having it.

I never drink anything stronger than gin before breakfast.

The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep.

If at first you don't succeed, try, try, and try again. Then give up. There's no use being a damned fool about it.

Start every day with a smile and get it over with. 



A rich man is nothing but a poor man with money.

Once ... in the wilds of Afghanistan, I lost my corkscrew, and we were forced to live on nothing but food and water for days.

I feel like a midget with muddy feet have been walking over my tongue all night.

Madam, there's no such thing as a tough child - if you parboil them first for seven hours, they always come out tender.

You're drunk! Yeah, and you're crazy. And I'll be sober tomorrow and you'll be crazy for the rest of your life.

The only thing a lawyer won't question is the legitimacy of his mother. 


It's hard to tell where Hollywood ends and the D.T.'s begin.

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Fields began his career in show business as a juggler.  He liked to say he ran away form home at 11 or 12 years of age but the truth was he had a talent for "eccentric juggling"  and after making a success at talent and church shows around Philadelphia,  he took an offer to go on the vaudeville circuit at 18 with the apparent blessing of his parents.

He was such a good juggler that he played not only all over the world in major vaudeville and music hall bookings  but in special engagements for European Royalty, including Edward VII and family at Buckingham Palace.   

(The clip above is from "The Old Fashioned Way" in 1934.  It is the only film clip of Fields' doing one of his complete  stage juggling acts.)  


Fields was an autodidact and very well-read.  Before going on an engagement to Australia he read so much on the young country when he arrived there in 1910 that journalists who interviewed him were impressed that he knew more about the country than most of its regular inhabitants.

Fields married his female assistant, Hattie Fields,  around  1900. She grew tired of the constant travel of a stage performer.  She wanted Fields to settle down in one place and get a regular job.  That was a deal breaker for "Claude Dukenfield" as he was known as a young man. He stayed on tour and his wife and he separated around 1907.  They had a son, also named WC Fields, who was estranged from his father during his youth. Fields blamed Hattie for poisoning the young man's opinion of his father.   In most of Fields "domestic" films (where he plays the put-upon head of a dysfunctional household)    it is always the older women--wives and mothers-in-law-- who are shrewish toward him, a legacy of his unhappy domestic situation.  

 

Fields also started getting roles in legitimate theater around the time he and Hattie separated.  He went on to star in "The Zigfield Follies" in the 1920's with such other major stars as Eddie Cantor, Fanny Brice and Will Rogers. He started appearing in silent films as well, directed by the likes of DW Griffith and his longtime friend Gregory La Cava. 

One of W.C.s favorite authors was Charles Dickens.  Fields wanderings about in show business  as a young man made him identify with the likes of David Copperfield  and Oliver Twist.  One of his favorite roles in films was as a co-star in a 1935 MGM version of "David Copperfield" as none other than   Mr. Micawber, a perfect role for him   It was the only major role Fields ever played on screen where he didn't try to improve the dialogue of his scenes.        

Here's Fields in his 1939 comedy "You Can't Cheat An Honest Man".  He plays Larson E. Whipsnade, a carnival owner and reprobate. (This was the other type of role Fields played in films, besides the henpecked husband.)  Almost all of Fields comedies were either written by him or in collaboration with others. He used the alias Charles Bogle or Mahatma Kane Jeeves for his gag and scenario writing at the film studios.  When Whipsnade's  son is about to marry into a high society family, the young man makes the mistake of bringing his iconoclastic father along to a party.      

 

30 comments:

  1. lol that's great Doug and very interesting...classic comedy to me is still the best

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  2. Glad you enjoyed it Mike!...I always considered Fields' brand of humor classic. He was one of a kind.

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  3. I love the droll way W.C. Fields talks. I have a few Dvds that I get out from time to time. What Fun.

    Thanks for the reminder, Doug.

    I'll be back to watch the videos. Work now.

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  4. Gosh, for a second there I thought he was going to juggle that small child in the audience!

    Like Woody Allen, he came out with a huge amount of original witty material.
    A funny fellow indeed.

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  5. Droll is a good word to describe a lot of Fields' humor, Cassandra. He had such a fertile mind for comedy he could afford to slip in a quick and subtle aside from time to time.

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  6. I would not have put child-juggling past him, Oakie, were it not for those pesky stage mothers. The most physical he ever got with a child like Baby Le Roy on screen was a gentle and playful little boot to the behind. (When it came to children, he was always more of a victim of their escapades, and got his own back verbally.)

    I know Woody Allen considers Fields a true comic genius--on par with Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Groucho Marx and only a couple others. That judgement is good enough for me!

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  7. Fields, for me, was the best of his generation. I loved his word play and not so subtle innuendo. It takes a comic genius to play a drunk as well as he did.

