Product Description
A top vaudeville comedian for the first quarter of the 20th century, Harry Langdon rose from performing in Midwest traveling shows to headlining at the Palace Theatre in New York City. He would go on to draw comparisons to Chaplin for his work in the classic silent films Tramp, Tramp, Tramp and The Strong Man, and he is often recognized as one of the "big four silent comedians" alongside Chaplin, Lloyd and Keaton. Later in his career, Landon also appeared in a great number of talking films, starring or co-starring in almost a hundred of them between 1924 and 1945 and working with several legendary directors, from Frank Capra to Michael Curtiz.

This second edition of the only book-length biography of Langdon includes significant new information, including expanded coverage of his early years and more personal details that lend a human side to the Langdon story. The book also includes a comprehensive filmography and several photographs from all phases of Langdon's life and career. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Harry Langdon Biography
Harry Langdon was a comedian of the Silent Film era. A true
original who did not copy comedian Charlie Chaplin or anyone
else. Harry represented an adult innocent and naive character.
While other comedians moved fast, Harry moved slow. He rivaled
Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton being fourth on
the list. But success went to his head, he would not take
directions, he fired his director and writer, and his career
went downhill fast. Yet, he is remembered as an original. He was
in real life as incompetent as his onscreen "baby" character. But
he has left us a legacy of the true innocence of Silent Film
comedy. Worth studying, this is the only book that is a biography
of him. People have forgotten Harry Langdon, but he had worthy
talent and is worth discovering. I would like to see a doll made
of him. He is cute. For me, I enjoy cartooning him. He is easy to
draw. I recommend him.Bought book at Amazon.com

Long overdue, but worth the wait
When William Schelly first wrote a biography on Harry Langdon in the early 1980's, it received mixed reactions; many critized it for being to abrupt in its reflections on the comedian's status and development as a performer, and that it offered too little information about his personal life. I can't say whether or not this criticism was deservedly as I haven't read the book. What I do know is that Schelly with this second edition, published some twenty-five years later, has done both Langdon and his fans full justice. The author's writing is crisp and engaging, and covers Langdon's career thoroughly, without dwelling on irrelevant details. He is able to capture the essence of Langdon's triumphs and disappointments through an historical perspective, revealing an impressive amount of information about the movie industry at that time which, I assume, makes it quite easy to follow even to newcomers of the "Little Elf."

Langdon left home at an early age for a career in vaudeville, which led to a fair amount of fame with his "car-sketch" for twenty years or so until he signed up with comedy producer Mack Sennett in the mid-1920's and, within a couple of years, became one of the greatest movie stars of the silent era; by late 1926, critics compared him to Chaplin. Just two years later, however, the beloved clown was washed-up and was forced to shift direction from starring in successful features to appearing in cheap two-reelers. Largely thanks to the memoirs of director Frank Capra, whose bitterness of being fired by Langdon obviously never vanished, it has been the accepted view for decades now that the success went to the comedian's head, and that he couldn't really achieve success without the guidance of others. Schelly does not out-right deny all of these charges, being critical to Langdon's choices at times, but puts several of Capra's sentiments heavily to question; indeed, it's ridiculous to believe that a comedian who'd been working on his own in vaudeville for twenty years should know as little about comedy construction as Capra claims. It seems more likely to me that Langdon at one point reached a creative block, probably caused partly by the public's high expectations of him, and didn't manage to find a solution before it was too late.

Although Langdon is most well known for his silent work, he actually appeared in more sound films, as the author points out, and these are given as much attention as his greatest triumphs of the 1920's. The main focus is on Langdon's career, as it should be in my opinion, but we are given insights into his life behind the screen every once in a while as well, complimented by excerpts from interviews with his third and last wife Mabel. The most telling revealations about Langdon as a man are given in the last few chapters, when the comedian seemed to have come to rest with the fact that he wasn't a star anymore and instead concentrated on his family and whatever work that was offered him. The final weeks of Langdon's life makes for quite sad reading, as we are told how Harry Jr. went into his father's room, while the latter was in a coma, to tell him that his tenth birthday was soon coming up.

