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.
