Hollywood's Classic Comedies featuring Slapstick, Romance, Music, Glamour or Screwball Fun by John Howard Reid

Hollywood's Classic Comedies featuring Slapstick, Romance, Music, Glamour or Screwball Fun
John Howard Reid
Lulu.com (June 26, 2007)
978-1430314875
240 pages

Today’s movie comedies appear to depend heavily on silly bathroom gags, parodies, and the ill conceived notion that a two minute TV sketch can be stretched into a full length film. Author John Howard examines a time when the biggest names in show business donned their comedic hats in Hollywood’s Classic Comedies.

This is the twenty-fourth title in Reid’s “Hollywood Classics” series. As with others in the series the research and time spent planning and choosing each selection is evident on every page. Hollywood’s Classic Comedies is a thorough look at 200 of the genre’s best from 1916’s Carmen to a few selections from the early 1980’s. Writing movie reviews is no passing fad for Mr. Reid as he began to jot down his thoughts about cinema as a pre-teen and later worked as a reviewer for rival newspapers in Sydney as an adult. An impressive resource for this book is his personal catalogue of over 20,000 reviews and his collection of several thousand movies.

There may not be a comedic equivalent of household names like Citizen Kane or Gone With The Wind, however you will recognise titles such as Abbott & Costello Meet the Mummy, Pride and Prejudice, Designing Woman, Week-end in Havana, and Connecticut Yankee in King Aurthur’s Court to name a few. While 21st century comedies see stand-up comedians attempting to cross over to film before their stars fade, these films featured A-list superstars whose names still hold up today from Bob Hope to Bing Crosby, Milton Berle, Gracie Allen, and many more.

Each selection details the complete cast and the parts played by name. The director, screenplay writer, editor, music composers, and producers are listed, as well as copyright date, studio, worldwide release dates and run times. Mr. Reid’s own personal review and often other reviewers’ opinions make each page a comprehensive guide.

Three Stooges fans are not left out with ten titles making the book. Seven from Abbott & Costello, three with Laurel & Hardy, and more than a dozen with Harold Lloyd are included. Movie posters and actor stills are on hand to make this a movie buff’s dream. A head shot of Lauren Becall from Designing Woman and a smouldering Lana Turner on the back cover is worth the price of admission.

For those weary of current cinema comedic fare, this book is highly recommended, as well as those who enjoyed these titles in their first run and desire a second look. For movie buffs, comedic movie collectors and aficionados, Classic Hollywood Comedies is another John Howard Reid must own.

By William Potter for Reader’s Choice Book Reviews.

A Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney, John Howard Reid founded his own book wholesale distribution service shortly after graduation. He then moved into publishing and finally into book retailing. As a Publisher, he served as his own Chief Editor and also contributed articles and stories to magazines and newspapers. In his spare time, he acted as a film critic, reviewing both new movies and TV offerings for two rival weekly newspapers. After selling his book shops, Reid concentrated on his own writing career, although he now also spends a lot of time working as Chief Judge for three of America's largest literary competitions: The Tom Howard Poetry Contest for All Styles and Genres; The Margaret Reid Prize for Traditional Verse; and The Tom Howard Short Story, Essay and Prose Contest. Reid is the author of the bestselling "Write Ways To Win Writing Contests."