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W. C. Fields
and his croquet sketch, into movies. Knowing this, Sutherland, an affable, co-operative man, was happy to tell him, after an arduous scene, "Bill, I've got some good news for you."
Fields looked as if he doubted it.
"I've figured out a way how we can work the pool game into Poppy. It took a lot of reshuffling, but I think I've got it."
"Well, I won't do it," said Fields, "so that's that."
Sutherland, staggered, said, "Well, why won't you?"
"Because it doesn't fit into the plot," said Fields. "Directors are always trying to get me to do something like that — and it throws everything off balance."
Sutherland had a cooling drink and sat down in a deck chair for a while. He had been dangerously ill with pneumonia only recently and was not yet strong. After a while his pulse and temperature returned to normal and he approached Fields again. "Bill," he said, "I've already told Arthur Hornblow, Jr., we'd do this scene."
"Well, untell him," said Fields. "Producers are all bums anyhow."
Sutherland called a recess, dropped into Hornblow's office, and explained his star's latest recalcitrance.
"I'll go out and talk to him," said Hornblow.
On the set, the producer, trying to be diplomatic, explained that he and Sutherland had already made arrangements for the scene and that they would be especially obliged if Fields would do it, not only for them but for the public, which hadn't seen it recently.
"I'll bet there are kids in this land who have never seen you do that turn, Bill," he concluded.
Fields' face was clouded by surprise. "Naturally I'll do my pool act in this picture," he said. "It would be ridiculous not to."
Hornblow shook hands around and withdrew to his eyrie.
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