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  8. Doug, I never knew much about WC, yet here again we don't find much of his kind now adays as I guess the era would render the humor which without any doubts that he had. Great tribute there Doug to one that we certainly don't see the likes of.

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  9. Doug, I never knew much about WC, yet here again we don't find much of his kind now adays as I guess the era would render the humor which without any doubts that he had. Great tribute there Doug to one that we certainly don't see the likes of.

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  10. I of course agree, Jim. Fields managed to cultivate two personas in seperate films, and both have proved inimitable--he could be a braggart and a Falstaffian reprobate in one picture and then a father who gets a bit of his own from his antagonists in the end. In both cases he was witty and clever and that raspy-voiced delivery and, as you say, subtle innuendos only added to his broader comic powers.

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  11. I of course agree, Jim. Fields managed to cultivate two personas in seperate films, and both have proved inimitable--he could be a braggart and a Falstaffian reprobate in one picture and then a domesticated husband and father who gets a bit of his own from his antagonists in the end. In both cases he was witty and clever and that raspy-voiced delivery only made him funnier.

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  12. Yes I was raised on this type of comedy on television late shows and such, Jack...seeing some of Fields work agian on DVD and VHS only confirmed for me how unique a talent he was.

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  13. Yes I was raised on this type of comedy on television late shows and such, Jack...seeing some of Fields work agian on DVD and VHS only confirmed for me how unique a talent he was.

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  14. One wonders what such talents might have achieved in the modern day with all the extra advantages, but on the other hand, sometimes the times maketh the man.
    Orsen Wells said "The enemy of art is the absence of limitations". We have to be more creative and original to make it in hard times. The early pioneers of jazz music showed that.
    Maybe our spoilt world today provides so much less incentive to be truly original and it's easy to see why many people hark back to the halcyon days of yesteryear for their entertainment, and not always the older people too.

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  15. One wonders what such talents might have achieved in the modern day with all the extra advantages, but on the other hand, sometimes the times maketh the man.
    Orsen Wells said "The enemy of art is the absence of limitations". We have to be more creative and original to make it in hard times. The early pioneers of jazz music showed that.
    Maybe our spoilt world today provides so much less incentive to be truly original and it's easy to see why many people hark back to the halcyon days of yesteryear for their entertainment, and not always the older people too.

    Oops, Mults is double-posting today.

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  16. I think "the times" do have alot to do with popularity. Fields success in films in the 30's and early 40's (along with the Marx Brothers and Mae West) owed a lot to the cynicism broought on by the collapse of economy. Firelds struggles on the screen with authorities had more resonance in those times. His popularity went up again (as did the others) in the 60's and 70's in the wake of political corruption and war protests in America. The comedian-as-iconoclast has a long tradition in America.

    Thanks for that quote on art and limitations, Oakie. I'd never heard that but it sounds so much like the author of the remark. Welles was not only a great artist, but an astute philosopher of the arts.
    I think there's a disipline in having restrictions of funds, technology, even censorship in the arts where a true original can shine above those who have a measure of talent. "To have to work harder is to get better", as I might put it in layman's terms.

    It's heartening to look on sites like You Tube and fan Internet groups and see younger people finding room to appreciate these comedians, writers and musicians, et al, of yesteryear.

    I think there's something more at work here than simple nostalgia, a sense as you say that technology has taken more of the realm of artistic expression than just old-fashioned writing and performing. For younger people to express admiration for the likes of Chaplin and Keaton, WC Fields, Peter Sellers, et al, is to show great quality and a genuis for being funny doesn't have a "sell by" date.

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  17. I think "the times" do have alot to do with popularity. Fields success in films in the 30's and early 40's (along with the Marx Brothers and Mae West) owed a lot to the cynicism broought on by the collapse of economy. Firelds struggles on the screen with authorities had more resonance in those times. His popularity went up again (as did the others) in the 60's and 70's in the wake of political corruption and war protests in America. The comedian-as-iconoclast has a long tradition in America.

    Thanks for that quote on art and limitations, Oakie. I'd never heard that but it sounds so much like the author of the remark. Welles was not only a great artist, but an astute philosopher of the arts.
    I think there's a disipline in having restrictions of funds, technology, even censorship in the arts where a true original can shine above those who have a measure of talent. "To have to work harder is to get better", as I might put it in layman's terms.

    It's heartening to look on sites like You Tube and fan Internet groups and see younger people finding room to appreciate these comedians and singer, et al, of yesteryear. I think there's somethig more at work here than simple nostalgia. For younger people to express admiration for the likes of Louis Armstrong, WC Fields, Peter Sellers, et al, is to know they have an extended lifetime as artists that proves great quality doesn't have a "sell by" date.

