Anthony Slide

Perhaps because it doesn’t have the fancy cover, and is a sort of no-frills reference book, this one seems to fly under the radar. With 513 entries of silent film actors, giving each a brief bio, and listing a smattering of their films and the year, this is absolutely invaluable for any fan of silent films, or any fan of film, period. Each entry is accompanied by a photo, most from author Anthony Slide’s vast library. Printed on slick, photo type paper, they are very nice to have.

Big names from silent films and lesser knowns get their moment here. From stars of the silent era you’ll immediately recognize — or at least be familiar with the name — to featured players, this is a wonderful film reference book. It is short on flash but long on substance. One of the things that will surprise the casual film fan is just how many of their favorite stars of the 1930s, ’40’s and even 50’s, began their careers in silent films, which as Slide points out in his commentary at the beginning, was simply a different art form. Many great actors and actresses, and directors and producers, mastered the silent form. By the late 1920s, some of the silent films reach a sophistication that remains extraordinary. If you don’t think silent films can be art, watch Sunrise, or Street Angel, both starring Janet Gaynor. She was one of those who bridged the gap between silent and sound. Were I to begin listing them all, I’d get writer’s cramp.

But the real reason to get this one is the names you didn’t know, so they are remembered and not forgotten. There are even three dogs — no, it wasn’t just Rin Tin Tin who was a star — listed here. None of them wrote a biography, of course, but some of the stars listed here did, and when they did, Slide mentions it in the short bio so you can look it up. Miriam Cooper, who was married to great director Raoul Walsh, wrote one. So did Mary Astor, Ethel Barrymore, Bessie Love, Ben Lyon, Adolphe Menjou, Coleen Moore, Mack Sennett, Will Rogers, Gloria Swanson, Lou Tellegan, Pearl White, and Margaret Wilson.

Another thing which will strike the casual film fan as they peruse through these pages is how many actresses married directors — or how many directors married actresses, depending on your viewpoint. A lot also married fellow actors. Many of these stars were well known in their day, but now are virtually forgotten. This book corrects that. You don’t get tons of details, but you get more than enough to start you searching for more information, and that’s a good thing. Many of the 513 people listed played an important role in the early days of film. Even Martha Mansfield is here, the lovely actress described by photographer Alfred Cheney Johnston as a fragile flower, is here. Her tragic and horrifying death while being filmed was immortalized by Cornell Woolrich in one of his early short stories.

Though it doesn’t have the gloss of many books, what’s inside in incredibly valuable for anyone interested in knowing the players from the silent era. Stars were inevitable once films became a medium, but it was not always so. In the forward, Anthony Slide relates how studios originally tried to hide stars’ names from the public. Carla Laemmle changed all that with one of the most outlandish — and genius — publicity stunts you’ll ever read about. It involved star Florence Lawrence, and that’s all I’ll say.

A reference book of the highest order, despite it’s rather pedestrian trappings. Silent Portraits by Anthony Slide is worth tracking down if you want to get a look at the stars, and learn just a bit about them.… (meer)

Slim but interesting volume about silent film comedienne Alice Howell. She is compared to Chaplin in her costumes and her slapstick approach to comedy. Since so many of her films are lost, the author works on the ones that are available as well as extensive interviews with her daugher, Yvonne Howell, who later married director George Stevens. George Stevens Jr is also quoted numerous times since Alice Howell was his grandmother. Howell retired from the screen and was very successful in real estate. This was a most interesting look at a silent film comedienne that was previously unknown to me and recommended for anyone interested in film history.… (meer)