W.C. Fields

WC Fields (1880 – 1946) was one of the greatest comedic geniuses of all time. Recognized on sight for his distinctive large, red nose, enhanced by his love for liquor, Fields was also well known for his ability to turn a phrase:

• “I never drink anything stronger than gin before breakfast.”
• When asked, “How do you like children?” Fields responded, “Par-broiled.”
• To Mae West, as he bent to kiss her outstretched hand in My Little Chickadee, “Ah, what symmetrical digits, my beautiful little brood-mare!”
• Only WC Fields could combine his uncanny ability to start a sentence with the word likely with style of speech that stretched the word shoulder into five syllables. Upon seeing Sabu, the actor known for his work as an elephant driver, Fields exclaimed, “Likely the little mahout will mistake my nose for a proboscis and climb up on my shoulder!”
• “It was a woman who drove me to drink, and I never had the courtesy to thank her for it.”
• “There comes a time in the affairs of man when he must take the bull by the tail and face the situation.“