W.C. Fields | The Art of Offense | A Docu-Mini
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- Опубліковано 19 лип 2020
- A profile of one of my favorite film comedians - the great W.C. Fields.
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I wondered if W. C. Fields ever thought people would still enjoy watching and learning about him 140 years after he was born?
Great comment.
I sure hope so.
Yes
Charles Hall Yes. He often talked about it
@@rickrick5041 Huh? Seems like he'd have little reason to hope for such a thing since they didn't have home video or TV and once a film finished its theater run it was stuck away or just trashed. In the '70s when I first started seeking Fields films, around half of them were believed to be lost - we're damn lucky that beautiful prints of nearly all have surfaced since then...
I remember reading that someone asked Mr Fields how he came to be billed as the World's Greatest Juggler. He answered that it's easy when you are the one printing the posters.
Classic!
He was, quite legitimately, a top-notch juggler in his day - a vaudeville headliner all over the world
🤣😆🤣😆🤣😆👍🎩
He was also a talented cartoonist and graphic artist who created his own vaudeville posters.
@@pookah53 I didn't know how talented W.C. Fields was. My father would watch old movies of W.C. Feilds on T.V. when I was a little girl. I can remember my dad laughing until he'd cry.
@David Henderson for those who haven't seen WC juggling, you tube it.. he was terrific
Even today at age 74 I still cackle like a hyenna when I watch him. He was the comic genius of his time!
I met my wife at a W.C Fields show and now once a week we gather around with our children to watch one of his movies. My eldest will be 83 next tuesday
"It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to." - WC Fields
That´s a very wise saying. Wish I had the memory to be able to recall wise sayings on demand, but I don´t.
Point: No whining.
@@jaelge don't sell yourself short: If you have the fortitude to acknowledge and address your faults, you are ahead of most people.
So, so fitting for our day.
Ain't that the truth!?!?!??!!
He has the wittiest tongue I have ever heard . I love his dark sarcasm.
I do too!
Mae West will put you any place you want to be.
One of Fields most laconic quips was, "Children are best when well cooked."
W.C. Fields was a comic genius and one of the pioneers of film. He is highly underrated.
He was not underrated at all......anyone that even partially thinks that.....is an idiot......
Agree
Underrated?
@@CowRecordsSanDiego It's a word that's overrated.
yes@@CowRecordsSanDiego
One of the true giants of American Movie Humor. Many of us boomers discovered him in the mid to late 60's and found him as hip or"hiper" than the comedians of our own generation.
"Marriage, my boy, is like a big banquet with desert at the beginning".
Desert or dessert?
@@vashon100 dessert! :)
Source? Never heard that one before
I'm with you on that
Wcfields
Sidekick: "why don't you get her a pet, women are crazy about pets" Fields: "they're just crazy, pets have nothing to do with it"
seeing Shemp Howard with W.C. Fields is gold
I was delighted with Fields as a child and even more so at 75. Brilliant comedian!
My father wrote, " W.C. Fields- An Annotated Guide". In the 80s, he had the worlds largest original Fields collection. I have some of it now.
"Is this a game of chance?"
"Not the way I play it."
One of my favorite WCF lines....
@@jfan4reva Mine too.
W.C. Fields died on Dec 25th 1946.
" Any one who hates dogs and kids can't be all bad",
" Get away from me kid, you bother me."
"It was a woman who drove me to drink, and I never even thanked her."
Apocryphal. just just a joke and sounded as though field would have said it and so was attributed to him.
profnasty The accurate quote is “fish function in it”
Damn I forgot that great line. Thanks for reminding me.
Glad your a fan of William Claude the 'Greatest Juggler in the World' He said' A woman drove me to drink and I've been indebted to her ever since!
All right, ladies and gentlemen, here is the actual line. It comes from" never give a sucker an even break":
Gloria Jean: Uncle Bill, why didn't you ever get married?
Fields: I was in love with a beautiful blond once. She drove me to drink. That's the one thing I'm indebted to her for.
