A virtuoso comedian, W. C. Fields is often called a comic genius and legendary iconoclast who gave the gift of laughter to multitudes during his epoch and left a legacy of humor for future
generations. Using the newly opened W. C. Fields Papers at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Library, this groundbreaking book explores how he became a comedian during his
lesser known stage career from 1898 to 1930 - years of hardship and exaltation that had a major influence on his comedy and characterizations in his films. The volume also uncovers new
knowledge about Fields’s traumatic private life and complex personality, revealing an aggrieved artist whose emotional anguish found refuge in his poignant comedy about life’s frustrations
and the human condition.
