The legend of W. C. Fields has persisted for more than half a centurythe ginguzzling misanthrope about whom Leo Rosten famously said, "Any man who hates dogs and babies cant be all bad." But there was another Fields, the man behind the character of the rednosed card sharp, who wrote, directed, and performed in some of the most enduring comedies of all time, including "Its a Gift," "My Little Chickadee," and "The Bank Dick." Fields career spanned the whole of the 20th Centuryfirst in burlesque, then vaudeville, the legitimate stage, silent pictures, talkies, radio, books, and recordings, and only death prevented him from moving into the promising medium of television, where he found an entirely new audience in the turbulent 1960s and 70s. He was one of the cultural icons surrounding The Beatles on the cover of "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band." In 1980 he was honored with his own postage stamp. Now James Curtis reveals the man behind the myth, telling the story of Fields life and work as its never been told before. With exclusive and unrestricted access to the Great Mans papers and manuscripts, he shows us the passion and intellect that fueled Fields creative drive, and the broken family that gave such a bitter edge to his comedy. Drawing from interviews with over 50 friends and coworkers, as well as the comedians own recentlydiscovered notes for his autobiography, Curtis vividly details Fields Philadelphia childhood, his first tentative steps as a performer, his...

Binding: Paperback;532 pages; Publisher: Emmarac Editions; Classification: N/A; Weight: 825.34 g; Dimensions: N/A

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