“She ran right in front of the car” will never, ever get old to me, it makes me giggle every time.
You beat me to it. What husband/father hasn't said something similar?!?!
That....and "What is THAT noise?"......oh, those are some "Gipsies" my dear (instead of Gypsies). "It's a Gift" is really one of his greatest. Damn...the scene with the blindman destroying everything in his shop.....masterpiece.
There was another great line in one of his films where he is sitting down to play cards and the other player asks , "Is this a game of "chance"?......and Fields goes, "Not the way I play it...."
I fall back on lines like that when having difficulties at work. Short and sweet.
@@johnlozauskas778 lol 😂 😂 or will say it now that he heard it. I have done the pool stick joke with my kid had him rolling. Of course I took complet credit. Nothing like the love that comes from watching your kid bust out laughing because you make him laugh. Wife would always make pretend jokes were knew and mine. I can still feel her looking out window rolling eyes on road trips. RIP miss you OB , ocean blue eyes.
During my sophomore year of high school (10th grade) one of my teachers had a poster of W.C. Fields hanging on the wall of his classroom. The poster featured the image of Fields with the quote, "I never drink water, that's the stuff that rusts pipes." I've always found this so amusing since it was a poster, which actually promoted drinking alcohol over water, hanging in a high school classroom. lol.
Political correctness ended that seems so different now I remember cigarette vending machines 🤣
I believe he actually said re water: “I never touch the stuff, fish f..k in it”.
@@jessewolf7649 he likely said both. I don't think my teacher would have gotten away with hanging a poster in his classroom that even indicated the word "fxck" on it.
@@eddiemunster4094 it's a funny thing that in my freshman yearbook there is a picture taken of (I believe) the teacher's lounge which says something along the lines of, "This year, even teachers were no longer allowed to smoke on campus." That was the '89-'90 school year.
😂🤣😆😀😅😁😃😀
He would have been a great Wizard of Oz, "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, my dear, you bother me."
My thoughts as well, the part seems written for him.
He was considered for the part but there are three reasons given why he didn’t take it
One is he wasn’t going to be the star of the film, two is he wanted way more money than he knew they would be willing to pay him
The third is probably the true reason, he just signed with Universal and was gearing up for his own film, You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man.
@@skelelator Ah, but he would have been the greatest Wizard of them all. A truly benign, lovable, affable Humbug.
@@sinisterthoughts2896 It was - much of the language was designed for Fields - particularly the Professor Marvel bits
On the other hand, Frank Morgan did an excellent job with the part
I grew up with Fields in the sense that my father would laugh so hard at his movies he'd be nearly incapacitated by them. And he'd take me to see them back when there were LOTS of small town movie theaters that would run all sorts of old films on the weekends. My favorite of his screw-the-censors words was his reference to Lake Titicaca. And you can imagine how he pronounced it 😂
Love how Shemp Howard is playing the bartender in the beginning.
W.C. is the best & I have shared a couple of his videos. He was reputed to have been caught reading the Bible by a friend who exclaimed “What you Bill?” Supposedly the response was “I’m just searching for loopholes.”
Can't confirm this, but you gotta believe he was one of Rodney Dangerfield's biggest influences.
I could believe that .
John Cleese as well - Cleese has said as much
Robin loved Jonathan Winters. fact.
That actually sounds about right.
it might not be a fact but i also know this is true Well said JMD. stay safe and stay healthy
I spend half my money on gambling, alcohol and wild women. The other half I wasted.
- W.C. Fields -
Hello there. Now that’s funny.
Amber Lopez who as a child lived in Wheatland, WY?
Have to remind myself of this constantly.
Thought that was George Best...
Huba de huba de huba de .
How dooo you do ?
Pretty lady.
Some of the fondest memories of my father involved W.C.
Pops was a builder and involved in an horrific accident, where a piece of metal hit him in the head and he fell four stories. It was difficult communicating with him mostly but, in some of his moments of clarity you could have a fantastic time reciting sketches from Fields films. He was a massive fan.
