W.C. Fields and Me (1976)

Director:

Arthur Hiller

Writers:

Bob Merrill, Carlotta Monti (novel),

Stars:

Rod Steiger, Valerie Perrine, John Marley

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Rod Steiger	...	W.C. Fields
Valerie Perrine	...	Carlotta Monti
John Marley	...	Studio Head Bannerman
Jack Cassidy	...	John Barrymore
Bernadette Peters	...	Melody
Dana Elcar	...	Agent Dockstedter
Paul Stewart	...	Florenz Ziegfeld
Billy Barty	...	Ludwig
Allan Arbus	...	Gregory LaCava
Milt Kamen	...	Dave Chasen
Louis Zorich	...	Gene Fowler
Andrew Parks	...	Claude Fields
Linda Purl	...	Ingenue

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

vaudeville comedian | film making | movie comedian | interurban railway | father son reunion | 

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Taglines:

On screen he played a child-hating, dog-kicking, acid-tongued old swindler, it was no act.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 January 1978 (France)

Also Known As:

Frenesi de Glória

Filming Locations:

Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The only actual incident from Carlotta Monti's book that was used in the movie was when Monti sprayed a hose on W.C. Fields' tin roof to simulate the sound of a waterfall.

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Goofs

The siren of the ambulance transporting W.C. Fields to the hospital is a modern electronic version, not the air driven type that would have been in use in the forties when he last lived.

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Connections

Referenced in Hollywood Rocks the Movies: The 1970s (2002)

User Reviews

Rod Steiger is good

This adaptation of W.C. Fields' life is a pretty good one which shows the great comic, warts and all. This is based on the book published by Field's mistress of many years, and she is played by Valerie Perrine, who does a splendid job. Steiger is very good, but I have to agree with a previous poster that he sort-of resembles a blown-up Van Johnson rather than Fields. The only technical flaw I could see in an otherwise splendid recreation of 30's Hollywood is one street scene where the street is dressed with the proper 1930s autos, but then a late 1960s Lincoln Continental Mark III passes by, followed by a 1973 Pontiac LeMans and a Volkswagen Beetle! After this gaffe, the parade of passing cars returns to the classic 1930s cars. The late Jack Cassidy does a pretty good job playing John Barrymore, and the Mancini score is, as always, an asset. This is streaming on Netflix in a gorgeous wide-screen copy.