BANTERING BALLYHOO! SELLING W. C. FIELDS TO 20TH CENTURY AMERICA

From 1898 to 1946, W. C. Fields delighted people all over the world with his unique brand of entertainment. He was a funny fellow on the stage, on the radio, and on the silver screen, starring in such films as 'Tillie and Gus' and 'The Bank Dick'. To celebrate his legendary career, Richard S. Greene has written an informative book that explores how Fields was sold to American audiences. His book, 'Bantering Ballyhoo! Selling W. C. Fields to 20th Century America', also includes more than seven hundred and seventy-five rare and compelling images of newspaper advertisements, film posters, lobby cards, magazine covers, and other forms of promotional material that highlight Fields's time in the spotlight. What now follows is a selection of these images I was kindly allowed to share. Please enjoy.

The film poster for W. C. Fields's fifteenth feature-length film, 'Tillie and Gus', which was released in 1933 and directed by Francis Martin. During production, Martin objected to Fields writing nearly all of his own dialogue and several entire sequences for the film. However, this contributed to the film's success and prompted a Paramount exhibitor to announce that Fields would be granted full creative control over his subsequent productions.

A film poster promoting W. C. Fields's nineteenth feature-length film, 'The Old-Fashioned Way'. Released in 1934 and directed by William Beaudine, the film sees Fields playing a self-important fraud named the Great McGonigle. He had played this type of role before on Broadway, most notably in the three-act play, 'Poppy', and he would return to variations of this character in his later films.

The cover of the October 1934 issue of 'Radio Stars' magazine, featuring an illustration of W. C. Fields by Marland Stone, the notable American artist.

An advertisement for W. C. Fields's twenty-first feature-length film, 'It's a Gift', which was released in 1934 and directed by Norman Z. McLeod. The house where Fields was living at the time can be seen in the film's final scene. It was a rented house located at 9950 White Oak Avenue, Encino, California.

The cover of The Big Little Book tie‑in for W. C. Fields's twenty-second feature-length film, 'David Copperfield'. The aforementioned 1935 film was directed by George Cukor and based on the 1850 Charles Dickens novel of the same name.

A film poster promoting W. C. Fields's twenty-fourth feature-length film, 'Man on the Flying Trapeze'. Released in 1935 and directed by Clyde Bruckman, the film casts Fields's real-life mistress, Carlotta Monti, as his secretary. Years later, she wrote a book about her life with Fields that was then adapted into the 1976 biopic, 'W. C. Fields and Me', starring Rod Steiger and Valerie Perrine.

The film poster for W. C. Fields's twenty-seventh feature-length film, 'You Can't Cheat an Honest Man', which was released in 1939 and co-directed by George Marshall and Edward F. Cline. To capitalize on the popularity of their ongoing 'radio feud' with Fields, the film co-starred Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy.

A film poster promoting W. C. Fields's twenty-eighth feature-length film, 'My Little Chickadee'. Released in 1940 and directed by Edward F. Cline, the film was co-written by Fields and his co-star, Mae West. According to legend, these two icons disliked each other so much that they only spoke during filming.

The film poster for W. C. Fields's twenty-ninth feature-length film, 'The Bank Dick', which was released in 1940 and directed by Edward F. Cline. It was also known as 'The Bank Detective' and 'The Great Man'.

The cover of the 1972 book, 'A Flask of Fields: Verbal and Visual Gems from the Films of W.C. Fields'. The book was edited by Richard J. Anobile, while the cover was illustrated by Al Hirschfeld, the legendary American caricaturist.

'Bantering Ballyhoo! Selling W. C. Fields to 20th Century America' is a 502-page book written by Richard S. Greene and published by BearManor Media. It includes a foreword penned by Fields's grandson, Ronald J. Fields, and you can purchase a copy via Amazon by clicking here.