Thank you for posting this. A true original and very talented yet underrated comedian.
So sorry to hear about your father. He sounds like a great guy.
Are you sure your father's injury wasn't something genetic he passed on to you?
His biography is probably the most interesting biography I've read. He was a fascinating man. Self taught, self educated. He was equal parts grumpy S.O.B. and compassionate to those around him. He was the number one box office draw in the 1930's. They didn't just ask him to be the Wizard in the Wizard of Oz, they actually wrote the part for HIM and it you watch Oz you can see how it would have fit his style of humor well.
Good point I could picture him saying don't pay any attention to the man behind the curtain .
BRILLIANT REPLY ... THERE IS AN 'ART' IN GRUMPY.
The guy they got even looked a bit like Fields.
Bill Fields was not the first choice to play "The Wizard Of Oz"..Clown Ed Wynn was the first choice for the role..but..he turned it down..other performers..who were slated to try for the part were:Victor Moore,Charles Winnenger,Robert Benchley,and Wallace Beery. Wally Beery..could have played the part? but? he was doing other movies at MGM..at the time..and the studio execs wouldn't allow him to take time out to play"The Wizard". Bill Fields wanted to play the role..but? He haggled over his salary..and then? he was signed to write and play the role of circus con man"Larson E.Whipsnade" in"You Can't Cheat An Honest Man"at Universal. So the roles of "The Wizard","Prof.Marvel","The Doorman","The Cabbie" and "The Guard"in "The Emerald City"went to Frank Morgan.
@@kevinbutler1955NYC
W.C. Fields... I can't honestly agree enough. This guy is a legend and is underrated.
Foxiest Boxes not underrated, but forgotten.
WC Fields forgotten?? Not as long as I'm around!
W.C. Fields was a superstar in his day, he was never underrated. Please, please, boy and girls, just because someone is no longer relevant in today's society, doesn't make them underrated.
no longer relevant? Have you read any of these comments? Field and his comedy are as relevant today as they ever were. I can't think of a reason why you would make such an idiotic statement.
@@rufust.firefly2474 You missed my point. I'm saying he was never underrated! He is no longer relevant in today's movies, but that doesn't mean he is underrated. He will never be forgotten, I am an absolute diehard fan.
I sometimes yell "Kumquats! Kumquats" At the grocery store. My wife no longer goes with me
😂
"QUATS! QUATS!!!"
ME TOO!!! hahahaha
Uhh, 2 quats?
"What about my Kumquats!"
If ever I have to race off to attend to something I'll shout "Kumquats".
The funniest human being I've encountered in 70 years on this planet. Pure genius.
I was raised by my grandparents and my gfather was a big WC Fields fan. Retired Phila firefighter who grew up on these same streets in the 40s and 50s. Love ya dad.
the scene in the diner with the rotund waitress in Never Give a s Sucker an Even Break is a classic
Fields, watching the waitress walk away: there's something very big about you too...
She reminds me of Mimi from the Drew Carey show. Or maybe it's Mimi who reminds us of the waitress.
Lights a match off the guys rear end !
The actress who played the waitress was Jody Gilbert.
“The flies get the best of everything ........go away, go away.”
"Start every day off with a smile and get it over with".
this is my ,,life. fukit.
@Richard Wagner your tooth-less mother,,said a different tale,,,badda boom.
@Richard Wagner My wife is so lonely,an sad. She hired 3 pool guy's. We have no swimming pool.
@Richard Wagner my dog ,,gave Himself to a shelter. My kids followed the dog.
@Richard Wagner asked my wife for a. christmas gift. She said,,"how about i don't Shoot you?."
The billiard scene in “Six of a Kind” where he explains how he got the name “Honest John” is brilliant and always makes me laugh.
I regard that scene as the funniest scene of physical comedy in movie history. After seeing it many times over 50 years, I still laugh till tears come. It’s a difficult film to find. Burns & Allen have top billing, but he steals the show.
