The Hanlon Brothers: Their Amazing Acrobatics, Pantomimes and Stage Spectacles

By John A. McKinven

From their 1861 opening with a flying-trapeze performance directly over spectators' heads to giant octopuses, simulated shipwrecks, on-stage horse-drawn carriage collapses and the 1890 fairy play... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0916638820
• ISBN13: 9780916638825
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: David Meyer Magic Books
• Length: 113 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.3" x 0.8" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Excellent (and only) history of the Hanlon-Lees.

Much of 20th-century silent film comedy, especially the work of Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd, grew directly out of the physical comedy tradition spawned by the 19th-century theatrical troupe the Hanlon-Lees. John A. McKinven has written the first history of this troupe, and he has done a fine job. It is obviously a labor of love. The illustrations are wonderful, the story fascinating, and his understanding of stage machinery a huge asset; indeed, many of the Hanlons' spectacular special effects were a precursor to today's Broadway stage and blockbuster films. An index would have been a plus, but other than that this is a thorough piece of work and a welcome addition to one's theatrical library. --John Towsen, author: Clowns, a Panoramic History