Simon Louvish's Books

Monkey Business

The Lives and Legends of The Marx Brothers

By: Simon Louvish

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Monkey Business

The Lives and Legends of The Marx Brothers

By: Simon Louvish

Strange but true: this is the first authentic account of the Marx Brothers, their origins and of the roots of their comedy. First and foremost, this is the saga of a family whose theatrical roots stretch back to mid-19th century Germany. From Groucho Marx's first warblings with the singing Leroy Trio, this book brings to life the vanished world of America's wild and boisterous variety circuits, leading to the Marx Brothers' Broadway successes, and their alliance with New York's theatrical lions, George S. Kaufman and the 'Algonquin Round Table'. Never-before-published scripts, well-minted Marxian dialogue, and much madness and mayham feature in this tale of the Brothers' battles with Hollywood, their films, their loves and marriages, and the story of the forgotten brother Gummo.

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Page Count

492

Publisher

Macmillan

Published Date

ISBN 10

0312252927

ISBN 13

9780312252922

Mae West

It Ain't No Sin

By: Simon Louvish

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Mae West

It Ain't No Sin

By: Simon Louvish

Louvish's research cements West's reputation as the definitive siren of suggestion, without whom there would never have been any Sex and the City." ---Publishers Weekly

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Page Count

526

Publisher

Macmillan

Published Date

ISBN 10

0312348789

ISBN 13

9780312348786

Man on the Flying Trapeze

The Life and Times of W. C. Fields

By: Simon Louvish

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Man on the Flying Trapeze

The Life and Times of W. C. Fields

By: Simon Louvish

Louvish brilliantly sifts through evidence of W.C. Fields' own self-creation to illuminate the vaudeville world from which he rose to become the beloved cinematic curmudgeon and comic genius of his time. Photos.

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Page Count

584

Publisher

W. W. Norton & Company

Published Date

ISBN 10

0393318400

ISBN 13

9780393318401

Stan and Ollie

The Roots of Comedy

By: Simon Louvish

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Stan and Ollie

The Roots of Comedy

By: Simon Louvish

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy have remained, from 1927 to the present day, the screen's most famous and popular comedy double act, celebrated by legions of fans. But despite many books about their films and individual lives, there has never been a fully researched, definitive narrative biography of the duo, from birth to death. Louvish traces the early lives of Stanley Jefferson and Norvell Hardy and the surrounding minstrel and variety theatre, which influenced all of their later work. Louvish examines the rarely seen solo films of both our heroes, prior to their serendipitous pairing in 1927, in the long-lost short "Duck Soup." The inspired casting teamed them until their last days. Both often married, they found balancing their personal and professional lives a nearly impossible feat. Between 1927 and 1938, they were able to successfully bridge the gap between silent and sound films, which tripped up most of their prominent colleagues. Their Hal Roach and MGM films were brilliant, but their move in 1941, to Twentieth Century Fox proved disastrous, with the nine films made there ranking as some of the most embarrassing moments of cinematic history. In spite of this, Laurel and Hardy survived as exemplars of lasting genius, and their influence is seen to this day. The clowns were elusive behind their masks, but now Simon Louvish can finally reveal their full and complex humanity, and their passionate devotion to their art. In Stan and Ollie: The Roots of Comedy: The Double Life of Laurel and Hardy, Louvish has seamlessly woven tireless and thorough research into an authoritative biography of these two important and influential Hollywood pioneers.

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Page Count

746

Publisher

Macmillan

Published Date

ISBN 10

146682722X

ISBN 13

9781466827226

Keystone

By: Simon Louvish

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Keystone

By: Simon Louvish

This title provides a history of silver screen comedy greats.

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Page Count

352

Published Date

ISBN 10

0571226477

ISBN 13

9780571226474

Man on the Flying Trapeze

The Life and Times of W. C. Fields

By: Simon Louvish

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Man on the Flying Trapeze

The Life and Times of W. C. Fields

By: Simon Louvish

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Page Count

584

Publisher

W. W. Norton & Company

Published Date

ISBN 10

0393318400

ISBN 13

9780393318401

It's a Gift

By: Simon Louvish

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It's a Gift

By: Simon Louvish

It's a Gift is Norman McLeod's classic comedy of disasters, in which W.C. Fields plays a general-store proprietor who buys an orange-ranch by mail and transports his family to California. This study features a brief production history and detailed filmography.

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Page Count

101

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1838716440

ISBN 13

9781838716448

Mae West

It Ain't No Sin

By: Simon Louvish

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Mae West

It Ain't No Sin

By: Simon Louvish

Sex goddess, Hollywood star, transgressive playwright, author, blues singer, and vaudeville brat---Mae West remains the twentieth century's greatest comedienne. She made an everlasting mark in trailblazing Broadway plays such as Sex and The Constant Sinner and in films such as She Done Him Wrong, Klondike Annie, and I'm No Angel. Simon Louvish, biographer of W. C. Fields, the Marx Brothers, Laurel and Hardy, and Keystone's Mack Sennett, brings Mae to vibrant life in this unparalleled new biography. He charts her amazing seven decades in show business, from early years in teenage summer stock to her last reincarnation as 1960s gay icon and grande dame of Hollywood survivors. Mae West: It Ain't No Sin is the first biography to make use of Mae's recently uncovered personal papers, offering an unprecedented view into the endless creative drive and daring wit of this legendary star.