Saturday afternoon on television is where as a kid I learned a love of language from WC Fields. good to see that you are making these mini docs. so much entertainment forgotten
Reminds me of my safari in Africa. Somebody forgot the corkscrew and for several days we had to live on nothing but food and water.
@Agent J you don't know WC Fields very well do you?
@Agent J I can tell you're a trump voter
@@dj33036 so u admit u voted for creepy Joe?
@@bigbird2170 I'm proud that I voted for Joe Biden me and 82 million other people
@Stacy Gorham Trump is on his way to jail! Lock him up!
“Go away kid, you bother me.”
I don't believe fields ever said this and I've been watching his films ever since I was a kid.
I used to say this in a Fields voice when one of my five children got too clingy lol.
That's a line that was always attributed to a Carnival Barker. Fields never said it although he played Carnival barkers.
@@rufust.firefly2474 It was in a radio show, never saw a film version. I had a cassette recording about 20yrs ago.
That was reprised by Jim Carrey in The Mask.
Truly brilliant, "It's A Gift" is still one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. Only Fields could say, "I hate you" and make it sound hilarious.
Daffy Duck could too~
@@macswanton9622 LOL Good point, although Daffy was better known for "You're despicable".
@@johnstevenson9956 The "Wabbit Season - Duck Season - Wabbit Season...." BOOM! "You're despicable!!!" cartoon is 1 of the very best! 🤣🤣🤣
"It's A Gift" is my personal favorite.
I have seen films of W.C. Fields juggling. He was absolutely amazing. He did things that I have never seen anyone else duplicate.
'If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it.'
Jamie Spinks 🙂😂🤣
If at first you don't succeed, suck, suck again!
once you start doing an imitation of his voice it's very hard to stop.
Ah yessss
I grew up watching The Stooges and I'm just now getting into W.C. Fields films. I love this type of stress free comedy of the old days. Getting baked watching W.C. is the most hilarious time ever.
The Mr. Muckle scene is unsurpassed comic genius.
The Great Man. Nobody like him, before or since. Genius on every level.
I wholeheartedly agree. What a talent. ❤
Love me some W. C. Fields, great to see him get his just respect
When I was in college, a friend and I used to watch W.C. Fields movies every night on KTLA Channel 5 in L.A. After awhile we both started talking like him, even in public. That lasted for 3 or 4 months but finally we snapped out of it. Those were the days!
Not the same but... i was jogging behind some Pacer girls ( local strip classy joint ) who were exercising . "Somehow I ended up swaying my hip back and forth just like them as I followed them. Not so terrible price to pay to admire human nature.
I would also watch W. C. Fields on KTLA-5, often on it's "Movies Til Dawn" showing Fields, Burns &Allen, Bob Hope, Preston Sturges films, Mae West, and the Marx Bros.
There were outstanding comedic talents from the Golden Era of Hollywood - and W.C. Fields is the KING of legends among them.
I, Have lived my life on the basis of one of his quotes:
*“I am free of all prejudice. I hate everyone equally. ”*
a person dislikes kids or animals cant be that bad of a person
...you can't tear that out of me! No segregation, separation just me and my world of enemies!
Decades have gone by...until now, I never knew who this quote was from...thanks!
The Unknown Gamer .
My favorite is I could never be a member of a club that would have me as a member!
The character attributes he chose (not liking children or the self important) fluidity of his movement (eg. the hat and cane scene) and his linguistic style makes him one of my all time favorites . Great work!
Thanks for watching!
Hats Off Entertainment The story about how he drained the fountain at his home permanently out of guilt and sadness when the neighbors kid drowned in it says how he really felt about children
Yeah! I’m 58 and I’ve been practicing some of his easier moves for 40 years and still haven’t mastered them.
You really hit the nail on the head.
