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Karl Dane: A Biography and Filmography

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As with most people who've died under tragic circumstances, their death seems to somehow overshadow their life. I was guilty of knowing about Karl Dane's end, but the beginning and everything in between was a mystery to me - until now! All I knew about Karl Dane was the widely known story of "he was tossed out of pictures, he ended up selling hot dogs outside the studio gates and he got so depressed he shot himself."

Well, there's SO much more to know and Laura Petersen Balogh covers it all within her book. She gives a thorough, honest and confronting portrayal of Karl Dane - the man - the actor - NOT - the myth!

If you want to know the WHOLE story of Karl Dane's fascinating life and career don't hesitate to buy this book. I really enjoyed it!!! It's well researched and well written, which makes for a very easy read. Fantastic!

I heartily recommend "Karl Dane: A Biography and Filmography" by Laura Petersen Balogh. Ms. Balogh has done a superb job of documenting this talented but deeply troubled figure from the silent and early-talkie eras. The book, representing several years of exhaustive research, pulls no punches in telling Dane's tragic tale. This was a complex man, far removed from the jovial bumpkin he so memorably portrayed in the classic anti-war feature, "The Big Parade" (1925). He was, in fact, a man of many faults, some of which led to his eventual downfall. The author, however, employs a balanced, compassionate approach in bringing these negative qualities to light. She also provides a searing look at the harsh realities of the motion picture industry in its so-called "Golden Age." In the end, the reader is left with a deep feeling of sympathy for Karl Dane.

I've read a number of 'Hollywood biographies' in the recent months, and many of them are very well researched, but the writing has a lack of incisiveness so that the reader is forced to wade through unnecessary waters. Laura Peterson Balogh's biography of Karl Dane is extremely well researched, too, but she has the gift of being able to put the research to work for the reader as well and write with focus, clarity, incisiveness, and still hold interest.

Karl Dane is necessarily interesting as a person. His life is the definition of pathos. He had nothing, then he had it all, and then he had nothing again, and it could be said (from what's written) that he had nothing really when he had it all. He couldn't cope, he made friends sparingly, and, frankly, people didn't understand him, and in the end he committed suicide.

Understanding Hollywood in the 20s and 30s is fascinating to learn, and Balogh does a fine job with few words relating the ruthlessness, the business, the toughness, and the endless attempts at success all had to go through to 'make it' in those days. Dane was caught up in all this in his attempt to succeed in Hollywood, and though he made it for a while, he didn't have the savvy to keep forging ahead after his setbacks. Rather, they defeated him utterly. Balogh takes us through Dane's life, not with pretended psychology and guesses, but with what facts are known about each incident that seemed to have led to his ongoing stuggles. In the end we feel melancholy, sensing the end is near and knowing it won't be pretty.

Still, the sheer dogged research and the good writing make this book the kind that you can't put down. It's not a long tome, but it thoroughly gets the job done. Very highly recommended!

Through careful and thorough research, Laura Balogh brings to life the story of Karl Dane, a silent movie star who is largely forgotten today. Silent film buffs know him as the tall, goofy-looking comical character in major productions like "The Big Parade" with John Gilbert, "The Son of the Sheik" with Rudolph Valentino, and "The Scarlet Letter" with Lillian Gish while others may only remember his name as a suicide casualty of the Talkies. Balogh wrote to hundreds of people in Dane's home country of Denmark who share his real last name of Gottlieb to find family information and photographs, consulted public documents to outline his travels, marriages and business ventures, and found a wide range of sources (including the unpublished memoirs of Dane's comedy partner George K. Arthur) to bring insight into a man whose life was a bit of a mystery even when he lived.

Balogh found much information about Karl Dane's youth and early adulthood in Denmark. Where there are gaps, Balogh fills in with sources on Danish life back in Dane's day. She is able to dispel many myths about his early days as well as his last months of financial and emotional suffering. Her research actually reveals some information even more eyebrow-raising than those movie magazine myths. Also uncovered is correspondence between Dane and a friend months before his suicide when he was trying to find his riches in gold mining. These telegrams reveal the hard luck and financial straits from which Dane suffered when his movie career dissolved.

In addition, the book includes many rare photographs. Photos include some with the family he left behind when he immigrated to the United States, movie stills, behind-the-scenes images, and candids some of which have never been published before. A list of his films with synopses and availability is included. Many of his films are not available or only found in archives, including almost all of his comedies with George K. Arthur. Hopefully, this book will spark an interest in Dane and bring some of these films to DVD.

I love silent film and consequently read many silent film related books, especially biographies. There was a surge of them released during the 70s and these days one can only find silent film biographies from University presses and smaller publishers such as McFarland. No matter where or who quality seems to be hit and miss, and even when well researched, some books come off dull as a pill. NOT this one!

Laura Petersen Balogh spent a few years researching Karl Dane, an unknown to modern audiences, Dane was a film comedian from the silent era. He was particularly famous from 1923-1929, when he had some very key and funny parts in films with Lillian Gish, John Gilbert, Rudolph Valentino, Marion Davies, and pretty much every other big silent name you can think of.

Dane tragically killed himself in 1934, something that has been Hollywood Babylon fodder up to this point. Balogh goes out of her way to debunk the story, telling how talkies weren't really the entire story behind the demise of Karl Dane, and no he never operated a hot dog cart outside of MGM. He, however, was swindled by a bad business partner and pickpocketed just before he died, leaving him with only $1 to his name.

Dane is an absolutely fascinating figure, a man who sought adventure wherever he went, long before he entered 'flickers'. Balogh does a wonderful job telling his story. Not only is it fun to read (a must with a good biography) but it's well researched and there is a decent notes/citation section. To this day Karl Dane has been just a blurb dehumanized by Kenneth Anger. Finally Balogh has given him a real voice to speak with. As of this writing the biography has just been released, but I hope it finds its way to everywhere it needs to be. I know casual readers or the curious might be turned off by the McFarland price tag...but seriously the book is worth every penny.

I truly enjoyed this book. It held my interest from beging to end,

This book was well balanced and compassionate. The author's approach in bringing the negative qualities to light was fair and you can tell that she had empathy for Mr Dane., In the end, the reader is left with a deep feeling of sympathy for Karl Dane but mostly for his family. It is hard to understand how a man can just turn his back on his entire family but the author does a wonderful job explaining this complex man. Please, buy this book if you have any interest at all in the so called "Golden Age" of Hollywood.

There has, in recent times, been published quite a few biographies of silent screen stars. Some very good (Margarita Fischer), some indifferent (Wallace Reid), and some downright poor (Olive Thomas). I chose Karl Dane as my very first Kindle purchase because a) I have written about Karl Dane in a previous book of my own, and, b) because finally McFarland offers a way for people in Europe to purchase a book of theirs for less than $100, which McFarland tomes usually came to if you include shipping and added custom duties. How refreshing it is, then, that this very first purchase actually proves good enough to order in a hard copy as well, which I have quickly done. This is perhaps the best star biography in recent history, silent and sound. The author, Laura Petersen Balogh, has left no stone unturned in her attempt to not only describe Karl Dane's life on this earth but to understand why he did what he did in general and why he chose to take his own life in particular. She succeeds to the point where another author, this one, for example, must admit to having only skimmed the surface, along the way dispelling the myths that have dogged the actor ever since his death in 1934. Frankly, I don't think I've read another biography that left me with a clearer understanding, not to mention empathy, of its subject. That Miss Balogh's writing style is brisk and to the point only makes this one of the best reading experiences I have had in a long while. Highly recommended!