WRIGHTEOUS

hello,
my name is graham.

oldhollywood: W.C. Fields (1940, photo by Jack Freulich ) On handling meddlesome babies: “There can be no question that W.C. Fields disliked children, in a persecuted, un-angry sort of way. His encounters with the infant thespian, Baby LeRoy, were well known to Hollywood. He considered that the child was deliberately trying to wreck his career, and he stalked him remorselessly. The comedian realized that, whatever else might be going on in a scene, people would watch the antics of a baby. His competitive treatment of LeRoy was, therefore, exactly the same as he would have accorded an adult.  In one Fields-LeRoy picture, action was suspended so the infant could have his orange juice. Fields approached the child’s nurse and said, ‘Why don’t you take a breather? I’ll give the little nipper his juice.’ She nodded gratefully, and left the set. With a soliticious nursery air, Fields shook the bottle and removed its nipple, then drew a flask from his pocket and strengthened the citrus with a generous noggin of gin.  By the time shooting was ready to commence, Baby Le Roy was in a state of inoperative bliss.  [Director Norman] Taurog and others, including the returned nurse, inspected the tot with real concern. ‘I don’t believe he’s just sleepy,” said the nurse. “He had a good night’s rest.’ ‘Jiggle him some more,’ suggested Taurog. ‘We’re running a little behind schedule.’ ‘Walk him around, walk him around,’ was Fields’ hoarse and baffling comment from a secluded corner.  The child was more or less returned to consciousness, but in the scene that followed, Taurog complained of his lack of animation [or as Fields later put it, ‘he staggered through the scene like a Barrymore’]. Despite the most urgent measures to revive him, he remained glassy-eyed and in a partial coma. For some inexplicable reason, Fields seemed jubilant.  ‘He’s no trouper,” he kept yelling. ‘The kid’s no trouper. Send him home!’” -excerpted from W. C. Fields: His Follies and Fortunes by Robert Taylor Lewis There are so many wonderful things in this story.

oldhollywood:

W.C. Fields (1940, photo by Jack Freulich )

On handling meddlesome babies:

“There can be no question that W.C. Fields disliked children, in a persecuted, un-angry sort of way. His encounters with the infant thespian, Baby LeRoy, were well known to Hollywood. He considered that the child was deliberately trying to wreck his career, and he stalked him remorselessly. The comedian realized that, whatever else might be going on in a scene, people would watch the antics of a baby. His competitive treatment of LeRoy was, therefore, exactly the same as he would have accorded an adult. 

In one Fields-LeRoy picture, action was suspended so the infant could have his orange juice. Fields approached the child’s nurse and said, ‘Why don’t you take a breather? I’ll give the little nipper his juice.’ She nodded gratefully, and left the set.

With a soliticious nursery air, Fields shook the bottle and removed its nipple, then drew a flask from his pocket and strengthened the citrus with a generous noggin of gin. 

By the time shooting was ready to commence, Baby Le Roy was in a state of inoperative bliss. 

[Director Norman] Taurog and others, including the returned nurse, inspected the tot with real concern. ‘I don’t believe he’s just sleepy,” said the nurse. “He had a good night’s rest.’

‘Jiggle him some more,’ suggested Taurog. ‘We’re running a little behind schedule.’

‘Walk him around, walk him around,’ was Fields’ hoarse and baffling comment from a secluded corner. 

The child was more or less returned to consciousness, but in the scene that followed, Taurog complained of his lack of animation [or as Fields later put it, ‘he staggered through the scene like a Barrymore’]. Despite the most urgent measures to revive him, he remained glassy-eyed and in a partial coma. For some inexplicable reason, Fields seemed jubilant. 

‘He’s no trouper,” he kept yelling. ‘The kid’s no trouper. Send him home!’”

-excerpted from W. C. Fields: His Follies and Fortunes by Robert Taylor Lewis

There are so many wonderful things in this story.

1 year ago

  1. doppelgangstr reblogged this from oldhollywood
  2. jimforce reblogged this from oldhollywood
  3. onechair-barbershop reblogged this from oldhollywood and added:
    …..speechless. I love this man.
  4. fairelemort reblogged this from oldhollywood
  5. journalofanobody reblogged this from largerloves
  6. madamescherzo reblogged this from largerloves
  7. largerloves reblogged this from timespent
  8. scrapsandsnaps reblogged this from prplrn and added:
    (1940, photo by Jack Freulich )...On handling meddlesome babies: “There can be no question...
  9. timespent reblogged this from mudwerks
  10. ihaveahead reblogged this from oldhollywood
  11. sepiabebop reblogged this from oldhollywood
  12. prplrn reblogged this from oldhollywood and added:
    upstaging him. oldhollywood:
  13. dostyglory reblogged this from oldhollywood
  14. samwanda reblogged this from shedrivesbynight
  15. humanthesaurus reblogged this from mybabyisaverage
  16. charlotteisacake reblogged this from oldhollywood
  17. griffioen reblogged this from oldhollywood
  18. shanito reblogged this from oldhollywood
  19. mssophiedarling reblogged this from oldhollywood and added:
    challenge. Next bio after “His Way:the unauthorized biography...Frank SInatra”
  20. kjartanthemagnificent reblogged this from oldhollywood and added:
    baby boozing scamp!
  21. queenofthedalekland reblogged this from oldhollywood
  22. redheadedrachel reblogged this from oldhollywood and added:
    Barrymore’ SPIRIT ANIMAL.
  23. theredshoes reblogged this from oldhollywood
  24. natatatnrbreezy reblogged this from oldhollywood and added:
    NO JOKE Y’ALL. Nat-A-Tat

1 ⁄ 1

- Inkhorn theme powered by Tumblr -