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  18. I think perhaps the most democratic form of creative art is cookery. Anyone can take part, in any culture. It's incredible, say, how many different, sometimes very different, dishes are made with a small number of the ingredients. How many chicken dishes are there for instance?
    I always found it interesting that my mum and my gran could cook beef stew, cabbage and mash and yet it tasted completely different, though I liked both versions. Someone from China would come up with something different again.
    I think that real creativity stems from a need to make something, rather than a desire to be famous or rich, which is why so much modern "creativity" leaves a nasty taste in the mouth.
    I don't want chocolate sauce on my roast beef, no matter how establishment-accepted the chef is.

    As you say, Doug, those hard times, worrying times, produced great talents. Raw talent, aching talent, with something worthwhile to say. And I agree, it's not just about nostalgia because we do still have creative people, especially in the field of comedy, and sometimes film-making.

    Nearly all of them profoundly influenced by some of those black and white folks that have been mentioned.

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  19. I think perhaps the most democratic form of creative art is cookery. Anyone can take part, in any culture. It's incredible, say, how many different, sometimes very different, dishes are made with a small number of the ingredients. How many chicken dishes are there for instance?
    I always found it interesting that my mum and my gran could cook beef stew, cabbage and mash and yet it tasted completely different, though I liked both versions. Someone from China would come up with something different again.
    I think that real creativity stems from a need to make something, rather than a desire to be famous or rich, which is why so much modern "creativity" leaves a nasty taste in the mouth.
    I don't want chocolate sauce on my roast beef, no matter how establishment-accepted the chef is.

    As you say, Doug, those hard times, worrying times, produced great talents. Raw talent, aching talent, with something worthwhile to say. And I agree, it's not just about nostalgia because we do still have creative people, especially in the field of comedy, and sometimes film-making.

    Nearly all of them profoundly influenced by a lot of those black and white folks that have been mentioned.

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  20. I say what a trim looking W C Fields.

    I have heard that many stars and movie executives gulped down drugs to make it possible to cope with long hours and the need to make money on a film. I can imagine W C Fields letting all the stress go right over his head. Many brilliant stars came after him, yet his films endure, much like Laural and Hardy's. I have to say I haven't seen the juggling scene before, what fun!

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  21. Hahahaha, I chortled at the come on from the female in the second video. Gosh, I don''t smoke so can't try that. I guess the guys would look at me as though I was mad, hahahaha.

    Some game of ping pong that and it should carry a government health warning.

    Thank you, Doug.

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  22. I do like that style of comedy he had, it stands out from other comics. I suppose that is why he was popular, there simply wasn't two of him. They say Fields funniest film was "It's A gift," would you agree with that?

    Because he drank in most of his films people thought he did the same in private life. Apparently he didn't drink. It's difficult the tell the truth from marketing, isn't it?
    Whatever, he left us a legacy of wonderfully enjoyable films.

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  23. Yes, I think Fields rotund frame came more toward the late 1930's. While never slim as I recall, it is always startling to see him in more athletic trim.
    Fields way of coping came in the form of his "pineapple juice", which consisted of a pitcher of mantinis he had on hand in his studio dressing room for when he ceased filming for the day. Otherwise, the years he spent doing grueling music-hall tours made him more immune to the stresses of shooting and writing on schedule that some of his younger peers sadly fell into.

    Amazingly, as I discovered in his most recent biography, Fields didn't drink much at all for much of his show business career. Being a juggler he had to maintain absolutely steady nerves. He did have alcohol in his dressing room, but that was mainly because he was hoping friends would stop by and he wantde to be congenial. It was only in the 1920's when his Broadway and film career got going that he joined a entertainment club called The Friar's in New York and his drinking became, shall we say, more pronounced.

    But he could still put on a truly amazing balancing act...as that clip from 1934 proves!

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  24. Yes, I think Fields rotund frame came more toward the late 1930's. While never slim as I recall, it is always startling to see him in more athletic trim.
    Fields way of coping came in the form of his "pineapple juice", which consisted of a pitcher of mantinis he had on hand in his studio dressing room for when he ceased filming for the day. Otherwise, the years he spent doing grueling music-hall tours made him more immune to the stresses of shooting and writing on schedule that some of his younger peers sadly fell into.

    Amazingly, as I discovered in his most recent biography, Fields didn't drink much at all for much of his show business career. Being a juggler he had to maintain absolutely steady nerves. He did have alcohol in his dressing room, but that was mainly because he was hoping friends would stop by and he wantde to be congenial. It was only in the 1920's when his Broadway and film career got going that he joined a entertainment club called The Friar's in New York and his drinking became, shall we say, more pronounced.

    But he could still put on a truly amazing balancing act...as that clip from 1934 proves!

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  25. Quite so I believe Oakie. One tries to be better from something driving an aesthetic desire from within. If money and success come, then it will come. To be in your craft strictly for the money is a trap some sucessful artists (Marlon Brando and Richard Pryor come to mind) fall into that leads to a bastardization for their talents.

