The fellow shown above looks like a respectable man from the mid-twentieth century, yes? A charming fellow, well dressed, well-turned-out, prospering in the inter-war years, with an amiable smile. But the truth about this man and who he was is something else entirely. This is William Claude Dukenfield, better known as W.C. Fields, a juggler, Ziegfeld Follies performer, cynical comedian, movie star, probably a high-functioning alcoholic,and despite his reputation, a great American. The quotes initiating each section here are attributed to the man himself.
Fields was born on January 29, 1880, to James Lydon Dukenfield, a Civil War veteran and English immigrant, and from what little we know of him, also a short-tempered and abusive jerk. His mother was Kate Spangler Felton. There is little information about Fields’ parents other than that his father was listed in the 1876 Philadelphia City Directory as a “clerk,” which could encompass several occupations.
While Fields liked to portray himself later in life as having had a youth that could have been written by Charles Dickens at his most pessimistic, by all accounts, his relationship with his family was good. While he argued regularly with his father and ran away from home several times, he always returned and later supported his family. Fields encouraged his siblings to learn to read and write, and later helped his father financially, allowing the elder Fields to retire. William Claude was ill-educated, as he did not proceed past elementary school. But he had talent and drive, and that was to serve him well in life. His first step into what would be his lifelong career involved teaching himself to juggle.
His Adventurous Career
Always carry a flagon of whiskey in case of snakebite, and furthermore, always carry a small snake.
In 1898, William Claude entered the world of vaudeville as a “tramp” juggler, using the name W.C. Fields for the first time. He initially did not speak on stage until he had trained himself out of a childhood problem with stuttering. By the early 1900s, Fields was touring in North America, Europe, Australia, and South Africa. He quickly learned to spice up his juggling act with sarcastic comments, which would become one of his trademarks. In 1913, he toured with Sarah Bernhardt and performed (among other venues) for King George V and Queen Mary. Sarah Bernhardt reportedly described Fields as “an artiste who could not fail to please the best class of audience.”
From 1915 to 1922, Fields was a regular performer in the Ziegfeld Follies, where he also developed his billiards sketch, which would later be reproduced in several movies. During that time, he also established the persona that he would carry through his career: the gravelly-voiced, hard-drinking, cigar-chomping, sarcastic, misanthropic, slightly shady character, always looking for the main chance but rarely finding it.
Also in 1915, Fields made his first film appearances, starring that year in two silent films, Pool Sharks and His Lordship’s Dilemma. However, Fields remained a bit player even after signing with Paramount, until the 1933 “talkie” film International House propelled him into stardom. The rest, as we say, is history.
His impressive filmography may be viewed here.
Interestingly, throughout his early career, Fields was teetotal, although he often kept a bottle of whiskey in his dressing room for guests. But during his time in the Ziegfeld Follies, he began drinking, which habit increased after his portrayal of the beer-swilling Professor Henry R. Quail in International House. In 1941’s Never Give a Sucker an Even Break, his character “The Great Man” confessed, “I was in love with a beautiful blonde once, dear. She drove me to drink. That’s the one thing I am indebted to her for.”
This was, of course, in the years long before the “woke” virus infected Hollywood.
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Fields played the role of whiskey-soaked misanthrope to the hilt, to the point where he was rarely sober during filming. While filming Tales of Manhattan in 1942, co-star Phil Silvers said of Fields:
One day the producers appeared on the set to plead with Fields:
‘Please don’t drink while we’re shooting—we’re way behind schedule’… Fields merely raised an eyebrow. ‘Gentlemen, this is only lemonade. For a little acid condition afflicting me.’ He leaned on me. ‘Would you be kind enough to taste this, sir?’ I took a careful sip—pure gin. I have always been a friend of the drinking man; I respect him for his courage to withdraw from the world of the thinking man. I answered the producers a little scornfully, ‘It’s lemonade.’ My reward? The scene was snipped out of the picture.
But while his drinking was real and badly affected his health from the late Thirties onward, limiting his performance after about 1936, his fabled misanthropy and dislike for children and dogs were not. Fields was known to have kept dogs from time to time, and his David Copperfield co-star Freddie Bartholomew later stated that Fields was very attentive to his young co-star, describing him as “grandfatherly” and always attentive to the boy actor’s personal well-being while on the set. Fields was also devoted to his grandson, Bill Fields III.
Throughout all this, Fields married once, to a chorus girl named Harriet Hughes, which marriage lasted from 1900 to 1907, as Harriet wanted Fields to give up touring, which he was unwilling to do. They had a son, William Claude Fields Junior, in 1904.
Fields also carried on several affairs, including one from 1916 until 1926 with fellow Ziegfeld performer Bessie Poole; during this time, Poole had a son, William Rexford Fields Morris, but Poole denied repeatedly that Fields was the boy’s father, although Fields did support the boy financially.
The last affair Fields had was with Carlotta Monti, with whom Fields took up a relationship in 1933, which lasted until Fields died in 1946.
His One-Man War
Always smile first thing in the morning. Might as well get it over with.
Throughout his career, Fields fiercely protected what he considered to be his trademark acts. He referred derisively to people he saw as encroaching on his performances as “Nibblers” and often threatened legal action against them. In 1919, Fields took out an ad in Variety:
Notice to Nibblers
Some indiscreet burlesque and picture players have nibbled at bits of my various acts. I am therefore compelled to notify them, that all my acts (and business therein) are protected by United States and international copyright.
I intend to vigorously prosecute all offenders in the future and have so instructed my attorneys.
W.C. Fields.
Fields registered his sketches and comedy scripts with the Copyright Office of the Library of Congress. Following this, other performers began to do likewise.
It is unclear, however, whether Fields pursued any legal action against a “nibbler.”
His Golden Years
Never give a sucker an even break.
Fields last appeared on Edger Bergen’s radio show in March of 1946. Later that year, he recorded an album, which included his pieces The Temperance Lecture and The Day I Drank A Glass of Water. Complications of his intemperance, meanwhile, were taking an ever-increasing toll on his health. He spent his last 22 months in the Las Encinas Sanitorium in Pasadena, where his mistress Carlotta Monti would use a garden hose to spray water on the roof of Fields’ room, noting that his favorite sound was falling rain.
On Christmas Day of 1946, Fields smiled and winked at a nurse, put his finger to his lips, and died. There’s an old saw about the text on Fields’ gravestone, which is reputed to read, “On the whole, I’d rather be in Philadelphia.” This is unfortunately false; his marker in the Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale, California, contains only his name and years of birth and death.
Thus ended the career of one of America’s great entertainment icons. His image is still found everywhere today; even now, in the internet era, he is a popular subject for memes. Few American entertainers can claim to have achieved the immortality of William Claude Dukenfield, aka “Bill” Fields, aka W.C. Fields.