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Lew Fields
Lew Fields
Lew Fields
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Lew Fields (born Moses Schoenfeld, January 1867 – July 20, 1941) was an American actor, comedian, vaudeville star, theatre manager, and producer. Partnering with Joe Weber, they formed the comedy double-act of Weber and Fields. He also produced shows on his own and starred in comedy films.

Key Information

Biography

[edit]
Joe Weber in 1901

Lew Fields was born Moses Schoenfeld to Polish-Jewish parents.[2] was half of the great comic duo Weber and Fields with Joe Weber. They performed in museums, circuses, and variety houses in New York City. The young men had a "Dutch act" in which both portrayed German immigrants. Several recordings of their act were made and released as on records.

In the case of Weber and Fields (or "Mike and Meyer" as their characters were known) and many of the other acts of this genre, this often involved stereotyping by dress and behavior, as well as comedic and often sympathetic portrayals of the characters' attempts to fit into American society. "Crafty schemes" of "making it big" in America, as well as the attempts of mere survival of immigrant poverty in America, were written into the script of these acts. A typical "Mike and Meyer" routine involved Mike, the short and clever one, unsuccessfully trying to coach Meyer, the tall and simple one, in a scheme to get them a free lunch at a working-class saloon.[3]

The two toured successfully for many years, becoming one of the most popular and profitable acts in vaudeville. In 1896, the partners opened the Weber and Fields' Broadway Music Hall, where they produced very successful burlesques of popular Broadway shows. In the music hall's casts were some of the greatest performers and comics on the American stage at that time, including Lillian Russell, Ross and Fenton, Fay Templeton, and DeWolf Hopper. Some of their routines were Pousse Cafe, Hurly Burly, Whirl-I-Gig, Fiddle-Dee-Dee, Hoity-Toity, Twirly Whirly, and Whoop-de-Doo.[3]

Advertisement for The Man Who Stood Still (1916)

The duo separated in 1904, and Weber took over operations at the music hall. Fields went on to produce many musicals. When Fields starred in the 1911 stage comedy, The Hen-Pecks, one of the supporting comedians in the cast was Vernon Castle, who went on to become a famous ballroom dancer. Fields then produced Hanky Panky which ran from August 5, 1912 through November 2, 1912 featuring songs by Irving Berlin and Ballard MacDonald. In 1913 Fields produced and starred in the Broadway musical All Aboard. In 1921, Fred Allen and Nora Bayes toured with Fields. During the tour the orchestra was conducted by 19-year-old Richard Rodgers,[4] who, in 1920, contributed songs with lyrics by Lorenz Hart to the Lew Field's production of Poor Little Ritz Girl.

Constance Carpenter and William Gaxton, principals of the original Broadway production of Rodgers and Hart's A Connecticut Yankee, on stage at the Vanderbilt Theatre during a mid-run rehearsal of the hit musical (1928). Producer Lew Fields is seen at right, in shirtsleeves.

In 1923, Weber and Fields partnered yet again for a Lee DeForest Phonofilm sound-on-film short, where the team recreated their famous pool hall routine. This film premiered at the Rivoli Theater in New York City on 15 April 1923. Three years later, the duo were among those supporting Will Rogers and Mary Garden on the NBC Radio Network's November 15, 1926 debut broadcast.[5] Their own NBC series followed in 1931.[6]

Weber and Fields also reunited for the 27 December 1932 inaugural show at Radio City Music Hall, which proved to be the last stage appearance of the two performers as a team. In the RKO Radio Pictures film, The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939), Fields appeared as himself, re-enacting a slapstick comedy scene from The Hen-Pecks. They gave a cameo performance performing their "casino" routine in the 1940 movie Lillian Russell.

Lew Fields died in Beverly Hills, California on July 20, 1941.

Personal life

[edit]

Fields was the father of Dorothy, Herbert and Joseph, all of whom enjoyed theatrical careers of their own. Fields was Jewish.[7][8]

Legacy

[edit]

The backstage hostility in Neil Simon's play and film The Sunshine Boys is reportedly based on the team of Smith and Dale, not Weber and Fields.[citation needed]

Filmography

[edit]
Fields (far right) in his feature length debut Old Dutch, based on his 1909 play of the same name

