Greatest Drunks of All Time: W.C. Fields

[Flinklehurst]

I can never watch a WC Fields film without being left with an urge to binge.

But then, if you watch one of his early films and then one of his late films you can see how badly it ripped up his health and may be reluctant to touch another drop.

[comprehensiveboy]

Drunks aren't actually funny in real life. They are generally terribly sad people. While not really agreeing with it I can imagine why prohibition got started.

[67nairb]

1:28-no, Fields said: I never drink water because fish "function" in it.

[43lochness]

w.c fields forever.(to the tune of strawberry fields)

[seatspud]

@43lochness Rutles reference, eh?

;)

[countingmx]

This video starts at 0:46.

[wakeupsheepleread]

he problly dident make to the age 50 or even 40

[jneild]

@wakeupsheepleread - Actually made it to 66.

[drafe007]

shades of bacchaus!

[thecubanism]

He was also one of the Bundy Drive Boys whos 'members included Errol Flynn, John Barrymore, John Carradine, Beb Hecht, John Decker and Gene Fowler, they discussed everything under the sun and consumed everything as well, what riotous nights they must have been, RIP all of you.

[staccatoville2]

w.c. fields looks like a big nose curly........

[Texasslim57]

I was at the spot where fields died, in Pasadena. Carla Monte sprayed a hose on the roof because fields wanted to hear the sound of rain as he died. A reporter once asked him why he did not drink water. Fields replied: "Water? Fish fornicate in it!"

[Texasslim57]

I was at the spot where fields died, in Pasadena. Carla Monte sprayed a hose on the roof because fields wanted to hear the sound of rain as he died. A reporter once asked him why he did not drink water. Fields replied: "Water? Fish fornicate in it!"

[nogov4us]

Wasn`t that Shemp Howard behind the bar?

[TexasMetalSyndicate]

LMAO! Thats Shemp, from the 3 stooges as the bar tender. LOL

[111day1]

What's incredible is that there are poor slobs out there that don't like this video. Lighten up and get a sense of humor, sourpusses!

[JoshieDoozie]

I love, love, love him!

[jshrubz]

The definition of an entertainer! An absolute genius comic and performer. A true legend.

[KombiPode]

@1:46 I hate small dogs and children too.

[kimpunkrock]

I never drink water cuz fish fuck in it! LOLOLOL! love this man!

[buzzclick500]

My wife used to rant, "I know you think I drove you to drink!!" This always confused me, because the bar was right next to our apartment building. There was no driving involved.

[daffydocone]

HUUUURRRRAY ANOTER DRUNK ON 3:24 SHEMP OF THE TREE STOOGES, YOU DONT LET THE CAT TO KEEP THE MILK.....

[crazyjonhere]

there is a book out at the moment called the a to z of hellraisers by robert sellers and wc fields is in it for his most classic things he did whilst drunk pissing out of a window on to a band of the savation army below as they played in the street

[fitzy545]

his father was irish

[ijasop]

hey, it's shemp howard as the bartender!

[theswampland]

I suggest to add George Best to the Greatest Drunks of All Time collection, he used to drink like a fish.

[bighairtosh]

Thinking about his bit with the whiskey and water (drinks whiskey, dips hands in water, wipes off his hands and then hackey sack kicks the napkin) always makes me laugh. Cool post...many thanks !

[superdavid002]

I sing about Fields and others in The Celebrity Song.

[unapparatus]

I have seen this picture many times, Fields playing cards in the hat . 2:34

Does anyone know which film that is from?

[TheJomogogo]

@unapparatus

My Little Chickadee

[BeantownJim]

WC Feilds is presrved in phomaldihide!

[chisaoboy]

Comic genius, whatever the reason.

[nexgenhippy]

W.C. Fields is alive and drunk in philidelphia

[4freespeech]

I had a good friend named Larry. He worked at the same Marina I did. I never really saw Larry drunk but when mowing the grass or painting boats he always had a beer with him. One weekend when Larry was 42 he went upriver for the week- end to fetch back a boat hull we were going to fix up. On Sunday morning the Marina owner came up and said "Did you hear about Larry? His liver "took a sh*t" on him at a bar Saturday night and he died around midnight." That alcohol can kill you YOUNG.

[trisiti]

Holy shit. that's Shemp!

At 3:23

[mrbellweather]

i never drink and drive, hardly every.

[maximum1954]

I don't give a shit if he drank or not. We ALL didn't know him personally. He left a legacy for ALL to be extremely entertained by. I am not saying everyone should or shouldn't drink, but I bet if he didn't drink he wouldn't be half as famous as he became. Some people drink to keep the boring people at bay. It's not us to judge. Stupid, ignorant, boring people cause more problems than drinkers ever will. In the states mad mothers have caused more harm than anyone-period. Off with their heads.

[slowdive922]

i can't really laugh at this.. of course fields has to laugh at his alcoholism, admitting to yourself that you have a disease is the opposite.. imagine all the things he could've done if he hadn't been drinking. Be cool, stay in school, only do meth amphetamine kids!

