W.C. Fields from sound film and radio comedy to stardom : becoming a cultural icon / Arthur Frank Wertheim.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wertheim, Arthur Frank, 1935- author.

Series:

Palgrave studies in theatre and performance history

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Fields, W. C. (William Claude), 1880-1946.

Fields, W. C.

Actors--United States--Biography.

Actors.

United States.

Comedians--United States--Biography.

Comedians.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xlii, 428 pages : illustrations (black and white) ; 22 cm.

Place of Publication:

London, United Kingdom : Palgrave Macmillan, [2018]

Summary:

W.C. Fields is known as a virtuoso comedian and legendary iconoclast who gave the gift of laughter to multitudes. As the first author to use the newly-opened Fields Papers at the Academy library, Arthur Frank Wertheim illuminates the comedian's arduous ascent to stardom during Hollywood's golden age. The book reveals details of Fields's turbulent private life, from his wife's refusal to divorce, to his estranged son, and to his fleeting relationships with women. Here is a portrait of an aggrieved artist whose emotional anguish found refuge in his poignant comedy about life's frustrations and the human condition. This third volume in Wertheim's trilogy documents Fields's rise to iconic status during the counterculture 1960s, creating a legacy of his comedy for generations to come.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1137473290

9781137473295

OCLC:

1042359114