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

W. C. Fields Fields laughed scornfully, re-emphasized his classification of La Cava by race and ancestry, and said, "I'll be down in the front row — with a basket of last month's eggs." The picture was My Man Godfrey, with Carole Lombard and William Powell, which won La Cava the New York critics' award for best direction in 1934. Fields went to see it, but refused to deliver an opinion on it for several days. La Cava, who loved to badger him, kept mentioning the movie in a deprecating way whenever they met. "I thought the thing was funny, at first," he said, "but I see what you mean now. I had another look at it a few nights ago, and it's awful. It's strained." "The picture is amusing in spots," said Fields, in a stiffish tone. "Well, we should have slapsticked it up some," said La Cava. "You'd have ruined it," Fields said, a reminiscent look coming into his eye. "The fact is, you dago son of a bitch," he went on, "the thing was as funny as hell." Over several drinks, and in a boisterous good humor, La Cava explained to Fields the new techniques which had helped keep his cast and crew in top comic condition. On the first day of shooting, La Cava announced that he was planning to follow no set script, but would just shoot whatever came to mind at the moment. Also, he said, it might be fun to maintain a sort of party atmosphere on the set. Accordingly, he arrived each day with many bottled drinks, canapes, and other equipment usually reserved for the cocktail hour. The morning was generally given over to warming up to a festive mood, with anecdotes, frequent visits to the refectory table, and, on occasion, song. Then somebody, perhaps spotting a camera or other piece of technical apparatus, might remember the movie, and the conversation would take a professional turn. "We might as well fix up a scene, fellows," La Cava would 200