@@mrnobodyz -All of his physical bits are priceless but one of my favorites is from the beginning of "You're Telling Me" where he gets 5 minutes of "business" out of getting tangled in the decorative doorway cords leading to the living room. He does a brief encore a few minutes later when he leaves the room. I was laughing myself stupid the whole time, and not a word was spoken.
I am someone who came across in later in life. His comedy routines, his timing, and by all means, his commentary and one liners are the best. To know his last phrase on earth was the wallpaper goes or I do and then he died is a fitting tribute to the man
That was Oscar Wilde.
@@georgestreng OMG you are right! I always confuse Oscar Wilde with WC fields statement “I'm looking for a loophole.” As he flipped through the Bible
When asked what he wanted on his tombstone he replied " On the whole, I rather be here than in Philadelphia."
I've adored WC Field's movies for years but never knew he was acclaimed as the worlds best juggler!
I fell for him after hearing his line, "Anyone that hates children and dogs can't be all that bad!"
A comedy genius! I wish I could go back in time and have a drink with him, but I’m sure that I’d bother him. Unless I was buying!
Contrary to his image of hating children Jackie Cooper told how he entertained youngsters on the studio lot with his juggling an sleight of hand magic. Yet he did hate being upstaged by supporting actors including cute children. ☺
Do you know what he said about martinis? "One's not enough and two is too many!"
On stage sets, Fields' code words for his ever-present martini flask was "pineapple juice"; late in his career, stage hands on the set swapped out his martini mixture with real pineapple juice -- it was reported that Fields was later heard bellowing "WHO PUT PINEAPPLE JUICE IN MY 'PINEAPPLE JUICE'??!!" 🍍🍸🌠
My father and I always quote him when we want to make eachother laugh! I've seen almost every film he was in and they are all so funny and amazing 😂
Thank you so much for this! I have asked my executor to play the last few minutes of "Its a Gift" at my memorial. I'll never forget the lines when the farmer says "You're lucky and you didn't know it." and Fields says "I wasn't exactly sure"! The most classic and iconic line that I have every seen in cinema in my 70 years. Thanks again.
As a kid, I grew up watching WC Fields' movies on local television, I would stop whatever I was doing just to fall-down laugh for a few hours. As a much older adult now, I still laugh at his films, but I make sure to remain on the couch when I laugh.
It’s A Gift is one of the greatest Comedy Movies ever produced. Just about perfect....
0:09 it's Shemp!!!
Shemp Howard, brother of Moe and Curley, had quite a comedic career outside of the Stooges, but it's largely forgotten now
Even though I had heard of him, I was in my 60's before I ever saw an actual clip of W.C. Fields. It was one of those where he was fighting with a small child. I laughed my head off. It was a surprise to me that I had never previously realised just how funny and how much before his time his comedy was. I don't regret waiting till my sixties to discover him, because the discovery has been an unexpected gift.
Indeed.
_Better late, than never._
He was important enough to my parents that they made sure my first initials are w.c. I definitely appreciate his work and the Bank Dick is one of my favorite movies.
you do know "W . C is also meant for bathroom. lol
@@trevormiles5852 you do know every abbreviation has the potential to mean hundreds of different things. lol
@@SoylentThulhu In this particular case , I am pretty sure it was not random. Especially with his art of turning a phrase and his particular type of humor. WC ws way more common used for water closet back then.
@@trevormiles5852 in this case it's for his actual name, but sure I'm a toilet if that makes you feel better
@@trevormiles5852 It's Water Closet.
I am a little bit surprised that you didn't mention that he was part of the inspiration behind the Mr. Magoo cartoon character! His influence on other creative people definitely left a legacy that goes beyond just his films.
“There are burglars singing in the basement.” always cracks me up.
His comedy timeless, one of the greats.
W.C. Fields, Laurel and Hardy, The Marx Brothers, Charlie Chaplin, Abbott and Costello, Buster Keaton.(Thanks PC) Harold Lloyd (Thanks mungous1000) Douglas Fairbanks, Lillian Gish, Mary Pickford, Rudolph Valentino should not be forgotten honorable mention : Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Shirley Temple Black, Peter Lorre and many many more.
