W. C. Fields, his follies and fortunes (Signet books)

by Robert Lewis Taylor

Book Overview

In this now-classic biography of America's great funnyman, first published in 1949, award-winning author Robert Lewis Taylor captures the cantankerous charm that has made Fields revered by generations... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0006BPX6O
• Release Date: January 1967
• Publisher: New American Library
• Length: 286 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.

Customer Reviews

screamingly funny, never ponderous

I never appreciated WCFields nearly enough until I read this fantastic bio. I followed it up by checking other bios & Fields references; I almost bought Curtis' 2003 bio because I craved more, not just of the constant & prolonged laughs this bio inspired but for more inspiration from Fields' torturous childhood that molded him into admirably unique & triumphant contrariness. In the end, the Taylor bio, though lacking mention of Fields' radio work and emphasizing anecdote over details, was so well written I didn't feel any need of elaboration. I sped through this book, stopping only for laughing jags, where a devoted bio was more likely to be a slog. Instead, I bought Fields' only book, Fields for President.

This book is an absolute joy to read!

This book is an absolute joy to read!

Not Bad, But Use With Caution

There have been numerous books on the "Great One" and R.L. Taylor's is among the earliest. If the reader is to embark on a serious study of Fields, this should be the first book you read, but use it with caution. Fields was a great rancatour and if a lie would serve better than the truth, he did it. It's hard to seperate fact from fiction when dealing with Fields. No doubt he detested having his privacy intruded on, and his childhood was probably painful. Fields propped up his erratic life with hard drinking, which eventually killed him. And, so many of his tales sound like boozy comedy skits. Still, Fields life tends to read like a Dickens novel. The influence that Dickens had on the comedian is umistakeable, with film characters like short tempered "Mr. Muckle" the portly "Adelai Brunch Souse" and "Professor Eustice McGargle"