Dan Rice: The Most Famous Man You've Never Heard of [Hardcover]

David Carlyon (Author), Ken Emerson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 24, 2001

This brilliant, richly illustrated biography of a 19th century performer introduces readers to the most famous American they've never heard of, while exploring the history of entertainment and the cult of celebrity. Circus clown and presidential candidate: A 21st century punch line, that conjunction made perfect sense to the mid-19th century, in the person of Dan Rice. A runaway at 13, Rice was a pig presenter, strongman, lecturer, comic singer, blackface clown, before joining the dazzling world of circus. Creating Dan Rice's Great Show, and labeling himself the Great American Humorist, he spoke out on issues of the day until he become one of the most famous men in America. So what happened? Why did Dan Rice disappear? Why have so few people ever heard of him? Propelled by a vague urge of "refinement"-which mostly meant quiet audiences-American amusements began to stratify in the mid-19th century. The raucous antebellum jumble of performers and audiences and forms split along a new performance hierarchy of high and low. Circus, though still vastly popular, became seen as essentially lowbrow, good only for children, simple jokes, and nostalgia. In that changed world, Rice's aggressive humor became an embarrassment, and his robust connection with a noisy, participatory audience became seen as a civic threat. David Carlyon weaves a remarkably rich portrait of turbulent times that raised one ambitious, creative man to glorious heights and then, embarrassed by its enthusiasm, buried him in sentimentality and finally oblivion.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Except in the works of political commentators, clowns and presidents hardly ever inhabit the same body. But Dan Rice perhaps the premiere clown and showman of 19th-century America was also a presidential candidate. This wonderfully appealing and constantly fascinating biography is not only a perceptive examination of Rice's life and times, but a serious and deeply researched look at the complex intersections among popular culture and politics, and the birth of a unique American character in the years before and after the Civil War. Born in 1823, Rice joined, as a dancer and jockey at the age of 13, the transitory, not very respectable world of traveling shows, and ran a "learned pig" routine in small towns (the pig could tell time and ascertain the character of audience members). He eventually made a name doing "nigero singing and dancing" blackface and by the 1850s became a major producer of popular circus events. By 1864 he was running for public office and ran for president in 1868. Carlyon, who has been a clown, actor, director and playwright and holds a Ph.D. in theater as well as a law degree from Berkeley, places Rice firmly in the spectacle of 19th-century popular culture. Covering such diverse topics as the Astor Place riots (which were caused by rival performances of Shakespeare), the birth of the clown as an American type who commented on politics, the sexualization of popular entertainment, the appropriation of African-American culture for white audiences, the regendering of popular culture after women's suffrage and many others, Carlyon has produced a masterful work of cultural and theater criticism that advances the literature as well as it entertains.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Dan Rice, a 19th-century American circus entertainer, was one of the country's first nationally known humorists. He climbed from poverty to wealth and celebrity, leaving New York and finding success in the Midwest and South. First-time author Carlyon has fashioned the first scholarly account of Rice, which is both a biography and a historical account of circus life in the 1800s. A former clown with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus who also holds a Ph.D. in theater, Carlyon brings a unique perspective to the task. He organizes the book chronologically, recounting in detail Rice's successes, failures, struggles, and adventures. At times, Carlyon's fascination with his subject overshadows his critical eye, and the generalist may be overwhelmed. Still, this is a well-researched and informative study that will delight connoisseurs of American theater and entertainment. Recommended for larger public libraries, academic libraries, and specialized Americana collections. David Potash, Baruch Coll., New York

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: PublicAffairs; 1st edition (December 24, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891620576
• ISBN-13: 978-1891620577
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,459,028 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and Fascinating, February 4, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Dan Rice: The Most Famous Man You've Never Heard of (Hardcover)

Just as the clever subtitle says, not many people know who Dan Rice is. What a shame! I was one of those new to Dan Rice but Carlyon (himself a modern day Dan Rice) does an excellent job of bring this public figure to life and makes you realize the major role he played in the entertainment, political, and social canvas of the 19th century.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, May 23, 2006

By 

Stephen Balbach (Ashton, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dan Rice: The Most Famous Man You've Never Heard Of (Paperback)

This is a quality biography (academically), well researched and reliable, but also enjoyable to read. Its listed at 500+ pages but the text portion is 416, with a picture about every 4th page, so it's really in the 350+ range of actual text. I think the fact that Rice was an in-person spontaneous crowd entertainer of magnetic charisma, before audio/visual and scripts; it's difficult to really grasp what made him so great without seeing him in person. Reading his dialog transcripts are flat, painfully so, you had to have been there in person. I wish Carlyon had taken more artistic efforts to convey what a circus was like, what Dan was like, more time is spent on controversy and conflict with his professional peers than what actually made him so appealing. There are occasional hints of what sound like fascinating episodes in his life that never get developed. It often feels like Carlyon spent months pouring over newspaper microfiche collections, following Dan's life through the newspaper controversies (which may very well be the only way) - but as Carlyon says, Rice knew that controversy sells! One of the strengths of the book is its examination of the changing zeitgeist of America in the 19th century - this is important to understand why an entertainer is a star one decade, and yesterdays news the next, even though nothing had changed - as Dan said one day to the crowd: "What did I do wrong?", Carlyon, through the story of Rice, does a good job of conveying the changing character and nature of America between the 1840s and 1880s. This is also vital work for any student of Mark Twain or fan of Huckleberry Finn.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, February 20, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Dan Rice: The Most Famous Man You've Never Heard of (Hardcover)

An excellent book about an amazing American! Dan Rice is an important part of Americana and also a fascinating individual. I highly recommend this book.