Never Give a Sucker an Even Break: W.C. Fields on Business

""Start every day with a smile, and get it over with."" ""I don't drink water; it rusts pipes."" ""A man must believe in something. I believe I'll have another drink."" There is no doubt that W.C. Fields, star of stage and screen, was a funny man. Unfortunately for his grandson, Ronald Fields (an Emmy award-winning screenwriter and author of W.C. Fields by Himself), and collaborator O'L. Higgins (an author and chairman and CEO of Print Marketing Concepts Inc.), not much of the comedian's life or times dealt directly with business. (Although we do learn that Fields patented a device for folding napkins.) Since it didn't, that leaves the authors searching through Fields's films for one-liners or situations that can be applied to business. It is not an easy task. After all, The Bank Dick, perhaps Fields's best-known movie, was not intended as a critique of the savings and loan industry. And even where they can find examples, such as Fields dealing with difficult people, the advice is more tongue-in-check--""Put [a blockhead in] charge, stupidity can be an asset""--than helpful. As a source of Fields's one-liners and filmography--both of which are used to pad this slight book--the book is helpful. If you are looking for it to be a source of management wisdom, you might be better off with a different film star, Winnie-the-Pooh. Photos. Author tour; radio satellite tour. (Jan.)