Sidney Fields (February 5, 1898 â€" September 28, 1975), born Sidney
H. Feldman, was an American comedic actor and writer best known for
his featured role on The Abbott and Costello Show in the 1940s (radio)
and early 1950s (television). He was sometimes credited as "Sid
Fields" or "Sidney Field".Fields was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on
February 5, 1898. He began his career when he was a boy, by working in
local theaters. As a teenager, he worked in carnivals and tent shows
in the Midwest, and later became partner in a comedy team with
vaudeville and burlesque performer Jack Greenman. The team was cast by
Harold Minsky in his family's celebrated burlesque theater. The team
split up in Hollywood when Fields was hired to work on a feature film
with Eddie Cantor, Strike Me Pink (1936).In the ensuing years, Fields
performed on stage, radio, and occasionally in movies. He worked on
Eddie Cantor's radio show as a writer and actor, and then with Ben
Blue, Rudy Vallee, Fred Allen, and Milton Berle.Fields appeared in
small roles in 1930s film comedies and sometimes received screen
credits as a writer and assistant director. In 1944, he began working
with Abbott and Costello, first in the film In Society (1944) and as a
writer/performer on their radio series, where he introduced his
Professor Melonhead character. From 1951 he supported Abbott and
Costello on NBC-TV's The Colgate Comedy Hour, and in 1952, he was cast
in the team's filmed series, The Abbott and Costello Show. He also
wrote the majority of scripts for the first season.
H. Feldman, was an American comedic actor and writer best known for
his featured role on The Abbott and Costello Show in the 1940s (radio)
and early 1950s (television). He was sometimes credited as "Sid
Fields" or "Sidney Field".Fields was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on
February 5, 1898. He began his career when he was a boy, by working in
local theaters. As a teenager, he worked in carnivals and tent shows
in the Midwest, and later became partner in a comedy team with
vaudeville and burlesque performer Jack Greenman. The team was cast by
Harold Minsky in his family's celebrated burlesque theater. The team
split up in Hollywood when Fields was hired to work on a feature film
with Eddie Cantor, Strike Me Pink (1936).In the ensuing years, Fields
performed on stage, radio, and occasionally in movies. He worked on
Eddie Cantor's radio show as a writer and actor, and then with Ben
Blue, Rudy Vallee, Fred Allen, and Milton Berle.Fields appeared in
small roles in 1930s film comedies and sometimes received screen
credits as a writer and assistant director. In 1944, he began working
with Abbott and Costello, first in the film In Society (1944) and as a
writer/performer on their radio series, where he introduced his
Professor Melonhead character. From 1951 he supported Abbott and
Costello on NBC-TV's The Colgate Comedy Hour, and in 1952, he was cast
in the team's filmed series, The Abbott and Costello Show. He also
wrote the majority of scripts for the first season.
Share this

SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.