An entertaining A-Z guide to the many individual and the landmark films in American comedy.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
The Siegels (Encyclopedia of Hollywood, LJ 11/1/89) here offer over 300 entries on American film comedy, covering stars from the Three Stooges to Mike Myers, producers, studios, supporting players, comedic terms such as "slapstick" and "farce," and writers. Complete filmographies are listed at the end of personal entries, and major films-e.g., It Happened One Night, Harold and Maude-are given their own entries. "Comedy Oscar Winners" and "Best Comedy of the Year 1927-93" are also indexed. While there is little here that couldn't be found elsewhere (e.g., Who's Who in Comedy, LJ 9/15/92), this is a good compilation of a specific film genre. A great value for the price, this would be a fine addition to any substantial film collecion. (Photos not seen.)-Sherle Abramson, Williamsburg Regional Lib., Va.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Intended to be "as comprehensive and as thorough a volume on American film comedy as reasonably possible," this work comes close, but not quite to, the mark. More than 300 alphabetically arranged entries describe writers, actors, directors, and film terms in concise form. There are no entries on specific film titles. When appropriate, filmographies are added at the ends of entries. Black-and-white photographs, many of them stills, add to browsing interest. Also appended are a selected bibliography and lists of Oscars won for comedies (acting, writing, directing, and best-picture awards) and the author's picks for the best comedy of the year from 1927 to 1993. The index supplements the A-Z arrangement of the entries. The time period covered is wide, from the silent film era to today. Although years of birth (and death) are included in the articles on individuals, nowhere are complete birth and death dates provided: this is one feature that movie fans often expect. One of the work's strengths is the inclusion of many contemporary comedic figures not likely to be found in other film reference works, for example, Rick Moranis, Martin Short, and Mike Meyers. The articles on film terms offer overviews of comedy genres, (e.g., musical comedy, screwball comedy, and series comedy) in essays that include film titles as examples.
A comparable work is Larry Langman's Encyclopedia of American Film Comedy (Garland, 1988), which is still in print. However, the film titles cited in that work stop at 1984, while many 1992 and 1993 films are referred to in the work under review. American Film Comedy will function as a supplement to the earlier work in collections that own it and a modestly priced choice for collections that don't and need a current comedy reference source.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Seriously good, and sadly neglected,
By Peter Reeve (Thousand Oaks, CA USA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: American Film Comedy (Paperback)
This is such a good book - well written, entertaining and authoritative - that it's difficult to see why there haven't been any revised editions of it since its original publication in 1994.
It's in encyclopedic form, with around 300 entries, arranged alphabetically. Over seventy black-and-white stills supplement the text. It covers all the major stars of course, but also directors, writers, etc. There are also thematic entries like 'Pie in the face' (Mabel Normand threw the first one). The time period covered is from 1910 - when America's first comedy movie star, John Bunny (no, I never heard of him either) made his first short - up to 1993. At the end there is a list of Oscars awarded for comedies (surprisingly few - the Academy does not favor comedy) and the authors' nomination of best comedy film of each year, starting in 1927. You can pick up a used copy of this excellent book for next to nothing and, if you are any kind of movie fan - especially comedy movie fan - you really should. [PeterReeve]
2.0 out of 5 stars
Where are the pictures?,
By Paul T Horgan (UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: American Film Comedy (Paperback)
As the owner of a number of directories on film actors, I have to say that this book falls flat on its face by comparison with such works as David Shipman's 'The Great Movie Stars' and David Quinlan's 'Illustrated Directory of Film Character Actors'.
Firstly it is not as big as those, but more seriously, this is a visual art. There is no point in having an article about an actor, however good, without also having a picture of them. I appreciate that the copyright fees for pictures would have made the book more expensive, but this was an economy too far. Also this book appears to be a survey of comedy actors, a smattering of directors and a few films. It is in no way exhaustive. If anything it indicates that there is still a gap in the market for a more exhaustive publication. Perhaps such a book will never be written. The existence of the internet, and IMDB seems to validate this. So, this book is neither fish nor flesh. Get it if it's cheap or you maybe disappointed with what you get.
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