W. C. Fields was a virtuoso comedian, often called a comic genius, legendary iconoclast, and "Great Man," who brought so much laughter to millions while enduring so much anguish. This book explores his little-known, long stage career from 1898 to 1930, which had a major influence on his comedy and screen presence.

Prologue: It's the Old Army Game Introduction PART I: THE FLEDGLING YEARS 1. Meet the Dukenfields 2. Life with Father PART II: THE TRAINING GROUND 3. The Tramp Juggler 4. Initiation Rites 5. The Sly Conjurer 6. The Big Time PART III: "ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE" 7. "A Master Pantomimist" 8. "My Art Never Satisfies Me" 9. To the Antipodes 10. The Trouper on the Flying Trapeze 11. The Ham Tree PART IV: "WHAT THEREFORE GOD HATH JOINED TOGETHER, LET NOT MAN PUT ASUNDER" 12. The Breakup 13. The Affair PART V: THE LABYRINTH TO THE ZIEGFELD FOLLIES 14. The Road to the Palace 15. The Second Home 16. "They Had Me Sweating Blood" 17. Backstabbed Epilogue: The Defining Moment

Arthur Frank Wertheim has written several books on twentieth-century American culture, including Vaudeville Wars, The New York Little Renaissance, and Radio Comedy. He has co-edited three volumes: The Papers of Will Rogers and edited Will Rogers at the Ziegfeld Follies and American Popular Culture. A former American history professor at the University of Southern California, USA, as well as visiting professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, USA, his awards range from a Fulbright grant to teach at the University of Indonesia to a fellowship on biography at The Norman Mailer Center, USA.