    Must admit I hadn't thought of cooking as an artform but you make a strong case for that.

    You make another fine point about black and white performers learning form each other. Fields was very influenced by Bert Williams, a forgotten figure but in his days one of the most popular vaudevillan comedians of his day. He too pointed out the difficulties men faced in a rough and tumble world. Fields' admiration for his friends had to kindle his imagination. Ofcourse in jazz music this cross-pollinization was essential to jazz music in its early days in New Orleans and Chicago.

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  26. Quite so I believe Oakie. One tries to be better from something driving an aesthetic desire from within. If money and success come, then it will come. To be in your craft strictly for the money is a trap some sucessful artists (Marlon Brando and Richard Pryor come to mind) fall into that leads to a bastardization for their talents.

    Must admit I hadn't thought of cooking as an artform but you make a strong case for that.

    You make another fine point about black and white performers learning form each other. Fields was very influenced by Bert Williams, a forgotten figure but in his days one of the most popular vaudevillan comedians of his day. He too pointed out the difficulties men faced in a rough and tumble world. Fields' admiration for his friends had to kindle his imagination. Ofcourse in jazz music this cross-pollinization was essential to jazz music in its early days in New Orleans and Chicago.

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  27. Yes, as smoking vamps go, she is priceless. As soon as he became succesful enough, Fields made a point of picking his own supporting players (male or female) for many of his films. In part two of this blog I hope to show another favorite clip I have of him with a lady who compliments the scene perfectly.

    Ha! Yes, that extreme ping pong could be banned by any sensible commonwealth. I love it that Fields slips in an Issac Walton reference into that piecee of inspired lunacy.

    Thank you Cassandra.

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  28. Yes, as smoking vamps go, Cassandra, she is priceless. I guess the glory days of bringing men into a thrall over exhaling nicotine-tinged smoke have come and gone. ;-)

    As soon as he became successful enough in Hollwood, Fields made a point of picking his own supporting players (male or female) for key scenes like this, and often they appear in his next film or two.

    In part two of this blog I hope to show another favorite clip I have of him with a lady who compliments a comic scene perfectly.

    Ha! Yes, that extreme ping pong could be banned by any sensible commonwealth. I love it that Fields slips in an Izzak Walton reference into that piece of inspired ball-angling lunacy. As you know, Fields was an avid lover of wordplay from Dickens and other classic authors and clever references to past literary figures and characters came naturally to him.


    Thank you!

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  29. I think its interesting that Fields and Groucho Marx were the most enduring figures from the early sound era of American film comedy. Both men were irreverent, but yes Fields was totally unique and nobody filed the gap after he left. I often wondered after I became more familiar with Shakespeare what a great Falstaff W.C. might have made.

    A lot of what Fields did in private life has little relation to his public self. His adversion to children, for instance, had little bearing to his regular life, and he used to entertain children at the studio by putting on juggling acts for them. He also was a good father by all acounts before he and his wife serperated, and, after a reconciliation with his son late in life, became a proud grandfather.

    As I commemented earlier his heavy drinking was a feature, sadly, of the last decade of his life and he became quite sick for a time from excessive drink at the peak of his success. Interesting to wonder if the public persona of the heavy drinker came before he took to the bottle with such vigor. But, yes, aside from the drinking a lot of Fields the crumodgeon was marketing.

    "It's A Gift" is the movie I'd pick as my favorite of his. Other films have great scenes but that one is the most perfectly realized. The scene with the blind man who wrecks his dry goods store while he is being yelled at by another customer is flat-out hysterical! I got to see it once with an audience in the 80's and people roared!

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  30. I think its interesting that Fields and Groucho Marx were the most enduring figures from the early sound era of American film comedy, Cassandra . Both men were irreverent and natural rebels against convention. But, yes, WC Fields was totally unique and nobody filed the gap after he left. I often wondered after I became more familiar with Shakespeare what a great Falstaff W.C. might have made.

    A lot of what Fields did in private life has little relation to his public self. His adversion to children, for instance, had little bearing to his regular life, and he used to entertain children at the studio by putting on juggling acts for them. He also was a good father by all acounts before he and his wife serperated, and, after a reconciliation with his son late in life, became a proud grandfather.

    As I commemented earlier his heavy drinking was a feature, sadly, of the last decade of his life and he became quite sick for a time from excessive drink at the peak of his success. Interesting to wonder if the public persona of the heavy drinker came before he took to the bottle with such vigor. But, yes, aside from the drinking a lot of Fields the crumodgeon was marketing.

    "It's A Gift" is the movie I'd pick as my favorite of his. Other films have great scenes but that one is the most perfectly realized. The scene with the blind man who wrecks his dry goods store while he is being yelled at by another customer is flat-out hysterical! I got to see it once with an audience in the 80's and people roared!

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