Photo © Marilyn Sanders Over the past five years, James Curtis has studied--and accumulated--a lot of material on W. C. Fields. From posters and vintage magazines to original photos and books, when he sat down to write Fields' biography there was almost too much. Here, Curtis presents a sample of gems that didn't make the book's final cut. Much is in color and all of it is printable. So take a few minutes to explore the world of W. C. Fields. We think you'll like what you find. 8. One of the most fascinating figures I encountered in the writing of this book was the great Edgar Bergen, a soft-spoken Swede who was also America's most unlikely insult comic. His weapon of choice was a wooden dummy he called Charlie McCarthy, and his radio exchanges with Fields became a national obsession over the summer of 1937. Bergen's genius was not so much in his skills as a ventriloquist--his lips moved--but rather in his ability to project such a vivid personality that the dummy was, as one co-star put it, "a living creature." One story I heard about Bergen involved the former "Follies" star Peggy Fears. She was singing at the Waldorf, and Bergen and McCarthy were the opening act. McCarthy used to drive her crazy making snide remarks: "Is that a new bracelet? Well... " One night, as she was waiting in the wings for her cue, Bergen ran back to the dressing room--he had forgotten something--and left Charlie on a little love seat in the wings. Fears said, "Alone at last, you little SOB!" and hit McCarthy as hard as she could. Then she caught herself: "Why did I do that?" she thought. "Jesus! Now heÕs going to tell Bergen!" She was so unnerved she could hardly perform that night. Next photo >> Gallery Mainpage