W.C. Fields was a true original.His unique brand of humor owed as much to Mark Twain as it did to the vaudeville stage on which he perfected his art. Fields has been called the great American comedian, and I certainly wouldn’t disagree.
His humor is uniquely American in many ways, but it also had that timeless, universal appeal shared by the great clowns all over the world.
The Lincoln Center in New York City is currently hosting an excellent exhibit on the art of W.C. Fields, called “The Peregrinations and Pettifoggery of W. C. Fields”. It’s wonderful to see such a tribute to “The Great Man”. This exhibit does a wonderful job celebrating his art and humor, including some very rare home movies taken during live stage performances.
For those unfamiliar with Fields work, or only familiar with it through the many imitations and caricatures, they may be surprised to learn of the depth he brought to his screen persona.
Hardly just a comic “type”, Fields instead created deep and personal comic characters, rooted in his own experiences, and portrayed these characters in a series of brilliant films that reflect human foibles and frustrations as well as any work of art has ever accomplished.
In the process, he created some of the best comedies in the history of film.