[jhettish]

Quite a legacy. Like so many alcoholics he was quite talented. He made it until 66 but the last ten years of his life were governed by his alcohol induced illnesses. Quite a shame. He died of a stomach hemorage on Christmas day 1946.

[Peter9761]

"Quite talented"??

He was very talented indeed,to say the least.

[kenfig]

Tremendous fun ! But its not seriously funny to laugh at alcoholism

[Snotra]

2:36 Great poker face...lol!

[FeelOfFriction]

A master drinker is not a drunk. Change the title man.

[gareof]

what a celebration - wonder how he's doin' now?

[vethelberg]

I love him - special the color of his nose...!

[curlytoes79]

That was Shemp tending bar. He was one of the original three Stooges (before Curly), but he left to do his own thing to get away from Ted Healy - another notorious drunk!

[caliopterix]

Bill Fields was NOT a drunk. He was an alcoholic. Had you known him you would never have seen him visibly inebriated. He despised people who could not hold their liquor; ie. "drunks"

[hugatag]

Hi and thanks for your comment. Is it true that MR Fields became an alcoholic later in life? tia

[yorkshiremyn]

never ever trust a man who doen't drink, cos they will always hold back their true selves

[BurnRoddy]

That's shit.

Man who doesn't drink keep an eye on you, call your wife to let her know you are safe, walk you home, makes sure anyone or anything doesnt hits you, take you out for air so you don't fall appart.

Man who drink can't keep their eyes on anything, call's you Mr.sugarHat Banana Bob, walk with whatever thing that remindsthem a person, hits on anyone or anything, take their private parts out for some air and to make sure their safe.

[yorkshiremyn]

Exactly! cheers mate

[maximum1954]

BurnRoddy. Wow! What country are you from? Obviously English is NOT your language. Man who doesn't drink dies young from stress. Man who doesn't drink experiences nothing. Drink in moderation. Drink has been around since mankind. Moderation, moderation, moderation. Man who doesn't drink usually has other vices. Smoking kills more people than any other substance on the planet. Period. I don't trust a person who is so against drinking. Something is wrong in your head. Religion kills more people.

[BurnRoddy]

Man, I was kidding dude, obviously your sense of humor died for too much drinking.

When you are drunk as fuck everybody laughs at you because you do the most random things ever.Genious W.C. Fields created his character bassed on this content.

And you are right you should not trust a man who do not drink, is pretty easy to hit on girls when you are drunk but is easier to get them if you are clean. Howeverl if you are driving you should never drink.Period.

[maximum1954]

BurnRoddy. My bad. Sometimes the humor gets lost in written form. I guess I was reading it upside down. Ha, ha. I agree. I am of course not promoting drinking in excess, but the people who don't want any kind of drinking harm other responsible drinkers. I think we are on the same page. And I completely agree with NOT drinking and driving at the same time. W.C. Fields humor for my taste holds up better than many comedians of his time. Once I started understanding his words, he is hilarious.

[yambo59]

"Drinking doesnt get its proper credit-- if it werent for heavy drinking many would never have learned to pray". (my own quote) lol

[maximum1954]

I drink very seldom. But one thing I have noticed with AA is that EVERYONE smokes a cancer stick. For some reason its OK to die from lung cancer and all the illnesses associated with smoking but, "drinking", very bad. I will never understand AA and the people who run it. AA people can smoke till they die, which is usually at a very young age and they find religion. Does religion promote smoking? Let's see what would happen if they took away ALL cigarettes. The world would collapse.

[yambo59]

Very good point, and I ironically dont drink at all-- I just came up with that quote after watching some fields clips. And youre right about the smokin too, I had to quit like 8 years ago, its the most insidious habit there is, they lwt you get hooked on a known addictive drug, make tons of tax money off our health then get away with it with a short warning on the pack. If you pulled the gov's liquor and Cig tax they would panic, everything would go up 500% so they could keep thier phony jobs

[yambo59]

My main reason for saying "pray" is a visual of the people that end up with their heads in the toilet praying for relief-lol

[maximum1954]

Yes, I agree with all you said. Your so spot on. Everyone I know has such a hard time quitting smoking. It's so addictive. I've heard that it is harder than heroin. That might be stretching it, but there are millions of more people smoking than taking heroin. Anyway, I hear what you are saying.

[yambo59]

A religion could also be equated to just having a sound moral standard you live by regarding how you manage your life and treat others. But its human nature to do what we want, and sometimes (especially after 1/2 case of whatever-lol) good judgement vaporizes-- as in some of the police chases on TV-LOL

[maximum1954]

I agree. Religion is fine. I removed my previous comment as I read it and thought I was being too sarcastic and sometimes comments in writing don't reflect the color or flavor of what I was saying. I don't want to come down on religion at all. As long as people try to practice what they preach. I simply try to treat everyone with respect. And if religion helps, that's fine. Many people don't belong to a particular religion but believe in God and do good things.

[yambo59]

Oh I wasnt trying to suggest you were coming down on religion, if anything I agree. Like you said sometimes people do all the praying and church going, but dont practice the princples in daily life. I agree, believe in the basic moral lessons and treat other as youd like to be treated, everything else would fall into place if we could manage that.

