W.C. Fields and Me
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Theatrical Poster
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| Directed by | Arthur Hiller |
| Produced by | Jay Weston |
| Written by | Bob Merrill |
| Starring |
Rod Steiger Valerie Perrine |
| Music by | Henry Mancini |
| Cinematography | David M. Walsh |
| Edited by | John C. Howard |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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111 mins |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
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W.C. Fields and Me Soundtrack
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W.C. Fields and Me is a 1976 American biographical film directed by Arthur Hiller and starring Rod Steiger and Valerie Perrine. The screenplay by Bob Merrill is based on a memoir by Carlotta Monti, mistress of actor W.C. Fields for the last 14 years of his life.
The story begins in 1924 in New York City, where W.C. Fields is a Ziegfeld Follies headliner, and ends with his 1946 death in California at age 66. In between, it dramatizes his life and career with emphasis on the latter part of both, when the "Me" of the title, Carlotta Monti, played a prominent role, with a number of fictionalized events added for dramatic impact.
Having lost his girlfriend Melody to another man and most of his life savings due to careless investments by his broker, Fields heads west to Santa Monica, where he operates a wax museum until he's offered a film role. He quickly becomes a major screen presence and a notorious drinker.
While at a party with his friends John Barrymore, Gene Fowler and restaurant owner Dave Chasen, Fields is introduced to starlet Carlotta Monti, whom he hires as a live-in secretary. In order to stifle her theatrical aspirations, he arranges a screen test. The studio boss Harry Bannerman decides she has some talent, but Fields threatens to quit Paramount Pictures unless she is discouraged from pursuing a career in films. When she learns the truth, Carlotta leaves him and goes to New York.
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Wikipedia