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Lew Fields

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from Grokipedia
Lew Fields was an American vaudeville comedian, actor, and theatrical producer known for his influential partnership with Joe Weber in the comedy duo Weber and Fields, one of the most popular and pioneering acts in late 19th- and early 20th-century American entertainment. Born Moses Schoenfeld on January 1, 1867, in New York City to Jewish immigrant parents, Fields began his career at age nine performing knockabout comedy in Bowery saloons with childhood friend Weber, creating the enduring Dutch-German dialect characters Mike and Meyer that defined their act. The duo achieved major success in the 1890s through burlesques of popular Broadway plays, establishing their own Weber and Fields Music Hall in New York City, which showcased stars such as Lillian Russell and Fay Templeton and elevated musical comedy standards of the era. Creative differences led to their initial split in 1904, though they reunited periodically for tours, films, and recordings in later years. Fields went on to enjoy a prolific independent career as a Broadway producer, director, and occasional actor from the early 1900s into the 1930s, mounting original musicals and demonstrating a sharp eye for talent by featuring emerging performers including Helen Hayes, Vernon Castle, and James Cagney. In the late 1920s, he worked with three of his children—librettist Herbert Fields, playwright Joseph Fields, and lyricist Dorothy Fields—who contributed scripts and brought the then-unknown songwriting duo Rodgers and Hart to Broadway. He also appeared in motion pictures from the silent era through talkies, including a memorable 1940 cameo with Weber in Lillian Russell. Fields retired to Hollywood in the late 1930s and died of pneumonia on July 20, 1941, in Beverly Hills, California.

Early life

Birth and family origins

Lew Fields was born Moses Schoenfeld on January 1, 1867, in New York City to Polish-Jewish immigrant parents. He grew up in the Bowery neighborhood on Manhattan's Lower East Side amid the dense Eastern European Jewish immigrant community of the 1870s. This childhood environment, characterized by the vibrant yet challenging tenement life of recent arrivals from Poland and other regions, exposed him to the multicultural street culture and dialect variations that later informed the ethnic humor central to his comedic career. His Jewish heritage and immigrant family background provided a foundation for portraying exaggerated immigrant archetypes, a common theme in vaudeville acts of the era drawn from the lived experiences of New York's Lower East Side.

Entry into vaudeville

Lew Fields entered vaudeville through early performances in New York City's dime museums, circuses, and variety houses, beginning as a child performer on the Bowery. He met fellow performer Joe Weber during their childhood on the Lower East Side, and the two began teaming up as a duo sometime before 1885, though the precise year remains uncertain. Together they developed a signature "Dutch act" featuring slapstick and rough-house comedy, in which they portrayed bickering German immigrants named Mike (Weber's character) and Meyer (Fields' character), complete with exaggerated accents, garish costumes, and physical gags. Publicity from the period frequently exaggerated their youth to portray them as child prodigies, claiming appearances at implausibly young ages despite their actual births in 1867. Their first documented stage appearance as a team occurred around 1885 at Miner's Bowery Theatre in New York City, when Fields was approximately 18 years old. This marked the start of their professional rise in vaudeville circuits, leading to early touring success that included a lucrative 10-week engagement in San Francisco at a salary notably high for the era. These formative years established the comic foundation that would later propel them to Broadway prominence.

Partnership with Joe Weber

Formation of the duo

Joe Weber and Lew Fields met as schoolboys on Manhattan's impoverished Lower East Side and first appeared together in New York City's Bowery at the age of nine. Over the next several years, they perfected their comedy teamwork before forming their own company in 1885 and touring vaudeville and variety circuits. The duo established themselves with a signature "Dutch act" (a corruption of "Deutsch"), portraying heavily caricatured German immigrants equipped with broad, fractured accents, false chin beards, pork pie hats, and garish attire such as Weber's loud checkered suit. Weber played the short, rotund, gullible Mike (often padded for exaggerated girth), while Fields portrayed the taller, scheming Meyer, who continually tried to swindle his partner out of money. Their routines followed a reliable structure built on misunderstandings, verbal jabs, and escalating knockabout slapstick, typically ending in physical confrontations where Fields repeatedly struck or knocked Weber around the stage. Weber later reflected on the formula's appeal, stating, "All the public wanted to see was Fields knock the hell out of me." Although intended as German dialect, their accents more closely parodied the Yiddish inflections common on the Lower East Side where both grew up. Weber and Fields rose to become vaudeville's definitive Dutch act, achieving widespread popularity as one of the era's most imitated comedy teams. Their sketches were later preserved on early recordings beginning in 1912, including scenes such as the Hypnotic Scene, Drinking Scene, and Contract Scene featuring Mike and Meyer. This vaudeville success led to their expansion into Broadway productions starting in 1896.

