W.C. Fields and Me

I had the unique perspective of living at the set in La Canada, California at the time this movie was being filmed.(I was working at nearby JPL in Pasadena) I appreciated the director's attention to detail and was able to meet Rod Steiger and Valerie Perrine between "takes." The sets were fantastic, as were the performances. The crew spent about three weeks preparing the house and bringing in the properties that were used to re-create W.C. Fields's home. The crew painstakingly stenciled 1930s designs near the ceiling of the room. Since that would make the living room stand out, they carried the design into several other rooms that were not used during the production! There is a scene of the outside of the house that shows the room that I was living in.

One of the rules on the set was that no one could imitate W.C. Fields while Rod Steiger was on the set. I believe that Rod worked very hard to portray W.C. Fields in a realistic way. (He was one nasty character!)

Please bring this movie out on DVD!

Carlotta Monti, a would-be Hollywood hopeful in the 1930s, met rascally, alcoholic, volatile comedy actor W.C. Fields at a movie wrap-party and was later invited out to his spread, supposedly to talk about a part in his next picture; there wasn't one, but she spent the next fourteen years with him anyway, playing his loving--though seemingly platonic--mistress who also acted as Fields' personal stenographer, script girl, cook, maid, and mother-figure-cum-warden. Based on Monti's memoir, and with her advisory assistance, this biography of Fields seems pretty truthful and not a white-washed kiss-up job. Director Arthur Hiller and star Rod Steiger do not shy away from showing W.C. as an occasional heel, a heartless, self-confessed son-of-a-bitch. Yet, the movie's best moments are the quieter ones (Fields' brotherly relationship with a little person, his reunion with the son he hadn't seen in twenty years, his reaction after Carlotta discovers how lonely he is). Steiger, whose make-up job causes him to resemble a portly Van Johnson rather than Fields, is a bit shrill in places, and he gets off to a bad start; however, Steiger eases into the role with obvious relish, and his eagerness to showcase this incredible personality definitely comes through (his final scene in bed is a heartbreaker). Valerie Perrine as Carlotta is also too shrill (which can be blamed on Hiller's handling), but she matches up well with Steiger and doesn't take too much guff off him. The sequences set in and around the movie studio never quite achieve the magic we hope they'll reach (they're squashy and limp, due--partially at least--to David M. Walsh's terrible cinematography). However, the central relationship is nicely carried off, aided by a lovely Henry Mancini score and good character actors in support. A forgotten film--yet another sitting on the shelf down at Universal--but worth seeking out, especially to see Steiger's work. **1/2 from ****

I'm not figuring out why W.C. Fields And Me was panned the way it was by some critics. Although it's hardly a linear biography, Rod Steiger gave a good interpretation of the character. The parts I liked best was when he was away from performing and we got to see some of what may be the inner workings of that very uniquely funny man.

We've never had a comedian like W.C. Fields and I doubt we'll see his like again. The mold was shattered in a million pieces when the comedy gods made him. His comedy style wasn't with one liners or fancy dialog. He created a character of an everyman with a big dose of curmudgeon, his body language during a scene was as important, even more than the words of a script.

The film is based on the memoirs of Carlotta Monti who was Fields's live-in mistress. Quite a bit more was added to it. The famous story of Lee Tracy urinating off a hotel balcony in Mexico is attributed to Fields. Now the story of Fields spiking Baby LeRoy's formula with some of his best gin, that's a tale told and retold and seems to be the real deal.

For those who want to see W.C. Fields at his very best I cannot too highly recommend The Bank Dick. In a way I'm glad Steiger did not use it because no one, absolutely no one could do justice to what W.C. Fields did in that film.

Valerie Perrine complements Steiger very well as Carlotta Monti and Jack Cassidy makes his scenes count playing John Barrymore who was Bill Fields drinking companion and America's greatest actor in his generation. Both lost their lives and health eventually to booze.

But both left us a lot of great performances.

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I was at a favorite Second-Hand goods store last week, and upon finding a copy of the book "W.C. Fields & Me" By Carlotta Monti with Cy Rice, I snapped up the hard-cover copy, there and then. When this film was in it's Original release in Melbourne, Australia at the cinema I worked at as Projectionist, I had the pleasure to screen this Movie Two Sessions a Day - for it's Original run - and Loved Screening each and every session including it's accompanying suitable Musical score that plays in the background as the film UN-spools. I have been hoping against hope, that One day I can get my own Blu-Ray or DVD Copy of "W.C. Fields & Me", as I believe Rod Steiger did an excellent recreation of the character of Fields. Dear reader, to get a better knowledge of the Life that W.C.Fields had led up to the point where the Film begins from, I would recommend Movie Fans get their hands on some of the Biographical Books detailing the earlier life of Fields, from say his earliest Teenage years through to where the film takes up from, I assure you will get far-more from this Movie, if you make that effort. The stunning Valerie Perrine who features in the film as Carlotta Monti, tends to bring balance to the film as it rolls along to a memorable ending, at least it is memorable for me, in more ways than one, I cannot tell you more, as that would spoil the film for you, and I love this film too much to do that. Here is hoping Universal will release this "soon" with the Best Quality available, to all fans of this forgotten Gem of a Movie. There is only one more Movie Starring W.C. Fields I need to complete my W.C. Fields Movie Collection, and that is the Film with W.C. Fields and Zasu Pitts of "Mrs Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch" 1934,( but not the 1940s Faye Bainter Version ) Both movies = Comedy and Tear-Jerker all in one movie, Highly recommended to all W.C. Fields aficionados...If any fans can help me with this I could love you forever...

When I first went to see this movie in a theater I went to watch Steiger, who never, to my knowledge, did a lick of comedy previously, fall flat on his face.

However, about five minutes into the movie I could no longer see Steiger. He had so well portrayed the great comic that you would think he invoked the very spirit of Fields and allowed Fields to tell his own story.

The research behind the acting must have been quite thorough, as I never once saw anything I could fault. His mastery of Fields speech patterns was impeccable and not overdone like so many who attempt to sound like Fields. The story line never took liberties for dramatic effect, and as far as I can tell, remained true to the real life and events of W.C.Fields.

I can only hope that, some day the studio will relent and put this great movie out on DVD or Blu-Ray; despite the poor box office returns. I really would like to see this movie again; and consider it one of the all time great biographical works.