W. C. Fields
American vaudeville juggler turned stage and film comedian.
William Claude Dukenfield, the man who would become W. C. Fields, was born on January 29, 1880, and died on Christmas Day in 1946. He worked as an actor, comedian, juggler, and writer. His showbiz start came in vaudeville, where he gained worldwide fame as a silent juggler. He later added comedy to his act and spent several years as a featured performer in the Ziegfeld Follies. His big break came in the 1923 Broadway musical *Poppy*, where he played a flashy small-time con man. After that, he often played similar rogues or put-upon everymen on stage and in movies. His trademarks included physical comedy, a gravelly drawl, a prominent nose, and a fondness for fancy language. His film and radio persona was usually treated as the real Fields. The publicity departments at Paramount and Universal studios kept this image alive, and it was reinforced by Robert Lewis Taylor’s 1949 biography *W. C. Fields, His Follies and Fortunes*. Starting in 1973, when Fields’s grandson Ronald published *W. C. Fields by Himself*—a collection of letters, photos, and personal notes—it became clear that Fields was married (though estranged from his wife), financially supported their son, and loved his grandchildren. Fields was born William Claude Dukenfield in Darby, Pennsylvania, the oldest child in a working-class family. His father, James Lydon Dukenfield, came from an English family that left Sheffield, Yorkshire, for America in 1854. James served in Company M of the 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry during the Civil War and was wounded in 1863. Fields’s mother, Kate Spangler Felton, was a Protestant of British ancestry. The 1876 Philadelphia City Directory lists James as a clerk. After marrying, he worked as an independent produce merchant and part-time hotel-keeper. Known as Claude at home, Fields had a rocky relationship with his quick-tempered father. He ran away from home repeatedly, starting at age nine, often staying with his grandmother or an uncle. His schooling was spotty and ended after grade school. At twelve, he worked with his father selling produce from a wagon until a fight sent him running away again. In 1893, he briefly worked at the Strawbridge and Clothier department store and in an oyster house. Fields later exaggerated his childhood, painting himself as a runaway kid called Whitey who lived by his wits on Philadelphia streets from an early age, though his home life was likely reasonably happy. He discovered he had a knack for juggling, and after seeing a local theater performance, he spent a lot of time perfecting the skill. At seventeen, he lived with his family and performed a juggling act at church and theater shows. In 1904, his father visited him for two months in England while Fields was performing in music halls. Fields helped his father retire, bought him a summer home, and encouraged his parents and siblings to learn to read and write so they could write him letters. Inspired by the success of the “Original Tramp Juggler,” James Edward Harrigan, Fields adopted a similar look—scruffy beard and shabby tuxedo—and entered vaudeville as a genteel “tramp juggler” in 1898, using the name W. C. Fields. His family supported his stage ambitions and saw him off on his first tour. To hide a stutter, he didn’t speak onstage. In 1900, to stand out from the many tramp acts, he changed his costume and makeup and began touring as “The Eccentric Juggler.” His juggling act appears in some of his films, especially the 1934 comedy *The Old Fashioned Way*. Fields’s first biographer, Robert Lewis Taylor, described a string of dishonest, fly-by-night managers who took advantage of Fields in his teens, making him more cautious, vigilant, and cynical about show-business people. Fields then joined the Irwin Bros. Burlesquers, a touring troupe run by Fred Irwin. Fields was relieved to find Irwin reputable and respected by professionals and audiences. A quote from the *Cincinnati Enquirer* in August 1899 contains the earliest known mention of “W. C. Fields” as an entertainer; the nineteen-year-old juggler was listed fifth among eight acts on Irwin’s bill. The earliest surviving review of his act, from September 1899, now lists him first: “The prominent features of [Irwin’s] bill are the finished work of W. C. Fields, the tramp juggler…” The *Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette* added, “W. C. Fields, the tramp juggler, being the drawing card. His makeup is ideal with that of the up-to-date tramp, and his juggling of rubber balls, hats, boxes, and various other articles, while the orchestra kept time with him, is a unique feature.”
Fields left the Irwin group in May 1900 and started a solo career as a vaudeville headliner, billing himself as “the world’s greatest juggler.” By June, he was starring at the famous Koster & Bial’s Music Hall in New York City. By then, he had stopped using Claude and answered to Bill. He remained a headliner in North America and Europe, and toured Australia and South Africa in 1903. When playing for English-speaking audiences, he found he got more laughs by adding muttered patter and sarcastic asides to his routines. According to W.