Rise to Broadway prominence

In 1896, Joe Weber and Lew Fields opened their own theater on Broadway, taking over and renovating the former Imperial Music Hall to establish Weber and Fields' Broadway Music Hall. This move marked their transition from vaudeville performers to Broadway producers and stars, allowing them to control their material and showcase their signature style. At the Music Hall, the duo specialized in high-energy burlesques that lampooned popular Broadway shows through caricature, songs, dance, and comedic skits, often delivered in their trademark "Dutch" dialect. These productions drew large audiences by blending satire with spectacle, quickly establishing the theater as a prominent venue for musical burlesque in New York. The casts featured prominent stars of the era, including Lillian Russell, Fay Templeton, and DeWolf Hopper, whose participation added glamour and boosted attendance. Early successes such as Pousse Café (1897), Hurly-Burly (1898), and Whirl-I-Gig (1899) solidified the duo's reputation and financial viability, contributing to their rise as key figures in Broadway's musical comedy scene.

Weber and Fields' Music Hall era

In 1896, Joe Weber and Lew Fields leased a Broadway theater that they renamed Weber and Fields' Music Hall, establishing it as their resident venue where they produced and starred in a series of high-energy musical burlesques and farces through 1904. These productions combined knockabout comedy with musical elements, initially structured as a burlesque parody of a recent Broadway hit in the first act—such as spoofing Cyrano de Bergerac as Cyranose de Bric-a-Brac—followed by a vaudeville-style variety bill of individual acts in the second half. The format delivered wholesome humor suitable for family audiences while refining early techniques of the Broadway revue. From around 1899 onward, the duo transitioned primarily to full-length musical comedies featuring preposterous titles and lighthearted plots, achieving substantial commercial success with long New York runs and lucrative national tours. The shows' broad appeal and consistent profitability made the Music Hall one of Broadway's most popular entertainment destinations during this period. Parodying a production at Weber and Fields' Music Hall became a mark of prestige for other Broadway shows, as the exposure generated significant publicity for the original works. The duo's business triumphs were supported by an exceptional ensemble that attracted some of the era's biggest stars, creating what contemporaries regarded as Broadway's most stellar company. Key performers included Lillian Russell, who commanded a high weekly salary of $1,250 for her comic dialogue, singing, and stage presence; DeWolf Hopper; Fay Templeton; and Marie Dressler. The addition of director-choreographer Julian Mitchell further elevated the productions through innovative staging and choreography. This combination of star power, inventive material, and reliable box-office performance cemented the Music Hall's status as a leading force in American musical theater during its heyday.

Key productions and peak years

The key productions during Lew Fields' partnership with Joe Weber took place at their Broadway Music Hall from 1896 to 1904, a period that marked the peak of their popularity as producers and performers of musical burlesques and comedies. These shows blended knockabout Dutch dialect humor as the characters Mike and Meyer, elaborate spoofs of current Broadway hits, chorus spectacles, and variety acts that influenced the development of the revue format. Early offerings focused on burlesques, such as Cyranose de Bric-a-Brac, a parody of Cyrano de Bergerac. The duo later shifted to full-length musical comedies featuring absurd titles and clean, family-oriented entertainment that drew large crowds. Notable productions included Pousse Cafe, Hurly Burly, Whirl-I-Gig (1899, running 264 performances), Fiddle-dee-dee (1899, 262 performances), Hoity-Toity (1901, a burlesque of Clyde Fitch's The Girl and the Judge, running from September 5, 1901, to April 19, 1902), Twirly Whirly (1902, running 244 performances), Whoop-de-Doo (1904), Helter Skelter, Humming Birds and Onions, The Stickiness of Gelatine, and The Big Little Princess. These shows achieved exceptional commercial success, often running for hundreds of performances and becoming prestige markers for original productions that were selected for burlesque. They showcased an all-star company including Lillian Russell (whose signature song "Come Down Ma Evenin’ Star" appeared in Twirly Whirly), DeWolf Hopper, Fay Templeton, and Marie Dressler, along with innovative staging by director-choreographer Julian Mitchell. The era represented the height of Weber and Fields' Broadway dominance, with their elaborate, crowd-pleasing spectacles defining popular entertainment in New York during the late 1890s and early 1900s.

