Evening star., 1937-08-18

man who sits at desk on the seCOr
for several hours, thinking UP words wi
teud ever fought between man and a
ventriloquist's dummy.
In that same slow voice which draws
millions of persons into hearing dis
tance of the feud every Sunday after
noon, Fields says he is very glad to
Gee you.
Especially today" says Fields
SYou see this desk. ct is kind Of
huge miracle of cabinetmaking with
script, notes, jottings and group of
items like that covering its expansive
surface. bought this thing the other
day because it looked like jHet what
needed for my work. Well, was
wrong. 1t is such a nice desk just
to look at that sit here all day. never
writing line. Every passing minute
brings Sunday closer. And won't
have thing ready to say to that be-
nighted little splinter, Charley Nc
Carthy. No, not a thing Not a
thing"
Fields writes all his own script. He
aONo liol iAhC Az bdo AZ lao W NC uOllC
that way. His peculiar qualities of
comedy do not transfer easily to a
ghost writer.
(While Fields is talking his profile
Is being sketched by Tom Benton
Mr.. Benton, the littlest and mightiest
of the leftists in art at the moment
has given up harassing the tories for
little while to catch Hollywood on
the end of his pencil for Life The
magazine will let you see the esult a
couple of months hence)
Fields, back on the road to health
and travelling fast. likes playing Mar
tins and Coys with Charley. He re-
CARDS it as fitting with a kind of
windmill on extremely profitable terms
On the whole it has been the most
successful venture of his long career
in convulsing the citizenry. 1t is
hard work, though; mighty hard.
Sometimes Charley seems almost too
willy foeman. Especially for a re-
Gently sick man who has to take time
out every few minutes to dislike the
medical profession for that $4,000
doctors bill: and to dislike courts for
having approved it.
Fields, though, would not give it up
for anything. He is one ex-Broad-
Tayite who would not go back for
anything.
II OOK," he says. with Paramount
and on the radio I play to
larger audience in one day than
could in 20 years on the stage. What
we want in this business is an audi
ence. Pictures and the radio give me
that.
Besides, I like it out here with
the understanding, of course, that that
does not go for the lscal medical as
eociation). All those years of playing
TO audiences gave me claustrophobia
I'm afraid Of shut-in places and
crowds"
II he is. he has found a grand hide
away from them. His house sits high
on hill from which you look down
upon mile after mile of bungalows and
. complete explanation of why taxi
drivers are the richest people in Los
Angeles.
One thing that enormously pleases
Fields with his current radio venture
he was the last comedian to come to
Its that he has dared defy the taboo
on illusions to liquor. The very per-
sons who were supposed to disapprove
have been the first to grab their best
stationery to congratulate the come
dian.
You see, kid liquor" says Fields.
I'VE did not know how it would 20,
but it went"
why not?" some one wanted to
know. After all, you and the w. c.
7. U. have the same first initials?"
That says Fields, "is good. I
shall use it in next Sundays pro-
gram" Not having portable radio
set, We never shall know, but Fields
made note of it on the script in
front of him.
Fields has not made picture since
his illness several months ago. He is
ready to step back into action any
time, however. He is looking forward,
from the perspective of man with a
much wider audience than ever before,
to his part in The Big Broadcast of
1938.' 1t goes into production at
Paramount on September 7. So does
Fields.
The conversation was INTERRUPTED
At that point by Benton's announce
ment that he had finished.
marvellous" said Fields, looking at
the astonishing results of Benton's IS
minutes of lightning sketching. II
wish 1 could do that used to draw,
you know. Bum cartoons. Your pic
ture, l think, gives me the best of It
I'd be the last person in the world
to quarrel about that"
The impression that you get in a
talk with Fields that comedians must
be the easiest persons in pictures to
work with is substantiated by every
one out here, especially directors. One
OF the persons with whom we can't
stop talking at M-G-M is Sam Wood
ne is the chap who, directs the Marx
brothers, and since we have been un-
able to find single brother. we have
taken out our curiosity on Wood.
They're fine to work with" he
says. For weeks before the picture
starts they drive you crazy wanting to
know when you can begin shooting
Then the day you start they all want
to know if they can have the next
day OF to go to the races. There is
no art, vile, subterfuge they won't
Use to caiole yol1 into letting then,