American Toby Jug Museum 

W. C. Fields character jug in a trial colorway with a gold walking cane top modeled by David B. Biggs and produced by Royal Doulton of Burslem, England, in 1983. Renowned misogynist and misanthrope, W. C. Fields (1879-1946), is best remembered as a comedic star of both stage and film. Born Claude William Dukenfield in Philadelphia, his self-proclaimed hatred of women, children and animals and a general distrust of his fellow man stemmed from a harsh childhood. After running away from home at the age of eleven, his first job in the world of entertainment was as a juggler; but by the age of twenty he was receiving top-billing as a comic in Vaudeville. Like many other actors at that time, Fields moved from stage to silent film. His greatest successes, however, came with the advent of sound; his raspy voice and bulbous nose were perfect for his comic characterizations. He played a flamboyant Mr. Micawber in David Copperfield and starred opposite Mae West in "My Little Chicadee". His anti-social attitude toward women, both on- and off-screen, is summed up in the words incorporated in the backstamp of this jug. "I was in love with a beautiful blonde once. She drove me to drink, 'tis the one thing I'm indebted to her for." A walking cane forms the handle of this jug.