| ALICE FAYE stands on the gangplank ofa pirate ship, a former movie set that she took home to her Beverly Hillspatio, where it served as a poolside dressing room. When her singing talentsurfaced, Faye was switched from Harlowesque blonde roles, and cast ina series of highly successful musicals for Twentieth Century-Fox. Unfortunately,she had frequent run-ins with her boss Danyl F. Zanuck, who then hiredBetty Grable to replace her. When Grable surpassed Faye's popularity, Fayewalked out on her contract and retired. | W.C. FIELDS, who rarely swam, is pictured balancingon the diving board of the pool at his Encino ranch house. In fact, hehad a general disdain for water, explaining in his cantankerous mannerthat "fish fuck in it." At fourteen he worked as a "drowner"in Atlantic City, swimming out into the ocean, crying for help, so lifeguardscould save him. The commotion would then drum up business for the carnivaltroupe he worked for. Fields developed a skill for juggling which put himon the road to success and allowed him to tour the world. Having performedin every Ziegfield Follies from 1915 to 1920, Fields then progressed tosilent movies, where he further honed his unique comic style. The misanthropiccharacter he portrayed in movies was very much a part of his off-screenpersona as well: the unrepentant alcoholic who hated kids and dogs andsuffered miserably at the hands of overbearing wives and mothers-in-law.He had a mistrust of cops and bankers, the latter leading him to deposithis substantial earnings into as many as seven hundred small savings accountsin cities wherever he played so he would always have access to his money. |
