The Washington times., 1936-05-05

Then and there 1 decided I'd
spend my money as fast as
got 1t. / figured out It would
be better for me to get some en-
jOyment out Of that coin
worked SO hard to get, instead
of letting some crook get the
benefit Of it.
Lots Of things happened to me
during the time I was touring the
world as a pantomime juggler.
Because didn't do any talking,
I could play my act anywhere.
And speaking Of pantomime re-
minds me Of a funny thing.
When I started out in the enter
tainment field I talked. did Q
monologue along with my juggling,
and I talked in burlesque. Then
I went into pantomime exclusively.
And as long as I did pantomime
Hollywood didn't pay any atten-
ton to me. But the minute I did
Poppy" on the Stage-and by the
way, Poppy" is the picture I'm
doing now for Paramount-David
Wark Griffith hired me to play
DR.. Eustace McGargle on the
screen. did pretty well in silent
pictures, but as soon as talkieS
came in, I was dropped. Nobody
thought Fields could talk!
I played all over Europe with
my tramp juggler act. made my
European bow in England, at the
Palace, in 1900. Then I toured
France, Germany, Italy, Spain and
the rest of the European countries,
returning there annually. With
the exception Of q short time in
1905, when I was with Mcintyre
and Heath in THE Ham Tree" I
was on the 60 almost constantly
until 1914.
I remember. one time ! was on
a train going to a town in Wales.
I got. talking with a young chap
who told me he was q doctor for
one of the mining companies there.
Accidents, he said, were frequent,
and all the companies had doctors.
He confided, however, that the
companies, at that time at least,
didn't care about putting out q
lot of money for real doctors, so
they hired youngsters who hoped
to be doctors some day. These
young fellows lost a lot Of patients
but they got a lot Of experience.
No sooner did I arrive at my
destination than I got sick. They
called it 'la grippe" in those days.
I was so i'll I couldn't get out OF
bed, and Just remained there until
a clerk investigated my disappear
ance. He summoned q doctor, and
you guessed it-up came my
friend from the train!
care you sick?" says he.
"NO," says I, leaping out Of
bed with q bound, 81 just wanted
some company. Have q drink"
One look at that amateur ply.
sician cured me instantly.
Another time in England I
almost ruined my career CON-
pletely. I had more or less edtL-
Gated myself By reading during
my many trips, and figured
1DGs pretty erudite. While tDGS
at the Palladium, tossing things
into the air and catching them
again, a critic tDrote that it 1DGS
pity that HUXLEY, tOho had
1Dritten OF the jugglers of India,
lDGSn't GIiUe to see Fields.
was properly impressed. and
after reading q huge quantity Of
Huxley'S essays found the one to
which the critic referred. Huxley
wrote at great length about the
coordination Of mind, eye, nerve
and muscle, as exhibited by the
jugglers.
After that I couldn't juggle o
thing. Every time ] went to work
I found myself trying to coordi-
nate mind, eye, nerve and muscle.
and I couldn't handle the job
Single-handed. The more I thought
the worse I juggled; the worse I
juggled the more I worried: and
finally I had to buy a copy of Hulk
ley, rip out the offending essay
and burn it before I could get back
to normal again.
(LouiS Sobol'S "Do1Dn Memory
Lane" NTH w. C.. Fields tDiH be
continued nert Saturday.