And I would add Buster Keaton
I'm 73 years young and am so glad they showed his films on the tv in the 50's. I was so lucky to grow up with not only him but the likes of the Marx Brothers, Laurel and Hardy, and the Three Stooges.
@@PC-kd7dj Thanks I forgot.
@@lawrence8374 My favorite were the Marx Brothers. Everyone knows there's no sanity clause. Funny every time. Plus the music.
I would add Harold Lloyd to that exclusive list.
He still makes me laugh, "are you short or are you standing in a hole?"
thats good!!!!
"I spent half my money on gambling, alcohol, and wild women.The other half I wasted"
There was no one better than W. C. not even a close second to him.
Loved the way he repeatedly annunciated "Beelzebub"
And the line when meeting his daughter's suiter, Og Oggilby (Grady Sutton. "Og Oggilby", “Sounds like a bubble in a bathtub”
"I rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy."
Funny, I always knew it as, “I’d rather have a free bottle in front of me than a pre-frontal lobotomy”.
@@toddklempan105 Me too!
Not a Fields quote, though
@@TheloniousCube Groucho---I think.
@@antilogism No, I don't think so - Groucho wasn't much of a drinker. Some have attributed it to Dorothy Parker, but there doesn't seem to be good evidence for any particular story at this point
Love WC Fields. His influence is immense in the World of comedy. I’d say he’s still pretty well known among movie buffs, but certainly not at the level as he should be.
Youngsters need to understand who the imitated voice they hear in cartoons, etc is from! Cultural history...and of a "rebellious" character, to boot!
I WATCHED W.C. WHEN I WAS A KID. HE ALWAYS MADE ME LAUGH. I LOVE HIM.
W.C….undoubtedly one of the GOATS.
One thing missing.
His radio deal with the cigarette brand “Lucky Strike”.
In the radioshow he invented a son named Chester Fields.
The radio work is fairly obscure these days, but much of it is hilarious - worth seeking out
Didn't even know he did that much radio. I'll have to check it out.
@@pashadyne Yes, it most certainly is!
For real surrealism, I especially like his comments on The Jabberwock - it's such a crazy multi-level gag where his character thinks he's covering for another character who is too drunk to read the poem....a masterpiece of comedy
More proof that he was funnier than Groucho.
God I love that guy. He was the one and only. They don't make the likes of him anymore.
It's A Gift is his gift to us. "Whattaya mean I don't love ya!"
Not for about 140 years now
👌
He had extraordinary wit and was a comedic genius with incredible delivery.
I am 72. nobody has ever made me laugh harder and as often . legend in his time
I was excited to see this video pop up. My dad introduced me to W.C. Fields movies when I was young and they are very nostalgic to me for that reason. Not only did I appreciate the humor but I also learned allot from them. I learned about comedic film history and history itself. I'll always have those memories of laughing with dad as he treated and cultured me with these old films. Grateful to Dad, W.C. Fields, and this channel for this video. Thanks.
I glad you had a good relationship with your dad...my dad hated me
I have almost every full length and short film of him. Have been watching his stuff for over fifty years
The narrator says that Fields' movies were some of the greatest in that era. His films are some of the best in that era, this era, and future ones to come.
"Anyone who hates kids and dogs can't be all bad."
I just hate kids
My music teacher (back in elementary school) had a caricature of W.C. Fields displayed on his office wall. The caption stated: "Anyone who hates music *and* children, can't be *all* bad."
An absolute and total comedy genius!! His movies are just terrific!!
I used to love watching WC Fields as a youngster in the 70’s & as a kid I laughed out loud
Thank you, thank you for introducing me to this hilarious man.
I grew up blocks from where he lived. My neighbor lived next to his son growing up and we have great conversations about Fields, Marx Bros, Stooges, early Disney, Jimmy Stewart, ect... we both agreed the Bank Dick is far and away his best comedy where he really pushed it(he named the bar the Black Pussy Cafe in dialogue but wrote as the Black Pussy Cat Cafe on the windows) and its a gift is probably his best movie.the international house has a few great fields lines and the always great Cab Callaway.
