W. C. Fields in The Bank Dick (1940) – IMDb
W. C. Fields was one of the greatest pantomimists and comedians in the world before he ever made a movie or spoke a word onstage. His career spanned the whole of the twentieth century— in burlesque, vaudeville, the legitimate stage, silent pictures, talkies, radio, books, and recordings. Only death prevented him from working in television.
W. C. Fields shared the vaudeville stage with Sarah Bernhardt and Houdini; he made a command performance before Edward VII; he was compared to Chaplin and Keaton and became one of the great comedians in radio. He wrote, directed, and performed (Mae West and Fields were among the first writer/actor/directors) in some of the most enduring and brilliant comedies of all time, including It’s a Gift, My Little Chickadee, and The Bank Dick. He appeared in fifty pictures and wrote fifteen of them.
His understanding of the need to lie and swindle, and his ability to make the most innocent phrase sound lewd, made him a star.
W. C. Fields – William Claude Dukenfield (January 29, 1880 – December 25, 1946) was an American comedian, actor, juggler and writer.Fields’ comic persona was a misanthropic and hard-drinking egotist, who remained a sympathetic character despite his snarling contempt for dogs, children, and women.
The characterization he portrayed in films and on radio was so strong it was generally identified with Fields himself. It was maintained by the publicity departments at Fields’ studios (Paramount and Universal) and was further established by Robert Lewis Taylor’s biography, W.C. Fields, His Follies and Fortunes (1949). Beginning in 1973, with the publication of Fields’ letters, photos, and personal notes in grandson Ronald Fields’ book W.C. Fields by Himself, it was shown that Fields was married (and subsequently estranged from his wife), and financially supported their son and loved his grandchildren. Wikipedia
W.C. Fields
I love cooking with wine. Sometimes I’ll even add it to the food.
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There’s no point in being a damn fool about it.
Start every day with a smile and get it over with.
Trust everybody, but cut the cards yourself.