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Page Count

516

Publisher

Macmillan

Published Date

ISBN 10

031237562X

ISBN 13

9780312375621

Stan and Ollie: The Roots of Comedy

The Double Life of Laurel and Hardy

By: Simon Louvish

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Stan and Ollie: The Roots of Comedy

The Double Life of Laurel and Hardy

By: Simon Louvish

A biography of Laurel and Hardy describes their original teaming in the 1927 short, "Duck Soup, " their considerable innovations, and their ongoing influence.

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Page Count

546

Publisher

Macmillan

Published Date

ISBN 10

0312325983

ISBN 13

9780312325985

Monkey Business

The Lives and Legends of the Marx Brothers : Groucho, Chico, Harpo, Zeppo, with Added Gummo

By: Simon Louvish

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Monkey Business

The Lives and Legends of the Marx Brothers : Groucho, Chico, Harpo, Zeppo, with Added Gummo

By: Simon Louvish

This is the first full and properly researched biography of all five Marx Brothers - Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo and Zeppo. It features the first authentic account of their origins, of the roots of their comedy, and their twenty-four years on the stage prior to the shooting of their first movie, The Cocoanuts, in 1929. Never-before-published scripts, well-minted Marxian dialogue, and much madness and mayhem feature in this tale of the Brothers' battles with Hollywood, their loves and marriages, and the story of the forgotten brother Gummo, who never appeared on screen. Spicing up the anarchic brew are accounts of Salvador Dali's 'missing' script for Harpo, the true identity of the long-suffering Margaret Dumont, and the FBI's verdict on Groucho's particular brand of Marxism.

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Page Count

471

Published Date

ISBN 10

0571193501

ISBN 13

9780571193509

Cecil B. DeMille

A Life in Art

By: Simon Louvish

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Cecil B. DeMille

A Life in Art

By: Simon Louvish

Examines the life and work of the motion picture director best known for his biblical sagas, including "Samson and Delilah" and "The Ten Commandments," discussing his complex personal life and the paradoxes existing within his films.

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Page Count

536

Publisher

Macmillan

Published Date

ISBN 10

0312377339

ISBN 13

9780312377335

The Night of the Hunter

By: Simon Callow

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The Night of the Hunter

By: Simon Callow

This is an examination of 'The Night of the Hunter', Charles Laughton's only outing as a film director. It looks at the symbolism of the piece, at Willa, her throat cut sitting in the Model-T Ford, and the Preacher, a silhouetted threat on the horizon.

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Bloomsbury Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1839020385

ISBN 13

9781839020384

Spies and Holy Wars

The Middle East in 20th-Century Crime Fiction

By: Reeva S. Simon

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Spies and Holy Wars

The Middle East in 20th-Century Crime Fiction

By: Reeva S. Simon

Illuminating a powerful intersection between popular culture and global politics, Spies and Holy Wars draws on a sampling of more than eight hundred British and American thrillers that are propelled by the theme of jihad—an Islamic holy war or crusade against the West. Published over the past century, the books in this expansive study encompass spy novels and crime fiction, illustrating new connections between these genres and Western imperialism. Demonstrating the social implications of the popularity of such books, Reeva Spector Simon covers how the Middle Eastern villain evolved from being the malleable victim before World War II to the international, techno-savvy figure in today's crime novels. She explores the impact of James Bond, pulp fiction, and comic books and also analyzes the ways in which world events shaped the genre, particularly in recent years. Worldwide terrorism and economic domination prevail as the most common sources of narrative tension in these works, while military "tech novels" restored the prestige of the American hero in the wake of post-Vietnam skepticism. Moving beyond stereotypes, Simon examines the relationships between publishing trends, political trends, and popular culture at large—giving voice to the previously unexamined truths that emerge from these provocative page-turners.

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Page Count

225

Publisher

University of Texas Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0292723008

ISBN 13

9780292723009

Monkey Business

The Lives and Legends of The Marx Brothers

By: Simon Louvish

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Monkey Business

The Lives and Legends of The Marx Brothers

By: Simon Louvish

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Page Count

492

Publisher

Macmillan

Published Date

ISBN 10

0312252927

ISBN 13

9780312252922

Cecil B. DeMille

A Life in Art

By: Simon Louvish

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Cecil B. DeMille

A Life in Art

By: Simon Louvish

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Page Count

536

Publisher

Macmillan

Published Date

ISBN 10

0312377339

ISBN 13

9780312377335

It's a Gift

By: Simon Louvish

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It's a Gift

By: Simon Louvish

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Bloomsbury Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1838716459

ISBN 13

9781838716455

Coffee with Groucho

By: Simon Louvish

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Coffee with Groucho

By: Simon Louvish

Meet Groucho Marx by a miracle of time travel. Sit back and enjoy his hilarious showbiz tales and his surreal flights of fantasy. A fictional dialogue based on biographical facts.

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