King of Comedy: The Lively Arts

by Mack Sennett

Book Overview

This is the story of Mack Sennett, one the world's most influential entertainers. Based on interviews with Mr. Sennett and persons associated with the master comedian, King of Comedy begins with... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0595091199
• ISBN13: 9780595091195
• Release Date: September 2000
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Thoroughly entertaining from start to finish

One of my all time favourite books. Although actually written by author Cameron Shipp it was based on interviews he conducted with Mack Sennett - who, of his own admission, was a "Man of few Words" (how appropriate for someone who made the world laugh through the art of pantomime !).What matters, however, is the final product and,in this case,the results are brilliant. By all accounts, Shipp wrote in a style which was a perfect reflection of Sennett's personality and manner of speaking.This is a fascinating tale about the birth of Hollywood as told by one of it's truly great pioneers who was there right from the very beginning. All the excitement, energy , glamour and sheer chaos of those early days "Out West" are captured in the pages of this book. It provides an intriguing insight into how movies were made and the people who made them. Mr Sennett's recollections of the William Desmond Taylor case as related in this book were responsible for generating the on-going interest in the subject which continues to this day.Throughout the whole thing Mack's wit and herculean sense of fun is ever present.Thoroughly entertaining from start to finish.

The King of Comedy Still Reigns

In "King of Comedy", Mack Sennett gives an honest critique of how he came to be one of the greats of early cinema comedy with the creation of the Keystone Kops and the discovery of greats such as Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and Mabel Normand. He started out his career wanting to be a singer but his hulking size and deep bass precluded any fame on the opera stage. His stories of how Calvin Coolidge and Marie Dressler were integral to his procuring early stage work are priceless. The history of the formation of the Keystone Kops and their comic stylings is an interesting one and his sidebars on the idiosyncrasies of each individual Kop is insightful. But as I read this, the subject of Mabel Normand kept surfacing...both in my mind and in his text. So, what about Mabel? Many stories have circulated about why Mack Sennett didn't marry Mabel Normand. Actually, this book is somewhat of a love story...how Mack loved filmmaking, how Mabel loved Mack Sennett, how Mr. Sennett loved Mabel but let her slip away. All of this is done, however, in an honest and straightforward way that never slips into sentimentality or insincerity. At one point in the book Mr. Sennett is talking about his courtship of Mabel Normand right after he moved to CA and while she was still working in New York. He had already given her a ring but had not proposed marriage. He wired Mabel from CA and asked her to come work for him in his new ramshackle CA studio. Mr. Sennett states that there were two questions he could have asked Mabel at that moment, and he often still wonders what would have happened if he had asked her the more important question of the two. Mack Sennett mentions many of the biggest stars at that time and even gives his account if some of the biggest scandals of the day (the William Desmond Taylor murder and the rape trial of Fatty Arbuckle). The tone never slips into gossipy backbiting; however, with Mr. Sennett plainly stating when he is expressing his own opinion or when he doesn't have all the pertinent information. It is also amusing to read Mr. Sennett's response to all the modern day accolades thrust upon him for his "artistic achievement". Basically, he just wanted to make people laugh...and laugh they did. I recommend this book to anyone interested in early cinema, comedy or a good love story.