Dissolution in 1904

The partnership between Lew Fields and Joe Weber dissolved in 1904 amid disagreements over how to address mandatory fire-safety renovations to their Broadway Music Hall. The Iroquois Theatre fire in Chicago on December 30, 1903, which claimed over 600 lives, prompted New York authorities to strictly enforce updated fire codes, forcing many theaters—including theirs—to undertake costly modifications or face closure. Fields' last appearance at the Music Hall came with the closing performance of their extravaganza Whoop-Dee-Doo on January 30, 1904. The partners clashed on whether and how to proceed with the required renovations, resulting in Fields' departure from the venture while Weber retained control of the theater. This marked the end of their nearly two-decade active collaboration as a performing duo, though they would reunite occasionally in later years.

Later collaborations with Weber

Reunions across stage, radio, and film

Following their partnership's dissolution in 1904, Lew Fields and Joe Weber reunited periodically across stage, radio, and film, typically for nostalgia-driven performances that revived their signature "Dutch" dialect comedy routines and classic sketches. Their first notable post-breakup reunion occurred in 1912 with the Broadway production Hokey Pokey, a brief return to the stage that ran for 108 performances and included Lillian Russell in her final Broadway appearance. In 1923, they performed their famous pool hall routine in a pioneering short film produced using the DeForest Phonofilm sound-on-film process, one of the earliest examples of synchronized sound motion pictures, with the film premiering on April 15, 1923, at the Rivoli Theater in New York City. The duo transitioned to radio in the late 1920s, appearing together on broadcasts suited to their verbal malapropisms, including their NBC Radio debut on November 15, 1926, during the network's inaugural program, and a dedicated NBC series in 1931. Their final joint stage appearance came on December 27, 1932, when they performed together on the inaugural bill at Radio City Music Hall. In 1940, Fields and Weber made a cameo appearance as themselves in the biographical film Lillian Russell, performing their classic casino routine in a nostalgic nod to their vaudeville era.

Solo career

Independent producing and starring roles

After the dissolution of his long-running partnership with Joe Weber in 1904, Lew Fields established himself as a prominent independent producer and performer on Broadway, mounting a series of successful musical comedies in which he frequently starred. In 1909, he produced and starred in Old Dutch, a musical farce featuring music by Victor Herbert, book by Edgar Smith, and lyrics by George V. Hobart, which opened at the Herald Square Theatre on November 22 and ran until February 5, 1910. Fields continued this pattern with The Hen-Pecks in 1911, producing and starring as Moritz Longman in the production that opened on February 4 and closed on September 23, with music by A. Baldwin Sloane and book by Glen MacDonough. The following year, he produced Hanky Panky, which opened on August 5, 1912, at the Broadway Theatre and included songs by Irving Berlin alongside contributions from other songwriters; the show ran through November 2. In 1913, Fields produced and starred in All Aboard, appearing as Moritz Longman in the musical comedy that opened on June 5 at Lew Fields' 44th Street Roof Garden and closed on September 6. Later in his independent career, Fields produced Poor Little Ritz Girl in 1920, for which he co-wrote the book with George Campbell; the show featured music by Richard Rodgers and Sigmund Romberg and lyrics by Lorenz Hart and Alex Gerber, marking Rodgers and Hart's Broadway debut, and opened on July 28. In 1921, Fields headed a touring company that included Fred Allen and Nora Bayes, with the young Richard Rodgers serving as musical director.

Film appearances

Lew Fields ventured into motion pictures later in his career, with his output remaining relatively sparse compared to his extensive work on stage and in vaudeville. His film appearances typically featured him in comedic roles, often drawing on his established persona or re-enacting familiar routines from his partnership with Joe Weber. Fields made his film debut in the silent comedy Old Dutch (1915), starring in the title role of Ludwig "Old Dutch" Streusand. He followed this with roles in The Man Who Stood Still (1916), The Barker (1917), and The Corner Grocer (1917). After a hiatus, he returned to the screen in Friendly Enemies (1925) and Two Flaming Youths (1927). In the late 1930s, Fields appeared as himself in Blossoms on Broadway (1937) and The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939). His final film appearance came in a cameo alongside Joe Weber in Lillian Russell (1940). These later roles often presented him in brief, nostalgic capacities that referenced his vaudeville legacy.

Personal life

Marriage and family

Lew Fields married Rose Harris on January 1, 1893, in New York, in a union that proved enduring and stable throughout his life. The marriage lasted until his death in 1941. The Fields family established itself as a notable theatrical dynasty through the careers of three of their children, each of whom achieved significant success in theater and related fields. Their daughter Dorothy Fields became a celebrated lyricist and librettist, contributing to numerous Broadway musicals. Their sons Herbert Fields and Joseph Fields also pursued careers in the industry, with Herbert working as a librettist and writer, and Joseph establishing himself as a playwright, librettist, and producer. This concentration of talent within the family highlighted their deep roots and influence in American musical theater.