The myths about Langdon being a spoiled man without insight into himself as a performer has been the general view for long enough. With William Schelly's book accompanying the superb Langdon dvd-set released by Facets last year, we are finally granted a more balanced view of this - yes, I say it! - comic genius.

Fresh Look at a Forgotten Genius
Harry Langdon is considered by many silent film buffs as the fourth genius of silent comedy--behind Chaplin, Keaton, and Harold LLoyd. Now, Bill Schelly has brought the life and times of this forgotten king of comedy to vivid life in this wonderful new biography.With meticulous skill, Schelly follows Langdon from his early days with circuses and medicine shows, to stardom in vaudeville, and in motion pictures.Langdon became a comedy star of the first magnitude with Mack Sennett, then went on to produce his own feature productions at First National.But Langdon's meteoric rise was followed by an even more precipitous fall; after the tremendous success of his first two First Nationalefforts, TRAMP, TRAMP, TRAMP, and THE STRONG MAN, Langdon's next four feature pictures were all box office disasters--and his stardom was lost.Many film scholars attribute this to the fact that, puffed up with his success in pictures ("He's greater than Chaplin!" screamed a lot of critics) Langdon fired the one man who was the most instrumental to his success--writer and gag man Frank Capra (whatever became of him?)With great sensitivity and fairness, Schelly examines and analyzes the reasons for Langdon's great success, first in vaudeville, then through a "golden dozen" series of shorts with Mack Sennett, and his first two highly acclaimed feature productions.Schelly documents Langdon's cataclysmic fall from grace, and his later career in short subjects, supporting parts in B films (including one high profile supporting part in a prestigious A with Al Jolson that failed to resurrect his career), and as a gag writer for other comedians such as Laurel and Hardy.Langdon's often troubled personal life is also detailed with great compassion and sensitivity, and many previously unknown facts are brought to light.There is a generous supply of wonderful photographs to supplement the text.In the end, Schelly has told a poignant story of triumph and tragedy and done full justice to the life story of a wonderful and unique comedian, one of the funniest and oddest personalities in the history of the motion picture.ROBERT SUMMIT

