W. C. Fields
W. C. Fields, born William Claude Dukenfield in 1880 in Philadelphia, was a prominent American actor and screenwriter known for his unique brand of humor and performance style. Fields developed an early passion for entertainment after witnessing a juggling act in vaudeville at the age of nine, leading him to practice juggling, often at the expense of his father's produce business. He made his stage debut as a teenager, earning the moniker W. C. Fields, the Tramp Juggler, and grew adept at pantomime during the silent film era. Fields's comedic style evolved to include sardonic dialogue, influenced by literary figures like Mark Twain and Shakespeare.
His career transitioned from vaudeville to major productions, including performances in Florenz Ziegfeld's Follies and George White's Scandals. It wasn't until 1923 that he achieved a starring role, which launched a successful film career that included notable collaborations, such as with Mae West in "My Little Chickadee." Fields was known for his improvisational skills, often writing short screenplays that allowed for actor creativity during filming. By the late 1930s, he had established a significant legacy in American cinema, recognized for his quick wit and distinctive comedic voice.
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W. C. Fields
Comedian
- Born: January 29, 1880
- Birthplace: Darby, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Died: December 25, 1946
- Place of death: Pasadena, California
Biography
W. C. Fields is the name actor and screenwriter William Claude Dukenfield adopted professionally when he worked in Hollywood. Born in 1880 in Philadelphia to a Cockney immigrant, James, a produce merchant, and his wife, Kate Felton Dukenfield, Fields was wooed into acting when, at age nine, he saw a juggling act in a vaudeville show. From that time on, he was hooked. Fields taught himself to juggle, to the consternation of his father because the boy used fruit and vegetables from his father’s peddling cart to practice, thereby ruining the produce. Nevertheless, by the time Fields was sixteen, he juggled his way onto the stage, billed as W. C. Fields, the Tramp Juggler.
Fields, growing up during the silent film era, became adept at pantomime. In his stage performances, he was enamored of the sounds of words and of names, many of which he incorporated into his acts. He loved Mark Twain’s humor and also read widely in William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens. By 1915, his use of pantomime gave way to dialogue in which he developed the sardonic delivery for which he was renowned.
Fields developed acts based upon his life and on what he observed in society. His vaudeville acts related well to human nature as he observed it. Eventually, he left vaudeville to perform in Florenz Ziegfield’s Follies, in George White’s Scandals, and in Earl Carroll’s Vanities, increasingly learning about timing and the projection of moods to audiences. Not until 1923, at age forty-three, was he cast in a starring role, this time as Eustace McGargle in Dorothy Donnelly’s Poppy, a highly successful stage play that was adapted for film as Sally of the Sawdust in 1925, with Fields in the lead.
William LeBaron, who became an associate producer for Paramount Studios, had great faith in Fields and cast him in a number of silent films. When LeBaron moved to RKO Studios in 1930, he gave Fields his first role in a short talkie, The Golf Specialist, for which Fields, although not credited, wrote the screenplay. For two more years, Fields continued to have roles in Paramount productions. When LeBaron returned to Paramount in 1933, he insisted that Fields be permitted to write his own scripts. Fields depended a great deal on improvisation in his screenplays, which were intentionally quite short because Fields expected that the actors, of which he was usually one, would create additional dialogue during the filming.
Fields developed many roles in which he played the henpecked husband or the tippler. By 1938, Fields left Paramount for Universal Studios, where he was paid an astounding $125,000 for each film role he undertook as well as $25,000 for writing the script. He appeared in a total of five films for Universal and participated in writing all but one of the screenplays. Among his most memorable films is his collaboration with actress Mae West on My Little Chickadee in 1940, a film in which he and West starred. In the same year, his screenplay for The Bank Dick, which he wrote without a collaborator, was produced.
Fields left an indelible mark upon American films. His humor combined with the quickness of his responses produced extraordinary comedy.