W.C.'S STORY

He was born William Claude Dukenfield on January 29, 1880 in Darby, a town just outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. April 10, 1880 and February 9, 1879 have also been slated as his birthday, and although incorrect, Fields himself never bothered to set the record straight. Why should he? The extra "natal days" provided him with two more opportunities to receive celebratory gifts of assorted beverages. Multiple birthdays would be just a sample of the many myths and legends surrounding "The Great Man," W.C. Fields. But once you sweep the tall tales away, what remains is incredible: he succeeded in seven separate careers that demanded seven separate talents.
Ah yes, the tale tales! As W.C. Fields' grandson, author, producer, and film historian Ronald J. Fields, jokingly notes, "The most difficult part of researching W.C. Fields' life was to separate fact from fiction. Not only did many Hollywood writers build legends around him, but W.C. was the biggest legend producer of all of them." Or as W.C. Fields himself said, "Why tell the truth, when with a little embellishment you can bring fun and laughter to interviews." Film publicists found him to be a dream to work with, because unlike other stars, he didn't care what the Publicity Department wrote about him, just as long as it was in keeping with his mythic image. Fields himself engineered the publicity when he admitted to a reporter, "I wanted to be a definite personality."
The oldest of five children, he was born in a hotel room appropriately situated just above the bar that his father managed. His parents were James and Kate (Felton) Dukenfield. His father immigrated from England at the age of 13 and talked with a pronounced midlands accent (which was a source of amusement to James' wife, Kate, and their young son, both of whom imitated James' accent for laughs). After the birth of their son, Kate insisted that James quit managing the bar (and quit drinking as well) in order to provide a more appropriate atmosphere in which to raise children. James obeyed his wife and became a huckster selling fruits and vegetables from a cart he pulled through the streets of Philadelphia.
...
 
 

PSEUDONYMS
Fields invented many funny names, both for his characters and for his own screenwriting credits:
Maharajah of Bingo Algernon Biggleswade Professor Quail Ophelia Snapdrop Sir Marmaduke Gump Og Oggilby Folger E. Bidwell Abigail Twirlbaffing Dorothea Fizzdockle Charles Bogle J. Pinkerton Snoopington Aristotle Hoop Mahatma Kane Jeeves Senor Guillermo McKinley Sneed Hearn High-Card Harrington Carl La Fong Cholmondley Frampton-Blyte 9 Marc Antony McGonigle J. Frothingham Waterbury Larson E. Whipsnade Rheba Goldberg Bartley Neuville Figley E. Whitesides Anastasia Bel-Goodie Claude Bissinet Dr. Otis Guelpe Lita Labetty Otis Criblecoblis Chief Big Spear Bronislaw Gimp Gus Winterbottom Little Small Blanket Ouliotta Hemoglobin Ambrose Woolfinger Wilkes Heap Filthy McNasty Eustace McGargle Oooleota Dillwig Officer Postlewhistle Hermisilio Brunch Elmer Bimbo Cornelius O'Hare Oglethorpe P. Bushmaster Colonel Roscoe Slemp Cozy Cochran Chester Snavely Sapadola Sidley-Deasey Cleopatra Pepperday A. Pismo Clam Oliotha Shugg Countess de Pouisse Sir Mortimer Fortescue Olga Limbo Egbert Souse Agatha Sprague Fuller Ginnis Cuthbert J. Twillie

Fields invented a lot of goofy names, both for his characters and for his own screenwriting credits (he wrote a large number of his films). Bob Elliot of Bob & Ray once told me that he and Ray came up with most of their character names from people they knew, but I think that probably wasn't the case with Fields, as you may agree after perusing these:
Maharajah of Bingo Algernon Biggleswade Professor Quail
Ophelia Snapdrop Sir Marmaduke Gump Og Oggilby
Death Valley Scotty Folger E. Bidwell Abigail Twirlbaffing
Dorothea Fizzdockle Charles Bogle J. Pinkerton Snoopington
Aristotle Hoop Mahatma Kane Jeeves Senor Guillermo McKinley
Sneed Hearn High-Card Harrington Carl La Fong
Cholmondley Frampton- Marc Antony McGonigle J. Frothingham Waterbury
Blythe Rheba Goldberg Bartley Neuville
Figley E. Whitesides Anastasia Bel-Goodie Claude Bissinet
Dr. Otis Guelpe Lita Labetty Otis Criblecoblis
Chief Big Spear Bronislaw Gimp Gus Winterbottom
Little Small Blanket Ouliotta Hemoglobin Ambrose Woolfinger
Wilkes Heap Filthy McNasty Eustace McGargle
Oooleota Dillwig Officer Postlewhistle Hermisilio Brunch
Elmer Bimbo Cornelius O'Hare Oglethorpe P. Bushmaster
Colonel Roscoe Slemp Cozy Cochran Chester Snavely
Sapadola Sidley-Deasey Cleopatra Pepperday A. Pismo Clam
Oliotha Shugg Countess de Pouisse Sir Mortimer Fortescue
Olga Limbo Egbert Souse Agatha Sprague
Fuller Ginnis Cuthbert J. Twillie Larson E. Whipsnade