Later years

In his later years, Lew Fields made occasional film appearances, including a role in the short comedy "23 -- Skidoo" (1930) and a part in the musical biography The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939). He retired to Hollywood, California, in the late 1930s. There, Fields reunited with his longtime partner Joe Weber for a cameo appearance performing their classic routine in the 1940 biographical film Lillian Russell.

Death and legacy

Death

Lew Fields died on July 20, 1941, in Beverly Hills, California, at the age of 74. He succumbed to pneumonia at his home in Beverly Hills. His remains were interred at Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum in Hartsdale, New York.

Legacy and influence

Lew Fields' most enduring contribution to American entertainment lies in his pioneering role in "Dutch" dialect comedy, a vaudeville staple that he and Joe Weber perfected through their portrayals of bumbling German immigrants named Mike and Meyer. Their routines combined heavily accented malapropisms, wordplay that mangled English, and raucous physical slapstick, often laced with sharp satirical undertones about language and cultural misunderstandings. This ethnic caricature style, while rooted in broad stereotypes, enabled immigrant performers to navigate mainstream theater by presenting exaggerated, burlesqued versions of their own or related heritages, helping bridge ethnic enclaves and broader audiences. The duo's knockabout format and immigrant-centric humor established a template that influenced generations of comedy teams, serving as a prototype for later acts featuring verbal and physical interplay. Their satirical revues at the Weber and Fields Music Hall further shaped the evolution of American musical comedy, blending farce, burlesque, and topical humor in ways that prefigured more integrated book musicals and later revue traditions. Fields' legacy also extended through his family, who carried forward his impact on musical theater. His children—lyricist Dorothy Fields, librettist Herbert Fields, and playwright-librettist Joseph Fields—became major figures in Broadway, contributing to numerous classic musicals and sustaining the family's prominence in the industry across subsequent decades. The Weber and Fields brand retained nostalgic value long after their prime, with their comedic style preserved in early radio appearances and film shorts that introduced their humor to new audiences.

References

  1. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0276300/bio/
  2. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/335/lew-fields
  3. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lew-Fields
  4. https://www.amazon.com/Bowery-Broadway-American-Popular-Theatre/dp/0195053818
  5. https://travsd.wordpress.com/2010/01/01/stars-of-vaudeville-100-weber-and-fields/
  6. https://www.musicals101.com/weberfields.htm
  7. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Weber-and-Fields
  8. https://www.schubertiademusic.com/products/14034-vaudeville-weber-and-fields-weber-joe-1867-1942-fields-lew-1867-1941-signed-caricature
  9. https://www.musicals101.com/1890-1900b.htm
  10. https://www.archeophone.com/catalogue/weber-and-fields-mike-and-meyer-files/
  11. https://www.ibdb.com/theatre/webers-music-hall-1383
  12. https://ovrtur.com/venue/1376
  13. https://www.preserveoldbroadway.org/weber-and-fields/
  14. http://blog.robertbrucestewart.com/2012/05/weber-and-fields-when-burlesque-meant.html
  15. https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/fields
  16. https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-show/hoity-toity-4443
  17. https://playbill.com/venue/weber-and-fields-broadway-music-hall-1896-new-york-ny
  18. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-theater-blaze-killed-hundreds-forever-changed-way-we-approach-fire-safety-180969315/
  19. https://www.wttw.com/chicago-stories/downtown-disasters/the-tragedy-of-the-iroquois-theater-fire
  20. https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-show/whoop-dee-doo-9348
  21. https://t.silentera.com/PSFL/data/W/WeberAndFields1923.html
  22. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0491234/
  23. https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/lew-m-fields-7312
  24. https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/old-dutch-6870
  25. https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-hen-pecks-6999
  26. https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/hanky-panky-7490
  27. https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/all-aboard-6902
  28. https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/poor-little-ritz-girl-8894
  29. https://markgoodson.fandom.com/wiki/Fred_Allen
  30. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0276300/
  31. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0005821/
  32. https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1162089-lew-fields
  33. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Harris-63843
  34. https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/fields-dorothy-1904-1974
  35. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2018/10/at-harvard-a-show-presents-the-influence-of-immigration-on-theater/
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