A GREAT BOOK FOR ALL CINEMA FANS
My interest in silent films and comedians brought me to this book. I wasn't much aware of Langdon's career when I started this book, but Bill Schelly turned me into a fan by the end of his superb bio. This is really a book for any fan of cinema, as it is chock-full of information about how moviemaking worked in the silent era through the 40s. Langdon's bittersweet tale was absolutely fascinating in all of its convolutions.Schelly obviously did an incredible amount of research to write what must have been a labor of love, and yet it is not a dry bio at all, but one full of life, and obvious affection for his subject. Highly recommended! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Little Harry Gets a Long-Overdue Biography
William Schelly's 1982 biography of one of the greats of silent comedy---Harry Langdon--- is a well-researched, if somewhat thin, tribute to the "little clown." A number of critics have complained that Schelly's book does not delve deeply enough into Langdon's private life or his talkie period. This is an unfair criticism. To begin with, Schelly's book is the first attempt ever at a full-blown Langdon biography and Schelly had to conduct research into limited archival data since Langdon's clippings, studio records, and even a number of his films are no longer available---literally lost in the dustbin of history. For various reasons, Langdon memorabilia were not salvaged and preserved through the years as were those of the other four giants of silent comedy---Fatty Arbuckle, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and Harold Lloyd. Harry always suffered from a lack of industry respect. Even his immense popularity in the 1924-1927 period is derided by critics as simply the result of relative innactivity on the part of the other silent clowns. In other words, Langdon was simply filling a gap until the others released their next films. Others opine that Langdon was an acquired taste and a novelty at that, which in two or three short years grew tiresome. But both of these criticisms sell Harry Langdon short (no pun intended). From the 1910s forward Langdon was a widely acclaimed headliner in the grandest vaudeville houses (including the famed "Palace"). During these years he developed his pantomime skills to a superb level. Harry could say more with facial expressions and body language than most other commedians conveyed in a thousand word dialogue. By the time he entered silent films in the early 1920s, the other great commedians had already been established screen stars. Langdon had to be incredibly good at his trade to have broken into this elite coterie. By 1924, Arthur Ripley and Frank Capra assisted Langdon in putting the finishing touches on his sad little clown personna, but it was Harry himself who brought this elfin character to life. In his three acknowledged classics, "Long Pants," "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp," and especially "The Strong Man," Langdon demonstrated an uncanny ability to make people laugh while at the same time creating a pathos that was heart-rending. He was always betwixt and between, with a heart of gold and a childlike naivete that evoked audience sympathy even as their bellies shook with laughter. Indeed, it wasn't lucky timing or mere novelty that made Harry Langdon a silent screen legend, it was an incredible talent to emote and induce a catharsis that was very real. As opposed to Harold Lloyd, whose comedy was contingent upon situational happenstance, Langdon was funny in and of himself. The decline of Harry Langdon was certainly not due to any lack or diminution of talent. Instead, Harry's decline resulted from two factors: First, as a genius at the art of pantomime, the dawn of talkies diminished Langdon's artistry and rendered him virtually impotent against a sea of new commedians whose comedy was based on the spoken word. Langdon was not alone in suffering such an undermining of his status as talkies took over---the great Buster Keaton's popularity and critical acclaim also took a nose dive in the late 1920s. Indeed, it might be argued that the greater the silent comedic actor the more likely he or she would become a casualty of sound movies. It is also a well-known fact that the great Frank Capra fueded with Langdon in 1926 when Harry was at the top of the heap. Langdon wanted more pathos and less overt slapstick in his films while Capra believed the opposite course was the wiser one. After one particularly acrimonious verbal joust, Capra called Harry a lot of names in the press and spread the word around Hollywood that Harry Langdon was an unreasonable ego-maniac. Capra insisted that it was he, not Harry, who created the "sad sack" Langdon character. Whether or not Harry would have been able to adjust successfully to talkies became a moot point once a rising and respected star gagwriter-director like Capra painted Langdon as industry poison. Langdon did assume virtual control of his next few features, with mixed results. His first post-Capra film ("Three's A Crowd") bombed, and critics attributed its failure---as Capra had predicted--- to too much pathos and not enough laughs. This failure also occurred at a precipitous time, since talkies were replacing silents and even the most loved stars found it near impossible to bounce back from a disastrous talkie debut. Langdon's next film was technically better ("The Chaser"), but not nearly popular enough for the actor to regain his previous exalted status. Ironically, his next feature, "Heart Trouble," was a critical success and marginally more popular than his previous two, but it was too little too late. Many viewers and critics at the time believed "Heart Trouble" initiated a return to Langdon's stellar standards, but the film did not receive wide distribution. Furthermore, as bad luck would have it, soon after its release and its aborted run in the theatres, the film was lost forever. No copy exists today). No matter. By that time (1928), Langdon's popularity had already taken a critical downward turn. To Capra's credit, in later years the director expressed sorrow for having maligned Langdon's character. Capra recalled with obvious sadness and remorse how he once inadvertantly saw the over-the-hill Langdon performing a tired, old comedy routine in the early 1940s in a second-rate vaudeville house. Up until his death in 1944, Langdon dreamed of making a comeback. While a comeback was not to be, a crical appraisal of the great comic's work has occurred. All in all, Schelly does an admirable job in tracing the life and times of a once great commedian, perhaps the greatest of the pantomimists. Of course, there is so much more than can be researched and written about Langdon. Hopefully Schelly's work will spur on others to take up this task. But as it stands, Schelly's biography of the little clown is doubtless a step in the right direction. Harry was one of a kind.

