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W. C. Fields from Sound Film and Radio Comedy to Stardom

Author: Arthur Frank Wertheim

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Published: 2019-01-21

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781137473295

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.

The Silent Movies of W. C. Fields

Author: Arthur Frank Wertheim

Publisher:

Published: 2020-07-18

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 9781629335919

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Arthur Frank Wertheim's groundbreaking book is the first to examine W.C. Fields' twelve silent movies and how they influenced his later career in sound films. The author concludes that Fields might never have become one of the prem-ier comedians during the Golden Age of Sound Films without first embarking on a career in silent movies. In this explo-ration, readers will discover new insights and surprises concerning Fields' experiences in this medium. The Silent Movies of W.C. Fields details Fields' early failed screen attempts, which resulted in his decision not to abandon his successful Ziegfeld Follies career, a choice that would prevent him from joining the pantheon of great silent film stars: Chaplin, Keaton, and Lloyd---each of whom, by 1925, had achieved worldwide recog-nition and success. Wertheim relates how Fields would have to struggle against all types of roadblocks to reach the second pantheon tier - and how legendary filmmaker D. W. Griffith came to his rescue by directing two of his silent pictures. The Silent Movies of W.C. Fields is a comprehensive depiction of Fields' early years in New York and Holly-wood, his personal and professional trials and accomplishments, his triumphs and disillusionments, each of which would lead to his ultimate screen legacy. Generously illustrated with many new and rare photos, The Silent Movies of W.C. Fields will prove invaluable to fans of both the comic genius of W.C. Fields and his pristine time of moviemaking. Arthur Frank Wertheim has written numerous books on Twentieth Century American Culture including The New York Little Renaissance and Radio Comedy. He has also co-edited with Barbara Bair three volumes on the The Papers of Will Rogers and edited Will Rogers at the Ziegfeld Follies and American Popular Culture. An American history professor at several universities, his awards include a Fulbright grant to teach at the Univer-sity of Indonesia. He has recently published a three-volume biography on W. C. Fields.

The Silent Movies of W. C. Fields

Author: Arthur Frank Wertheim

Publisher:

Published: 2020-07-18

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 9781629335926

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W.C. Fields

Author: James Curtis

Publisher: Back Stage Books

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 593

ISBN-13: 9780823084425

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Curtis penned the critically acclaimed and award-winning biography of one of the most highly recognizable motion picture stars of all time who rose to fame during the early days of Hollywood.

W.C. Fields from the Ziegfeld Follies and Broadway Stage to the Screen

Author: Arthur Frank Wertheim

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-01-16

Total Pages: 270

ISBN-13: 1349949868

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This book reveals how Fields became a character comedian while performing in Broadway’s most illustrious revue, the Ziegfeld Follies. As the first biography to use the recently opened Fields Papers at the Motion Picture Academy, the book explores how Fields years as a Follies entertainer portraying a beleaguered husband and a captivating conman became a landmark turning point in his career, leading to his fame as a masterful film comedian. The book also untangles a web of mysteries about Fields’s turbulent private life, from the heartrending stories about the tragic relationship with his calculating wife who refused to divorce him, to his estranged son controlled by his mother, to the seven-year extra-marital affair with a chorus girl that led to the birth of an unwanted child. This electrifying saga illuminates a complex dual personality, whirling from tenderness to brusqueness, who endured so much anguish in order to bring the gift of laughter to millions. Although vilified by Ziegfeld and assailed by demons, Fields survived the cutthroat rigors of Broadway show biz to become a legendary American iconoclast and cultural icon.

W. C. Fields from Burlesque and Vaudeville to Broadway

Author: A. Wertheim

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-11-09

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 1137300671

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W. C. Fields was a virtuoso comedian, often called a comic genius, legendary iconoclast, and "Great Man," who brought so much laughter to millions while enduring so much anguish. This book explores his little-known, long stage career from 1898 to 1930, which had a major influence on his comedy and screen presence.

Mass Communication and American Social Thought

Author: John Durham Peters

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 556

ISBN-13: 9780742528390

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This anthology of hard-to-find primary documents provides a solid overview of the foundations of American media studies. Focusing on mass communication and society and how this research fits into larger patterns of social thought, this valuable collection features key texts covering the media studies traditions of the Chicago school, the effects tradition, the critical theory of the Frankfurt school, and mass society theory. Where possible, articles are reproduced in their entirety to preserve the historical flavor and texture of the original works. Topics include popular theater, yellow journalism, cinema, books, public relations, political and military propaganda, advertising, opinion polling, photography, the avant-garde, popular magazines, comics, the urban press, radio drama, soap opera, popular music, and television drama and news. This text is ideal for upper-level courses in mass communication and media theory, media and society, mass communication effects, and mass media history.

Film Comedy

Author: Geoff King

Publisher: Wallflower Press

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 9781903364352

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Comedy is one of the most popular forms in film. But what exactly is film comedy and what might be the basis of its widespread appeal? This book takes a multi-perspective approach to answering these questions.

Sound Matters

Author: Nora M. Alter

Publisher: Berghahn Books

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 282

ISBN-13: 9781571814364

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Working across established disciplines & methodological divides, these essays investigate the ways in which texts, artists, & performers in all kinds of media have utilized sound materials in order to enforce or complicate dominant notions of German cultural & national identity.

Radio Comedy

Author: Arthur Frank Wertheim

Publisher: New York : Oxford University Press

Published: 1979

Total Pages: 470

ISBN-13:

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Discusses American radio comedy shows and performers of the 1930's and 40's and examines their place in American life and their relationship to the social history of the time.