Evening star., 1942-12-06

his aversion to the footlights for his
offspring, Playwright Joe writes this
column some intimate confessions.
He says:
I'VE were all of us theater-crazy
when we were kids, but Pop would
warn us not to have anything to do
with it. He and Joe Weber had
come UP the ladder the hard way
from boyhood and suppose he
wanted to spare us the heartaches
and the trials that he had gone
through. I'll call the cops he used
to say, qlizzically, If I ever hear OF
any Of you getting mixed up in show
business
Served in World War.
THAT was fine talk from a man
who had made himself loved by
hundreds of thousands of theater-
goers, and who had achieved almost
legendary fame and success as an
actor and producer. I remember
when he was producing those enor-
nous musical spectacles, such as
The Midnight Sons The jolly
Bachelors and The Henpecks.' he
had standing order that we were
not to be permitted to attend any
rehearsals, but we stood in with the
manager of the old Broadway The
ater and he'd sneak us in through a
fire escape entrance. We'd sit for
hours in the murky darkness, up in
the top gallery, drinking 1t all in.
secretly vowing to get into this fas-
cinating business some way or other
when we grew up"
The World War ended his lee
lures on torts and such. for young
Fields accepted a commission in the
Naval Reserve, served as a gunnery
officer on troop transport until
the armistice. During his training
period he wrote the sketches and
some of the songs for a service show
called "Bif Bang" which was sue
cessfully produced at the now de-
molished Century Theater. Father
Lew attended performance of this
entertainment and rather reluctant
ly congratulated his son, but added
this after remark:
But don't get the idea into your
head that you're not going to be a
lawyer"
Gave Up Law Studies.
That's all he knew about it. When
the war was over the young man
fatty refused to have anything fur
ther to do with Blackstone or the
law of torts or what have you. Fa-
ther Lew had to capitulate to this
decision and permitted his off,
spring to do little tinkering with
the. books of several of his shows
during their preliminary try-outs
on the road. He also wrote skits for
the Ziegf1eld Follies.
Then. strangely enough, the young
man embarked on a business Ca
reer. One of his cousins was in the
perfumery line and they decided to
form an importing company. Young
Joe established himself in Paris as
a purchasing agent. The business
grew by the well-known leaps and
bounds and when its volume
reached the figure of 100000 dur
ing the first year they decided to
establish their own factory on the
outskirts of Paris. This fourished
for three years and then came the
black year of 1929 and the collapse
of their fondest hopes.
1t was then that Mr. Fields came
back to America and decided that
Hollywood offered a field for what
he felt were his special talents He
labored in the celluloid vineyards
for nine years, working as a writer
for nearly every important film
company and having a hand in the
production of more than two score
pictures.
Formed Partnership.
1t was In Hollywood that he
formed his writing partnership with
Jerry Chodorov. They Jointly
evolved a play called "Schoolhouse
on the Lot" which enjoyed a brief
success on Broadway and they later
wrote together MY Sister Eileen"
and Junior Miss" Both these highly
successful comedies were founded
upon stories and sketches written
by others. THE Doughgirls" is Mr..
Fields first entirely original play.
His former collaboration is In Lon.
don at the moment. He is a lieu-
tenant attached to a United States
Army unit where his skill as a pho
tographer is finding an outlet.
His younger brother. Herbert
Fields, Is probably the most pro-
life. certainly one Of the most sue
cessful libretto writers in America.
He has written the books of more
than a score of musical comedies
including such hits as "A Connecti-
cut Yankee" Peggy Ann" Hit the
Deck" Fifty Million Frenchmen."
THE New Workers." "Dubarry Was
Lady" Panama Hattie" and Face
the Music"
Just at the moment he is sitting
IN on rehearsals Of Something for
the Boys" which he has written
with his sister, Dorothy, one Of the
best-known lyric writer's in this
country. This is her first venture
as a librettist, though she has writ
ten the songs for more than a
dozen musical comedies. More than
a dozen years ago she experimental
with song called II Can't Give
You Anything But Love-" and when
the sheet music sales brought her
royalties OF more than $4,000, she
murmured something that sounded
like, How long has this been going
on?" and has been turning out pop.
ular numbers ever since.