Schelly Does An Admirable Job On Harry Langdon Biography
I've just completed reading William Schelly's 1982 biography of Harry langdon, and I must say that the author did a fine job with a rather obscure subject. By "obscure," I mean simply that source materialon Harry Langdon is not (and certainly was not in 1982) as abundant as thatof the three other great silent comedians (Keaton, Chaplin, and Lloyd).

I say this with a great fondness for Harry Langdon, the neglect of whomhas resulted in this dearth of original source material. Sadly, unlike thewealth of information available on Chaplin, Lloyd and Keaton, Langdon andhis work have never experienced the popular resurgence of theaforementioned silent clowns. Hence, by 1982 when Mr. Schelly wrote hisbook, certain original material (which no one in the mid to late 1920'sthought important enough to salvage) as well as most of Langdon's peers,were all long gone. Harry, himself, was already dead for 38 years. Yetdespite these elemental research obstacles, Mr. Schelly manages to providethe reader with much original, interesting and significant information onthe "little elf." For instance,Langdon's unhappy romantic lifeprior to his last marriage, his close relationship with Laurel and Hardy,and his myriad artistic talents as a musical composer, sculptor, gagwriter, etc., were covered quite adeptly and to a greater extent than inany previous written account of Harry (i.e., Walter Kerr, Kevein Brownlow,etc).

I also disagree with those critics of the book who claim thatSchelly's work is "uneven." The greatness of Harry Langdon wasachieved in the silent era when his little elf character was developed andperfected. His three masterpieces ("Tramp, Tramp, Tramp,""The Strong Man," and "Long Pants")were silentfilms-not talkies. It was the medium of silent film which allowed Langdonto do what he did better than anyone else before or since, pantomime. Nodoubt his work in talkies was far better than many critics over the yearshave claimed; yet, Harry is not remembered for the films he made after1927. Accordingly, I think Mr. Schelly was correct in emphasizing the earlywork of Harry Langdon-the work that justified his being placed on the samelevel of comic genius as Chaplin, Lloyd and Keaton.

Finally, the readermust remember that Mr. Schelly made the very first attempt at writing abiography of Langdon. The personal and professional biographicalinformation provided in his work is far more extensive than anything I hadpreviously read about Langdon. For this fact alone, Mr. Schelly should bepraised.

In conclusion, I highly recommend Mr. Schelly's book, as it waswritten in 1982, to all fans of Harry Langdon. I'm sure I speak for manyadmirers and fans of the sad, little clown by asserting that if there issomeone out there who believes he or she can add something of originalvalue to Mr. Schelly's book, go ahead and give it a try. In the meantime,do yourself the following favor: disregard the tenuous criticism andpurchase Mr. Schelly's book. It's a good one.

This book deserves a rewrite
Dear Mr. Schelly, I certainly respect your efforts.I wish they were better.Erich Von Stroheim said that authors should never talk about their own work, because they make excuses.Instead of excuses, why not update it?With the wealth of Langdon material available these days, and the availability of many more films, you could do yourself and the subject proud.Scarecrow has issued revised books; why not polish yours up?This is meant as constructive criticism.Harry Langdon does deserve something fitting.

A superficial retelling of a great comedian's career.
I was very interested in reading this book since the subject, silent & early sound film comedian Harry Langdon, has been a particular favorite of mine since I first saw his classic feature comedies, TRAMP,TRAMP,TRAMP and THE STRONG MAN (the latter directed by the later-famous Frank Capra).(I became an even BIGGER fan when I finally got to see two of the features he directed, with assist from Arthur Ripley, THREE'S A CROWD and THE CHASER.Harry Langdon had a wonderful, unique talent, but unfortunately this book does not do him justice.The author was hamstrung by not having access to Langdon's many sound films, hence the book lopsidedly leans upon the five extant feature films that Langdon produced from 1926-28.There is almost no original research (a couple of fan magazine articles are referenced), and the critiques are not very polished.I like Harry Langdon and wish that someone who also likes him will do a good, objective book, OUT from under the influence of Frank Capra's formidable shadow.-Edward Wat ... Read more

