William Claude Fields was a stylistic comedic actor and comedian during the first half of the 20th century. He is remembered for his roles as an unscrupulous con man and henpecked, hard -drinking husband. During the course of his presentations, he would brag of his hatred for bankers, children, dogs, mothers-in-law, policemen, and wives. A success in the stage reviews and silent movies of the 1920s, he moved into the next decade with appearances in such sound films as You Can't Cheat an Honest Man and My Little Chickadee (1940) with Mae West. Fields wrote the screenplays for many of his films and often contributed ad -libs.