W. C. Fields : his follies and fortunes (1949)

W. C. Fields Mrs. Fields' secret, since he never discussed the marriage, but his friends believe that the separation had a salutary effect on both of them. From the moment of his departure, Fields began to send his wife a weekly check, starting with twenty-five dollars and working up to around sixty dollars toward the end. Sometimes, when the fit was on him, he reduced the amount, occasionally with an explanation (which usually centered on "hard times") but more often without. Mrs. Fields took her son to Brooklyn, where they lived for a while ; then they moved to a flat at Ninetyfourth and Amsterdam in Manhattan, and after that to Academy Street, where Claude grew up. He attended public schools, Evander High School, and finally Columbia University. At the latter place he showed his mettle — working his way through by playing the saxophone, stolidly refusing support from his illustrious father. Mrs. Fields, an energetic and thoughtful mother, had insisted that Claude, v/hen quite young, take piano lessons, and it developed that the boy had considerable talent. In his high school phase, however, he succumbed to the syrupy bleats of the saxophone, which was then at the crest of its vogue. Gaining a decision over the saxophone, he organized his own band at Columbia. Claude had a successful undergraduate career. At its conclusion he ditched the horn and took up law. In Beverly Hills, he is regarded as a dedicated church worker. Back on his own, Fields returned to Europe, again with his brother Walter. He expanded his itinerary, penetrating deeper into the Continent, exploring new areas of juggling appreciation. Of these, Spain was perhaps the most fruitful. In an interview a few years later, Fields remarked to an American reporter that if 116