Product Description
High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Harry L. Langdon was an American comedian who appeared in vaudeville, silent films, and talkies, he was briefly partnered with Oliver Hardy. Born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, he began working in vaudeville then joined Vitagraph Movie Studios. He eventually went over to Keystone Studios where he became a major star. At the height of his film career he was considered one of the four best comics of the silent film era. His screen character was that of a wide-eyed, childlike man with an innocent's understanding of the world and the people in it. He was a first-class pantomimist ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: People From Council Bluffs, Iowa, Sam Brown, Walter Cassel, Samuel Curtis, David Yost, Harry Langdon, Amelia Bloomer, Nathan M. Pusey, Christian Beranek, Michael Gronstal, Jon Lieber, Richard Beymer, Stan Bahnsen, Frank Tenney Johnson, Don Chandler, Hubert Houser, Mike Mccarthy, Edwin Meredith. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 67. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt:Amelia Jenks Bloomer (May 27, 1818 December 30, 1894) was an American women's rights and temperance advocate. Even though she did not create the women's clothing reform style known as bloomers , her name became associated with it because of her early and strong advocacy.Early life Bloomer came from a family of modest means and received only a few years of formal schooling. When she was 22, she married attorney Dexter Bloomer who encouraged her to write for his New York newspaper, the Seneca Falls County Courier .She spent her early years in Cortland County , New York. Bloomer and her family moved to Iowa in 1852. She died at Council Bluffs, Iowa . She is commemorated together with Elizabeth Cady Stanton , Sojourner Truth and Harriet Ross Tubman in the calendar of saints of the Episcopal Church on July 20. Her home at Seneca Falls, New York , known as the Amelia Bloomer House , was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Social activism In 1848, Bloomer attended the Woman's Rights Convention at Seneca Falls. In 1849, Bloomer began publishing her views on temperance and social issues in her own bi-weekly publication, The Lily . While the newspaper initially focused on temperance, Bloomer came under the influence of temperance activist and suffragette Elizabeth Cady Stanton who contributed articles on the broader issues of women's rights. The newspaper contained a broad mix of contents ranging from recipes to moralist tracts, incl... ... Read more

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Chapters: Walter Cassel, Harry Langdon, Amelia Bloomer, Nathan M. Pusey, Christian Beranek, Michael Gronstal, Stan Bahnsen, Don Chandler. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 36. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Walter Cassel (May 15, 1910 - July 3, 2000) was a renowned American operatic baritone and actor. He began his career singing on the radio during the mid 1930s and appeared in a couple of Hollywood musical films in the late 1930s. He made his first stage appearances in a handful of Broadway productions during the late 1930s and early 1940s. He began his opera career at the Metropolitan Opera in 1942, and went on to have a long and fruitful association with that house that lasted until his retirement from the stage in 1974. In addition to working with the Met, Cassel was also a regular performer with the New York City Opera between 1948 and 1954 and worked frequently as a freelance artist with important opera companies on the international stage as well as in the United States. Born John Walter Cassel in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Cassel began his musical education studying the trumpet while at Thomas Jefferson High School. He began taking private voice lessons after joining his high school's glee club during his senior year. In 1933, while studying dentistry at Creighton University, Cassel was provided with the opportunity to sing for renowned baritone Lawrence Tibbett after attending one of Tibbet's recitals in Omaha, Nebraska. Impressed with his performance, Tibbett praised Cassel highly in an interview with the local newspaper and strongly encouraged him to pursue an opera career. Strongly influenced by this encounter, Cassel headed for New York City with just "$40 in his shoe, a pair of coveralls and a briefcase full of music". Upon reaching New York, Cassel began studying voic...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=23944336 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great resource for Catholic Home Schooling
I am currently teaching a drama class to a Catholic Home Schooling group in my area. This book was an awesome way to teach the kids about the lives of the saints and give them a chance to act them out. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a creative way to teach your kids about the saints. I wish there were more books out there like this one!!! A must have for any Catholic family library!

