W.C. Fields, his stage name, made his first short, Pool Sharks, in 1915. After silent movies, he performed in many comedy classics like, My Little Chickadee with Mae West (1940), The Bank Dick (1940) and Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941).
W.C.’s famous lines became subject matter for nightclub impersonators and comedians. One of the most-repeated quotes was originally directed at the child-actor, Baby LeRoy, Fields’ on-screen nemesis: “Go away, kid, you bother me.” The one-liner that demonstrated Fields’ jaundiced humor. His most-quoted, was fired at a party hostess who offered him a glass of water. “Never touch the stuff; fish **** in it,” was his response. Other W.C. Fields witticisms: “Doctors say don’t worry about your heart, it will last as long as you live.”, “Californians talk so much about their climate, it makes their weather vane.” “I am very humble and proud of it.”, “It was a woman who drove me to drink and I never even thanked her.”
He requested that his headstone read, “All things considered, I’d rather be in Philadelphia.” Ah, Yes!