Lampooning Tennis

Abstract

Opening acts in the 1917 Follies exhibit the fervor of patriotism that was sweeping the nation due to the nation’s participation in World War I. In the Follies of 1917 Fields performed two scenes. The first is a sketch Fields wrote called “The Episode of the Tennis Match.” As “Rufus Racket,” Fields juggles tennis rackets and balls, assisted by Walter Catlett, a wise-guy comedian, and Ziegfeld Girls, Allyn King and Peggy Hopkins. “Fields catches the returning balls in his hat, on his head, in the side pockets of his coat, and occasionally on his racket,” wrote a reviewer. Another calls it a “humorous pantomimes in jugglery.” During the second act he portrays a pushcart peanut vendor called Wise Acres. As he enters, he says to a stranger: “Seeking sustenance from peanuts, friend? Those small yet succulent morsels of tastiness?” After a conversation with the stranger, Fields lifts a lever revealing a well-concealed complete bar with liquor. The scene is a tongue-in-cheek comment on the prohibition of alcohol that was already a law in 26 states. This was the first time Fields performed a routine about drinking. Alcohol became a major motif in Fields’s repertoire, especially in his later films, and consistent with his own imbibing.