Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Lumsdal Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

john-4950 I was at a favorite Second-Hand goods store last week, and upon finding a copy of the book "W.C. Fields & Me" By Carlotta Monti with Cy Rice, I snapped up the hard-cover copy, there and then. When this film was in it's Original release in Melbourne, Australia at the cinema I worked at as Projectionist, I had the pleasure to screen this Movie Two Sessions a Day - for it's Original run - and Loved Screening each and every session including it's accompanying suitable Musical score that plays in the background as the film UN-spools. I have been hoping against hope, that One day I can get my own Blu-Ray or DVD Copy of "W.C. Fields & Me", as I believe Rod Steiger did an excellent recreation of the character of Fields. Dear reader, to get a better knowledge of the Life that W.C.Fields had led up to the point where the Film begins from, I would recommend Movie Fans get their hands on some of the Biographical Books detailing the earlier life of Fields, from say his earliest Teenage years through to where the film takes up from, I assure you will get far-more from this Movie, if you make that effort. The stunning Valerie Perrine who features in the film as Carlotta Monti, tends to bring balance to the film as it rolls along to a memorable ending, at least it is memorable for me, in more ways than one, I cannot tell you more, as that would spoil the film for you, and I love this film too much to do that. Here is hoping Universal will release this "soon" with the Best Quality available, to all fans of this forgotten Gem of a Movie. There is only one more Movie Starring W.C. Fields I need to complete my W.C. Fields Movie Collection, and that is the Film with W.C. Fields and Zasu Pitts of "Mrs Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch" 1934,( but not the 1940s Faye Bainter Version ) Both movies = Comedy and Tear-Jerker all in one movie, Highly recommended to all W.C. Fields aficionados...If any fans can help me with this I could love you forever...

JasparLamarCrabb Based on the memoir of Carlotta Monti, who had a very long affair with WC Fields, this film is surprisingly, unrelentingly joyless. Fields comes across as a self-serving nitwit who drank his talents away while the studios tried mightily to keep him in check. His relationship with Monti is seen as a series of shrieking fights with no winners. Rod Steiger mimics Fields well enough, but the script by Bob Merrill offers very little insight into what made the comedy legend tick. Valerie Perrine is stunning as Monti, but she's a bit too close to saintliness for any of this to be truly believable. On the plus side, the art direction is terrific and director Arthur Hiller manages to create a sense of early '30s Hollywood when Los Angeles was still a one horse town. The colorful supporting cast includes Billy Barty, Bernadette Peters, John Marley and Jack Cassidy (who appears to be having a lot of fun as John Barrymore).

dyoung-34 Glad to see like minded people reviewing this movie. Although it has been years and years since I first saw it, it left a lasting impression. I can't really say why, other than I am a Steiger fan, but I do believe he brought something new to what I know of the character W C Fields.I too would, like my fellow fans, like to see this distributed on DVD. The film has been a topic of discussion with work colleagues, and even though I have said that it wasn't the 'greatest' of productions, it was definitely worth seeing.If the big wigs are reading, please, give me back a bit of my youth, lets have this on DVD!

Gene Nelson I had the unique perspective of living at the set in La Canada, California at the time this movie was being filmed.(I was working at nearby JPL in Pasadena) I appreciated the director's attention to detail and was able to meet Rod Steiger and Valerie Perrine between "takes." The sets were fantastic, as were the performances. The crew spent about three weeks preparing the house and bringing in the properties that were used to re-create W.C. Fields's home. The crew painstakingly stenciled 1930s designs near the ceiling of the room. Since that would make the living room stand out, they carried the design into several other rooms that were not used during the production! There is a scene of the outside of the house that shows the room that I was living in.One of the rules on the set was that no one could imitate W.C. Fields while Rod Steiger was on the set. I believe that Rod worked very hard to portray W.C. Fields in a realistic way. (He was one nasty character!) Please bring this movie out on DVD!