If you love God, don't buy it.
I was looking for a book with different short plays in it for my 3 children. This I bought without having a review, so I didn't know what sort of plays it were! I started to read the first play;The older Mary: Jesus,I don't understand how you get so manyHoles in yourclothes. Jesus :Oh, I snag them on the tools in Dad's workshop.?You don'tlearn your children this way the Bible. Their was one play about how SantaClaus came to earth. FromSt. Nicolas an archbishop in Turkey, this playwe liked, so the only reason why we want to give it 1 star , because wealways celebrated st. Nicolas on December 6, in Holland. ... Read more

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1 Video Tape. ... Read more

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Brilliant and Inspirational
In her trademark open, honest and upbeat style, Jane Fonda offers reliable and easily understood suggestions on diet, exericse, sexuality and self image that will make your mid life a vigorous, vibrant and happy plateau in life's journey. This includes the very popular "Prime Time" Workout ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Worth Reading...
This book causes a man to seriously examine what is important in life. Though the moajority of the book is strickly written for men who work long hours and often forget their stay-at-home wife, any man can benifit from the wake-up call this book delivers. We all will die some day and this book helps us sort out what really matters in light of that truth. I'll admit I found a good portion of it not applicable to me, and at times it did seem a little outdated, but it does deal with a major problem of today: materialism. When we're on our deathbeds it wont matter how much stuff we have but what will matter is our relationship with God and how we've treated other people. This book helps make that plain. It might not be the best book in the world, but it is a good one.

Interesting View On Things
In this book, Dr. Dobson talks to men and women about relationships in their marriages, their children, work, money,
housepets, and God.This book was right on when he talks about how important it is for men and women to work on their
marriages, not become workaholics so that we don't deprive our spouses and kids of ourselves.I loved some of the humor in
the book, like when someone suggested that he write a book on strong-willed wives (which I'm sure my husband would love), and
he said that he wouldn't touch that one with a shovel.It was also very clear that Dr. Dobson loved his father very much and
was a major influence in his life.I loved that stories about Dr. Dobson's dad's dog and Dr. Dobson coming to know the Lord
towards the end of his life.

Many people accuse Dr. Dobson of being sexist and racist, but I don't see that at all in his book.Dr. Dobson is a very big
champion of marriage and keeping the family together.We need more people like him, so that we don't have as many broken
people in this society.

Straight Talk to Men and Their Wives
The title says this book contain "straight talk," and it does.Dobson is right on the money in his description of our relationships in our marriage and our family of origin.This book helped to save my marriage.There are many aspects of this book that I believe are timeless.In every age we each must struggle to discover a path of selflessness rather than selfishness in order to develop the positive relationships we crave.

Is Christianity alive today?
This book might have been published in 1978, however it makes many points that apply in today's world as well.This book outlines a man's responsibilities to his family and his God.In doing so, it also descibeshow a woman(wife and mother) fits into the picture of marriage. Non-Christians will most likely find Dr. Dobson's view to be sexist andoutdated. However, if the book is read entirely and seen from a Christianpoint of view, it is nothing of the sort.I hope you will find the bookenlightening and helpful in your Christian lives.

This book is proof that dogmatic sexism is alive and well...
Dr. Dobson explicates a bigoted theme of conservative ideology and blatant sexism in the guise of trying to justify social problems.In an attempt to explore contemporary social and gender issues, Dobson lays out a very dryaccount of where, he claims, the feminine situation should be in the modernChristian world. At one point he even analogizes a woman's role in societyto a horse wita bit in its mouth.The underbelly of the book containsblatant racist tones. I find this book appaling, not only to the liberalaudience but to anyone even remotely concerned with social justice. ... Read more

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20 page full layout of 80's pin up girls in color measures 12 1/2 X 10 everybody famous farrah fawcett, cheryl tiegs, suzanne somers, linda carter, cheryl ladd,susan anton...and many others great retro investment ... Read more

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Beautifully illustrated playbill for the touring company of Camelot. Richard Burton as King Arthur on cover. Portrait of the actor on the back cover. ... Read more