In 1993 his Toluca Lake (North Hollywood, Ca) home was cut up and moved to Sylmar, Ca (14 miles North of Toluca Lake) to be used as a Child Care Center named "My Little Chickadee".
He always reminds me of a couple of my great uncles. I used to laugh at their antics when I was a young girl.
A true comedic genius. Very few in the same class.
Chaplin and Groucho.
And maybe Curly Howard
And Keaton
@@nicholasskroumbelos6842 Let's not forget Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle.
I found DVDs of his work for my grandfather years ago and we watched them together! He was awesome! I also found dvds of our gang!
One of the best. Even your short documentary had me howling with laughter. Always been a fan of WC Fields 😂
Thanks for recognizing this iconic entertainer!
Incredibly talented man. Much misunderstood I think. Made me cry with laughter. An absolute genius at slapstick. RIP 🙏🏼
"Go away Kid! You bother me." I've laughed about that for 50 years.
Well let's see what we have here my little "chick-a-dee"! It's awesome to find out so much about our unique and clever performer. Stay safe and keep doing what you're doing!
I was just listening to Rob Lowe's podcast and he was talking with Conan O'Brien about W.C. Feilds. I was going to look into him but here you went on ahead and did it for me.
Keep digging further: you'll love yourself for it!
His Mr Mcawber defined him as a serious actor, just loved him.
I agree he nailed that role no one else could have done it justice
On the whole he was just unique and very funny, especially strangling the little girl and playing golf
and billiards.
A real treasure .
You need to read Carlotta Monti's book, "W.C. Fields and Me." She lived with him for years and was his caregiver and close companion. It's a priceless view into his life and story.
good read
Yes I’ll look it up. Thanks
I'm on it. Thanks.
You're so right. A book that makes one laugh, and cry.
My great grandmother who was also a Broadway actress supposedly gave W.C. Fields his big break by recommending him in the part in the Movie Poppy. Also they had a an affair and he got her pregnant.
W.C. Fields is the bomb. I've seen all of his films (including the shorts) and still play an L.P. of his only audio recording that he made just before he passed away of his "Temperance Lecture" and "The Day He Drank a Glass of Water" with Mae West singing as a bonus. Excellent video.
I've got "The Temperance Lecture" on an LP released in the late 1960's. It was funny then to a 15 year old, and even funnier now that I drink.
Aren’t you still watching them🤔
Fields also had a legendary comic feud with Charlie McCarthy. I'm not sure why a ventriloquist had a radio show, but it was always great when Fields was a guest.
Clowns, jugglers, ventriloquists, and magicians compete for work at birthday parties. They're all natural enemies.
The radio show hd a live audience; enjoying the witty, sharp comedic banter would also inspire folks to want to get to a performance!
We had a radio show featuring a ventriloquist in the UK called "Educating Archie" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educating_Archie
Edgar Bergen, Candice's father, was a truly artless ventriloquist. The characters were popular, but his technique was lousy. You can catch him moving his lips in "You Can't Cheat an Honest Man."
Great reportage! We thank you. Chaplin, Keaton, and Fields forever solidified the Ancient Greek Cynic Performist Tradition as the hallmark of the genius of American Humor, to which the Marx Brothers, George Burns, Oliver and Hardy, Will Rogers, and just a few others, would provide depth and subtlety while playing the same old tune. Nothing conparable exists today. Thank God much of this celluloid was preserved.
You forgot Gracie Allen.
Even at 74, he was "before my time" and I've never known much about him though I've always known of him. Thank you!
3:10 I would so rock a cane if i had skills like that 😄 Truly a legend of comedy.
You did an EXCELLENT job capturing the essence of this most gifted of comedians... Bravo, sir!
The Bank Dick has always been one of my favorite comedies!!