W. C. Fields: America's Favorite Curmudgeon - Episode 54

When William Claude Dukenfield was eleven – his abusive father hit him in the head with a shovel, so moved in with his grandmother – and there perfected the art of juggling.  In his late teens, with the ability to juggle or balance almost anything, he became a vaudeville performer. 

On stage, he met Hattie, also a juggler and the two married and became a juggling act – until she became pregnant, went home, gave birth, and the marriage eventually lost its luster.  It didn’t help – that Fields detested his mother-in-law and would come to dinner with a lit cigar in a candle holder balanced atop his head, never conceding its presence to the fear of his mother-in-law. 

Perhaps Dukenfield’s annoying and irascible persona was not just an act after all.

Stories from History’s Dust Bin is a 3-volume set of historical short stories. These are the nuggets of gold that had fallen by the wayside… the little known and unusual. Many of these gems were destined to be forever lost until they were collected, dusted off and brought back to life by author Wayne Winterton.

Each podcast episode features one of over 450 short stories from either Winterton’s Award-Winning Stories from Dust Bin series* or the companion volume, From Ace to Zamboni: 101 More Dust Bin Stories, as narrated by either the author or his son, William, or daughter, Jana.

If you enjoy today’s episode, please leave us 5 stars and a glowing review on iTunes! And if you don’t want to wait a whole week to hear another story from the Dust Bin, consider picking up the books on Amazon (either downloadable or good ol’ fashioned ink and paper).

The Entire History’s Dust Bin Collection Is Available On Amazon: https://amzn.to/3bDrip4

* Winner of the Arizona Book of the Year Award for 2016