American Film Comedy

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]