W.C. FIELDS: His Follies and Fortunes

One of the oldest biographies of Fields remains one of the most inclusive, even in this era of kiss-and-tell writing. Taylor introduces Fields as a deprived, neglected child who became tough and bitingly witty as a result of his hard life. The book ends with his alcoholism and death. However, neither author nor narrator becomes sentimental in retelling this almost melodramatic story. Parker takes the brilliant writing and relates it much as Fields himself would probably tell his own story. He not only recreates Fields's one-of-a-kind voice, but presents background text and glimpses of other stars of the era in an awesome range. The listener can imagine Fields's grumpy face and hear the ice cubes clinking in his beloved martini. S.G.B. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 99]