Merton of the Movies

Merton of the Movies, which Gertrude Stein called "the best book about 20th century American youth," follows midwestern bumpkin Merton Gill's unlikely journey from a Kansas stockroom to the star-studded set of a silent film. Unfortunately, the actors he's idolized from afar lose their luster up close, which fuels his desire to become a dramatic leading man -- not some slapstick fool. By a stroke of luck, Merton lands a gig as an extra. His natural oafishness catches the eye of stuntwoman Flips Montague, and before long he's a comic star -- the only problem is, it's all a spoof, and he doesn't know it. First published in 1919 in the Saturday Evening Post, and adapted three times to film and once as a Broadway musical, Harry Leon Wilson's cartoonish tale has earned its place as an essential California classic. This freewheeling romp gets to the heart of any Angeleno's worst nightmare: what if I'm not in on the joke?

Author: Harry Leon Wilson
Publisher: Los Angeles Review of Books
Published: 11/19/2019
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.75lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.00w x 0.70d
ISBN13: 9781940660608
ISBN10: 1940660602
BISAC Categories:
- Fiction | Literary
- Fiction | Fantasy | General
- Fiction | Classics