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W. C. Fields & Me: Two hours in a dark theater with an unpleasant man

movie review ... erica meyer W. C. Fields, with his sneer, his drinking, his hatred for children, dogs and Philadelphia, his comedy and his swagger, is a figure of nostalgia. W.C. Fields and Me, however, is not a nostalgic movie. With Rod Steiger characterizing Fields and Valerie Perrine as Carlotta Monti, his long time mistress and the real life author of the book this film is based on, the movie comes off as a box of varied jigsaw pieces that just don't fit together. Steiger's characterization is fine, though not as strong as most of his previous roles. Wearing a false bulbous nose, he tried to maintain Fields' accent slanted sneer, but he remains Steiger instead of becoming Fields. Perrine, the lady with perfect teeth and near perfect cheekbones, is a bit stronger as Monti. She look hard sometimes, perhaps because the life she portrays was not an easy one. Monti stuck with Fields through his drinking, through his blockades to her film career, through his secret marriage to someone else and through his final illness. Fields himself is shown as irrascible, nasty, selfish, self-pitying and overwhelmingly hooked on macho symbols like holding his liquor, parading his stud feats and being first in his profession. "When you're second, life is like a mother that only likes you next to best," he tells Monti. "It's like a dame that only sees you on slow nights." The minor roles are better played than the major ones. John Marley as the Paramount Studio boss, Billy Barty as Field's midget companion in vaudeville and Jack Cassidy as Jack Barrymore are excellent. The settings are authentic and lovely; the Mancini music works well with the film and the costumes are believeable and appropiate. Neveithelses, W. C. Fields and Me, is a disjointed picture and depressing one. Fields must have had redeeming characteristics, but they are not shown. And, it is never a pleasant experience to spend two hours in a dark theater with an unpleasant person. As the film proceeds, it touched on Field's financial failure at the end of his vaudeville career and on his resurgence as film star. No clips from the old Fields' films are shown, but the playbills are flashed to indicate passing time and Steiger is shown on the set, making movies, taking nip behind scenes and spiking a two-year-old's orange juice with gin. The personal relationship between Fields and Monti and the friendship among Fields and his drinking buddies are the real plot focus and none of them are particularly joyful relationships. There is only a hint or two at sex in W. C. Fields and Me, but there is a lot of four-letter language. Monti narrates over the rough spots and it is only when she tell us "for a selfish man he was generous, for a coward, he was brave," that we have any flicker of knowledge as to why she loved Fields and why this movie was made at ali. - ERICA MEYER

Elegance and charm is a hallmark of Gables Le Petit Bistro restaurant

Le Petit Bistro, 382 Miracle Mile, 448-8984. Hours: Lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday; Dinner, 5:30 to 11 p.m., Monday through Saturday closed Sunday. Master Charge and Bank Americard accepted. Parking competitive. Small gold candles flicker on each table, their light dapping off smoked-glass mirrors. Dark wood beams and railings contrast with white stucco and small clusters of flowers sit in niches lit by pale rose-colored recessed lights. Le Petit Bistro looks elegant. Aside from the pleasure of being in a restaurant that isn't decorated in red and black, it offers an entry way decorated with woven wood and a staircase leading to an intimate upstairs dining room with about a dozen tables and booths. The service is attentive. Ashtrays are whisked away and replaced at the drop of an ash and dishes arrive in proper sequence, properly timed and piping hot. The wine list, a scrapbook with a label, description and price on each page, is varied and the 1973 Beaujolais we sampled was light and lively. In the evening, each entree includes a salad, vegetables and potato. Our salads were mounds of fresh, crisp lettuce topped with a delicate garlic dressing. The vegetables were a sauteed mix of broccoli, zuchinni, carrots and pimientoes. The potatoes were sliced and with butter. The prices for the main dishes are reasonable, though with wine, appetizers (escargots or shrimp cocktail), dessert (luscious creamy mousse $1.50) and coffee ($2 for cinnamon-kissed cappuccino topped with whipped cream), the tab adds up fast. place settings The dinner menu includes sweetbreads, pompano saute meuniere, shrimp colbert, a tempting bouillabaisse, chicken modenase and tournedos of beef with a Bearnaise sauce. Prices range from $5.95 to $7.95 with rack of spring lamb for two set at $16.96. The roast duckling with wild rice and Grand Marnier ($6.95) is among the best in town. The meat is tender and moist; the portion is generous and the skin crackles with orange and liquer. The luncheon menu offers the same appetizers and soup (French onion) on the evening bill of fare plus four egg dishes (benedict, murette, mushroom omelet, and house omelet - $2.50 to $2.95) and three hamburgers (blue cheese, plain, bacon cheese - $1.95 to $2.50). Two large salads, a couple of sandwiches and a minute steak round out the lunch plan and the lovely desserts on the evening menu are also offered during the day. Because the restaurant is small, reservations are needed and because it is new, all the opening problems haven't been ironed out yet. It is, nonetheless, a charming place to eat and most of the food is presented beautifully and tastes delicious. - ERICA MEYER