Lame Brains and Lunatics: The Good, the Bad, and the Forgotten of Silent Comedy

Silent Film Comedy was a fortuitous combination of art and technology, where the physical comedy skills and artistry passed down from the Commedia dell'Arte, English music hall, and American vaudeville were captured for posterity by the newly created motion picture camera. While the Chaplins, Keatons, and Laurel & Hardys are still remembered and celebrated, this book profiles unsung practitioners such as Billie Ritchie, Marcel Perez, Lige Conley, and George Rowe, with special focus on the neglected comediennes Alice Howell, Gale Henry, Fay Tincher, and Josie Sadler. Popular icons on the order of Mack Sennett, Marie Dressler, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, and W.C. Fields are re-examined, plus detailed histories of silent comedy teams and kid's comedies are offered. The book also includes selected filmographies and is lavishly illustrated with more than 225 rarely-seen photographs and advertising images.

Author: Steve Massa
Publisher: BearManor Media
Published: 04/25/2022
Pages: 492
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.44lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.99d
ISBN13: 9781629339412
ISBN10: 1629339415
BISAC Categories:
- Performing Arts | Comedy

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