ITHACA, N.Y. -- We could all use a little comic relief, and who better than John Cleese and company to provide it? And what better date than April Fools' Day?

Cleese returns to Cornell University in his role as an Andrew Dickson White Professor-at-Large to celebrate the life and works of W.C. Fields -- the clown prince of 20th century American comedy who Cleese says has been neglected and forgotten. Cleese's accomplice for this, his fourth visit as an A.D. White professor, is James Curtis, author of a new biography of Fields, simply titled W.C. Fields: A Biography (Knopf, 2003).

Cleese and Curtis will deliver a public lecture, titled "W.C. Fields: A Comedian for Politically Incorrect Times," Tuesday, April 1, at 7:30 p.m. in the Alice Statler Auditorium in Statler Hall. The lecture is free, but tickets are required. Tickets (limited to two per person) will be available starting Thursday, March 27, at the Willard Straight Hall ticket office beginning at 9 a.m.

Tickets also will be available prior to the lecture at Cornell Cinema's screenings of three W.C. Fields movies. The first 25 patrons at each of the following shows are eligible to receive tickets to the April 1 lecture: "The Bank Dick, " Friday, March 28, 7:15 p.m. in Uris Auditorium; and "It's a Gift" and "Never Give a Sucker an Even Break," Sunday, March 30, starting at 4:30 p.m. in Willard Straight Theatre. Cleese and Curtis will introduce a second showing of "The Bank Dick" Monday, March 31, at 5 p.m. in Willard Straight Theatre.

The April 1 program will begin with a talk and book signing by Curtis at 9 a.m. in the Libe Café of Olin Library. Free tickets for the Olin talk are available from Sarah Spoonhower at 101 Olin Library. A book-signing also will follow the April 1 co-lecture.

While on campus, March 31-April 5, Cleese also will participate in several classes; do a live National Public Radio (NPR) broadcast for "The Connection," a Boston NPR affiliate program; and present a talk for Cornell's Parents Campus Visit weekend.

Since his A.D. White appointment beginning in 1999, Cleese has used his role to introduce other noted visitors to campus, whose knowledge, expertise and enthusiasms are in concert with Cleese's own. His other guests have included Hollywood screenwriter William Goldman and wildlife preservationist Simon Hicks. During his career, using humor as a teaching tool, Cleese -- and his Monty Python cohorts -- have exposed millions of people to relatively advanced concepts in philosophy, science, history, religion, politics, human relations and physics. Cleese is best-known for his work appearing in and co-writing the television series "Monty Python's Flying Circus" and "Fawlty Towers." His films include: "A Fish Called Wanda," "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," "Life of Brian," "Time Bandits" and "Fierce Creatures."

Cleese holds an M.A. in law from Cambridge University and an honorary LL.D. from St. Andrews University, where he was rector for several years. He has co-authored two books, Families and How to Survive Them and Life and How to Survive It . For the past three decades, he has produced a series of acclaimed interactive multimedia training programs for business and, recently, a series promoting positive and informative interaction between physicians and patients.

The A.D. White Professors-at-Large program began in 1965 to bring distinguished scholars to the Cornell campus for formal and informal exchanges with faculty and students. Up to 20 professors-at-large are named at Cornell at any one time. They make periodic visits to campus over six-year terms and are considered full members of the Cornell faculty.

For more information about current A.D. White professorship appointments, visit this Web site: http://www.cornell.edu/Academic/Professors-at-Large/ .

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EDITORS: Cleese and Curtis will be available to media and students during an interview opportunity Tuesday, April 1, at 2 p.m. in the A.D. White House. Contact Gerri Jones, A.D. White administrator, by March 28 to attend: (607)-255-0832. Press tickets for the public lecture are available through the Cornell News Service. Contact Linda Grace-Kobas, news service director, at (607) 255-4206. TV crews will be accommodated at the press conference but not at the public lecture. For questions about the Olin talk by Curtis, contact Barbara Eden at (607)-255-5291.