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Title: W.C. Fields: A Biography by James Curtis ISBN: 0-375-40217-9 Publisher: Knopf Pub. Date: 04 March, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (8 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Interesting biography about a man of contradictions
Comment: Enjoyed W.C. FIELDS, a biography by James Curtis about one
of the greatest comedians in the world . . . his career spanned the
whole of the twentieth century--in burlesque, vaudeville, the
legitimate stage, silent pictures, talkies, radios, books, and
recordings . . . only his death prevented him from also working
in television.
Fields was a man of contradictions . . . he could write brilliant
dialogue, yet manage to ad lib something hilarious . . . he was
generous with friends, though incredibly stingy with his own
family . . . he could be a pleasure to work with at times, but quite
often, he was a real pain in the (bottom).
I hadn't know all that much about him . . . now I do and found out
that his drinking was actually even worse than I had heard about.
A series of accompanying photos from different aspects
of Fields' life contributed to my enjoyment of this book.
There were several memorable passages; among them:
Comedy, Bill Fields would say, is truth--a bit of artful reality,
expressed in action or words, carefully exaggerated and brought to
a surprise finish. Fields didn't think the mechanics of a gag counted
for half as much as the sound behind it. You might coax a laugh
from a willing audience over most anything, but a gag wouldn't be
memorable without the delight of human recognition.
Booze had not yet become and integral part of the act, but Fields
made such bald-faced exaggerations in print that he was widely
thought to have an unlimited capacity. "I'm and advocate of
moderation," he told Jack Grant in Movie Classic magazine.
"For example, I never drink before breakfast. During the morning,
I have 15 or 20 highballs. Then comes lunch. But I don't eat
lunch. Bad for the waistline. I drink it instead-oh say, a gallon
of cocktails. In the afternoon, which is longer that the morning, I
have possibly 30 or 40 highballs. With dinner, I have ten or twelve
bottles of wine or something to drink. In the evening, like a case
of sherry or maybe 50 to 60 highballs." A more reliable account
of Fields' drinking came in 1951 from Norman McLeod. "After
breakfast he downed a solid glass of bourbon with one-half inch
of water in it," he told columnist Ezra Goodman. "He said he didn't
want to discolor the bourbon. He had four or five of these until
noon, He drank on the set. He was on of the few actors I knew of
who was allowed to drink on the set. Then he had lunch. After
lunch-he always ate big meals-he began imbibing again at 2:30.
He would have four or five more bourbons until 5 p.m. At 5 p.m.
he started on martinis. He'd have five or six martinis-he made a
very good martini-before dinner. He was never drunk unless
he consumed liquor after dinner. If he did, he went back to bourbon."
[Spec McClure, Hedda Hopper's leg man]
Fields was the only man or woman I ever saw who stopped the whole
set when he went into a scene. I remember one scene-a rather long
shot-at 20th in which the idiot board could not be used, nor could
Fields remember his lines. So on each take he simply improvised,
making each one vastly different. The usually bored crew, technicians,
and everybody else on the stage crowded close to observe the maestro
as he went into action. I have also seen him so drunk that two men
were required to get him into position on the set, but when "action"
was called he marvelously came to life and went through the
scene without a hitch. An assistant stood on the sidelines with
a quart malted-milk glass filled with martini in case Fields got
thirsty. This was no gag, as everyone had great respect for the
old trouper and nobody thought his leaning on gin funny. Of
course, never wrote up such things as I could feel the life
weariness in the man-and I'd never been let back on the stage
if I had.
Rating: 5
Summary: Don't Miss This One!
Comment: Do you like W.C. Fields' movies? Then you will love this book! Have you collapsed from gut-busting exhaustion after watching the same hilarious scene over and over again? Do you revel in Fields the Magnificient Wordsmith? If so, get on your percheron and head for Amazon.com or the nearest bookstore and get this book!
James Curtis has created a stunning work, to be savored for its detail not only about Fields but his supporting players as well. Here you will learn that in 1934 Mae West received an astounding $300,000 a picture. Be sure to look at the picture of West as a young woman on p. 397 -- she was a striking beauty, and this is the first picture I have ever seen of her at such an age.
Fields found his work -- dialogue and plots -- carefully scrutinized by his producers and directors. His were rather simple films, really -- marvelously entertaining but certainly not epics. Yet they were given the third degree. Mercifully the humor of the man survived intact, I think. And we are all richer for the experience!
If you know and love the man and his work, read this book. If you are unfamiliar with the Great Man, you may wish to get the book and a few of his films. Watch the films, then read the book. And its value will increase tenfold! Well? What are you waiting for! (wink)
Rating: 5
Summary: GODFREY DANIELS!
Comment: James Curtis offers a well-researched and engagingly written biography of one of the most enigmatic figures ever to appear in the entertainment business. W.C. Fields was one of the most talented, yet underused (by contemporary definition) performers in show business, whether in vaudeville, burlesque, Broadway, Hollywood or radio. Originally a physical performer (juggling) before evolving into a diverse comedian and actor, Fields spent his entire life developing a unique public persona that became, in all appearances, to be the private man as well. Mr. Curtis paints a textured portrait of a man by turns, remarkably generous, yet often parsimonious, stubbornly difficult, yet frequently courtly and gracious.
The book focuses on Mr. Fields personal life to a level rarely reached in more traditional biographies. The chapters on Field's childhood and early days in show business provide tremendous insight on the man he would become and explain the contradictory nature of the man. There is a sense of tragedy of a great man who begins to fade, both in physical abilities and later, mental acuity, consumed by alcoholism, an unhappy marriage and a number of failed personal relationships. The book reads like a novel as Mr. Curtis blends description and dialogue seamlessly throughout the 600+ pages.
I was struck by the revelations of W.C. Fields personal graciousness and generosity as most previous biographies of the man portray him as a rather one-dimensional caricature. Yet, like most great talents, Fields was an incredibly complex man. This biography does him, nearly 60 years after his death, justice.
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Title: Stan and Ollie: The Roots of Comedy: The Double Life of Laurel and Hardy by Simon Louvish ISBN: 0312266510 Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books Pub. Date: 01 December, 2002 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
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Title:The Bank Dick - Criterion Collection ASIN: B00004TX1R Publisher: Criterion Collection Pub. Date: 22 August, 2000 List Price(USD): $29.95 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $26.96 |
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Title:W.C. Fields: 6 Short Films - Criterion Collection ASIN: 1559409053 Publisher: Criterion Collection Pub. Date: 22 August, 2000 List Price(USD): $29.95 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $26.96 |
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Title: Dark Lover: The Life and Death of Rudolph Valentino by Emily W. Leider ISBN: 0374282390 Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux Pub. Date: May, 2003 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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Title: Khrushchev: The Man and His Era by William Taubman ISBN: 0393051447 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: March, 2003 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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