- born
- January 29, 1880
- died
- December 25, 1946
- field
- Actor, comedian, juggler, writer
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Physical comedy, raspy drawl, large nose, grandiloquent vocabulary; film and rad
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Fields was born William Claude Dukenfield in Darby, Pennsylvania, the oldest child of a working-class family. His father, James Lydon Dukenfield (1841–1913), was from an English family that emigrated from Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, in 1854 and served in Company M of the 72nd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment in the American Civil War. Fields's mother was Kate Spangler Felton (1854–1925). Claude Dukenfield had a volatile relationship with his short-tempered father and ran away from home repeatedly, beginning at age nine. His education did not progress beyond grade school. At age 12 he worked with his father selling produce until a fight caused him to run away again. In 1893 he worked briefly at Strawbridge and Clothier department store and in an oyster house. He discovered a facility for juggling and, after witnessing a performance at a local theater, dedicated substantial time to perfecting it. At age 17, he was living with his family and performing a juggling act at church and theater shows. In 1904 Fields visited his father in England while performing there and enabled him to retire, purchasing him a summer home. Inspired by the success of the 'Original Tramp Juggler' James Edward Harrigan, Fields entered vaudeville as a genteel 'tramp juggler' in 1898 using the name W. C. Fields. To conceal a stutter, he did not speak onstage. In 1900 he changed his costume and began touring as 'The Eccentric Juggler'. He joined the Irwin Bros. Burlesquers under Fred Irwin; an August 1899 quote from the Cincinnati Enquirer contains the earliest known mention of 'W. C. Fields' as an entertainer. The Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette noted, 'W. C. Fields, the tramp juggler, being the drawing card.' Fields left the Irwin ensemble in May 1900 and embarked on a solo career as a vaudeville headliner. He toured Australia and South Africa in 1903. For English-speaking audiences, he added muttered patter and sarcastic asides; according to W. Buchanan-Taylor, Fields would 'reprimand a particular ball which had not come to his hand accurately' and 'mutter weird and unintelligible expletives to his cigar when it missed his mouth'. Fields made his Broadway debut in 1905 in The Ham Tree, which required him to deliver lines of dialogue for the first time. In 1913 he performed on a bill with Sarah Bernhardt, who regarded Fields as 'an artiste [who] could not fail to please the best class of audience'. Beginning in 1915, he appeared in Florenz Ziegfeld's Ziegfeld Follies, delighting audiences with a wild billiards skit. He starred in the Follies from 1916 to 1922. He starred in the 1923 Broadway musical comedy Poppy, perfecting his persona as a colorful small-time con man. In 1928 he appeared in The Earl Carroll Vanities. His stage costume from 1915 onward featured a top hat, cut-away coat and collar, and a cane. Fields became highly protective of his intellectual properties, registering sketches with the Copyright Office of the Library of Congress. In 1919 he placed a warning in the June 13 issue of Variety addressed to 'Nibblers' and 'indiscreet burlesque and picture players', stating all his acts were protected by copyright. He copyrighted his stage sketch 'An Episode at the Dentist's' three times (January 1919, July and August 1928) and his 1928 sketch 'Stolen Bonds'.
Reader's Guide
W. C. Fields's significance lies in his transition from a silent vaudeville juggler to a major comedic figure on Broadway and in film. His trademarks—physical comedy, raspy drawl, large nose, and grandiloquent vocabulary—defined a persona that was generally identified with Fields himself, maintained by the publicity departments at Paramount and Universal and reinforced by Robert Lewis Taylor's 1949 biography W. C. Fields, His Follies and Fortunes. Beginning in 1973, with the publication of Fields's letters, photos, and personal notes in grandson Ronald Fields's book W. C. Fields by Himself, it was shown that Fields was married (and subsequently estranged from his wife), financially supported their son and loved his grandchildren. His juggling act is reproduced in some of his films, notably in the 1934 comedy The Old Fashioned Way. His pool game from the Ziegfeld Follies is reproduced in part in Six of a Kind (1934). Fields's first biographer Robert Lewis Taylor described dishonest managers who victimized Fields in his teens, hardening him and making him more cautious, vigilant, and cynical about show-business people. Fields's copyrighting of his material and his 1919 warning in Variety against 'Nibblers' highlight his efforts to protect his intellectual property.
Did You Know?
- Fields's earliest known mention as an entertainer is from an August 1899 Cincinnati Enquirer article, where the 19-year-old juggler was listed fifth among eight acts on Fred Irwin's bill.
- In 1913, Fields performed on a bill with Sarah Bernhardt, who called him 'an artiste [who] could not fail to please the best class of audience'.
- Fields copyrighted his stage sketch 'An Episode at the Dentist's' three times: in January 1919 and twice in 1928 (July and August).
- In 1904, Fields enabled his father to retire and purchased him a summer home after visiting him in England.
- Fields placed a prominent warning in the June 13, 1919 issue of Variety, occupying nearly half a page, addressed to 'Nibblers' who copied his acts.
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