[yambo59]

We dont have to go round forcing other people to listen, just let them see how you conduct yourself and there lies the lesson. But some are to arrogant to manage acceptable thoughtful conduct in society.

[maximum1954]

I completely agree with both of your comments. I hate to over use the word, "respect", but it just seems that many people don't respect others. Is it that hard to treat people good? Like many walks in everyday life, there are good and bad people in all areas. Religion has some good and some not so good. And morals have gone right out the window. Maybe there should be schools that teach only that, "good morals". And yet, I believe that parents are the ones who should teach those values.

[yambo59]

I think thats a big part of the problem, first many parents only take responsibility for concepton and thats it. then they refuse to let religious morals be mentioned in schools now, so if the parents dont teach them or teach them wrong, and the school doesnt teach morals, where do they learn about them? many only learn the rules of the street and end up screwed up, shot up knocked up locked up or dead.

[maximum1954]

It's ironic to get on a topic like this when viewing a W.C. Fields video. But I couldn't agree with you anymore. Our society is moving backwards not forwards. Too many people not taking responsibility for their own actions. If you bring another life into this world you have a responsibility to raise that child properly. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out what's right and wrong. If you don't want to raise that child at least let people who know better do so.

[yambo59]

And on that front, one large thing parents have to do is to teach their kids by example- if the parents cant even conduct thier own lives correctly, how can they ever hope to lead by example. Many parental role models are so bad, kids are literally born into a hopeless cycle of crime and entitlement. The sad part is the kids are many times tought or allowed to think this is the norm, and it in fact is in many areas. Dont even get me started on our current......."president".

[dithbmine1]

@yambo59 Right on the money IMPEACH

[GuitarViols]

Never give a sucker an even break...

Squidian?

[ffej980]

i would rather have a bottle in front of me than have a frontal lobotomy

[brianmanden]

Cheers !

[JackAwful]

Hitting my mood right about now.

[SHOELESSJOE60]

For sure, the man was one of the funniest ever. What a cad he could play.

[joeasmythe]

Too bad this generation can't see him, all they have now is profanity and vulgarity .

Great Godfrey, Bill was the best.

[pathdaly]

I can swear and make people laugh but I agree entirely. If just plain swearing gets a laugh then your audience is just plain. W.C. made me laugh because he was funny without swearing. He alluded, he hinted, he winked at his audience.

[Skulldini]

@joeasmytheYeah,.. and I'd also doubt that a guy who LOOKS like Fields would have an easy time getting into movies today. But ya know, I think that Fields was actually the kind of character who WOULD'VE cussed, a little, if he would've been allowed to in a movie back then ( wich you couldn't,.. there was a code then ).

[kimpunkrock]

@joeasmythe for sure! he slays any of the so called comedians today!

[boomcc1]

@kimpunkrock yep, i love it he uses the water for the chaser to clean his hands. lol

lmao rip wc, my man

[boomcc1]

@joeasmythe yes its very sad, this was tv, the crap they have on know, all i could say the next generation beware, PARENTS!

[joeasmythe]

@boomcc1 right on boomcc

[spencerkrause]

@joeasmythe while WC fields may not swear in his movies, hes still pretty profane.

[genericbotface]

LOL @ the 20 dollar bill.

[ladyjessieb]

cheers!

[Vikin1979]

I'll drink to that. Don't make em like that anymore. Classic!!!

[hugatag]

WC says to bartender "did I come in here last night and spend a 20 dollar bill"? Bartender says "YES" WC says "what a load that is off my mind I thought I lost it" Classic!!!

[bergerfry]

@hugatag I have to wonder how many actually get the gist of that punch line. It's such an intelligent joke.

[MX944]

Great sense of humor, love his way of acting.

He is 1 of the best

[YesOkayYNot]

One of the funniest things he ever said wasn't on camera. The crew saw him reading the Bible and asked why. He said he was "looking for loopholes." Bahahahah! Thanks for posting this clip.

[AKfromUSA]

Feilds is a true barroom hero

[leng21]

The man was a master comedian and film comic. It's unfortunate that his drinking actually directly led to his physical and professional decline. He was one of a kind and is one of my very favorite performers. This post stands as a wonderful tribute to the man and his many talents.

[oldstock1607]

STALLION. Where have they all gone?

[samjhatfield]

It was Shemp I think.

[HistoryGeek4U]

Yeah, that was Shemp Howard. He filled in after Curly died.

[greg5566]

Did everyone notice that the bartender was Moe Howard?

[hugatag]

The bartender is Shemp Howard. He was good friends with WC drinking buddies

[theredhackle22]

God...damn I wished I could live that life in our 21st c nanny state

[JesseEgan]

Part four in the greatest drunks series, highlighting the great W.C. Fields, no stranger to a stiff drink on and off camera. This red-nosed comedic genius was a master juggler, expert at billiards, and a seasoned drinker - he said he never drank water, and he never met a booze he didn't like! Enjoy my little chickadees!

[phantomlord1988]

3:17