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Axel Nissen is a professor of American literature in the Department of Literature, Area Studies and European Languages at the University of Oslo in Norway.

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A great book giving information on 40 character actresses. However, my definition of a character actor somewhat differs as I feel if they have won an Oscar, then they move up to the supporting actress category and leave those who were never nominated and certainly those who have never won as the real character actresses. This would have left folks like Hattie McDaniel (the best black character actress), Anne Revere, and Jane Darwell out. There were several I wish the author had covered (which is mentioned in passing but did not profile). These include Ruth Gordon, Adeline deWalt Reynolds, Nydia Westman, Louise Closser Hale, Una Merkle, Selena Royle, and Helen Broderick. There were some errors though: Page 66 in talking about 1940's Rebecca says regarding Alfred Hitchcock that it "would prove the only film for which he would receive an Academy Award for Best Picture". Technically, the Best Picture award in those days went to the Producer, David O. Selznick; page 140 says "RKO's (The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (H.C. Potter, 1939) was the "final collaboration of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers". - actually their final collaboration was 1949's The Barkleys of Broadway; and on page 163 he describes Frank Morgan as an Irish American actor. While Morgan was a member of the famed Irish Mafia (Cagney, O'Brien, McHugh) he was actually of German/Spanish ancestry. And then I can't believe the author in his discussion of Mildred Dunnock neglected to mention one of her most remembered roles, in 1947's Kiss of Death, where Richard Widmark ties her to her wheelchair and pushes her down the steps. Overall, I thought this was a fantastic book as I learned more about these actresses than I could find on wikipedia or other sources. The author did a good job of telling us about their lives and major films. It would have been nice to have a complete filmography for each actress but this was made up with some fantastic photographs. And in many cases, these "character" actresses stole the film from the main stars. I hope the author would consider a similar volume on the male character actors.… (mere)
 
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knahs | Jun 26, 2022 |
After reading 3 books in 6 days - it took me 6 weeks to get through the first 3 chapters of this book. While the author thoroughly researched Bondi's life, I am not sure that having the names (and in many cases the addresses) of her friends justified the space devoted to them. And while it was interesting to read the variety of roles Bondi had on stage vs what she had in film, most readers are more interested in Bondi's film career as she was one of the best character actresses of the 30's and 40's. The author was very intrusive in giving his opinion on Bondi's performances and favorite films - well my three favorite Bondi films are On Borrowed Time, Of Human Hearts, and Vivacious Lady. The author particularly disliked On Borrowed Time but Bondi not only was in the film but played the role several times including on radio and television, as well as the theater. However, my main complaint about this book is the quality. McFarland charges so much more for their books than other publishers so you would expect a little better quality - especially when it comes to proofreading but evidently there was no proofreader for this book. The caption for the photo on page 180 labels the director of Track of the Cat as Walter Wellman when it was William Wellman. On page 186, in describing a trip to Hawaii, the book said Bondi arrived in Honolulu on March 27, 1857 - a pretty good trick since she wasn't born til May 3, 1888. Throughout the book there were sentences that were missing just one word (I did not mark these to cite). We learned Bondi liked to travel and where she went but I would have liked to have known did she travel first class or rough it in tents, especially in Africa. We also never really learned, other than travel, what Bondi did in her spare time. She made some dolls for charity but what else? There also could have been more details on Bondi's memorial service after her death. The book said 200 people attended - other than co-star Richard Thomas and director Frank Capra, who else was there - Jimmy Stewart? It would have been nice to know. The author also could have stated that Bondi, like her mother, was cremated, and her ashes scattered. While there was an extensive notes section, there was no filmography or listing of all of her work in theater, film, radio, and television which would have provided a more succinct picture of her career than the text. All in all, it was a disappointing book on one of my favorite character actresses.… (mere)
 
Markeret
knahs | Oct 19, 2021 |
Thoroughly researched. I loved the way the author used the census records to determine the true age of his subject as well as to provide information on her parent's. Additionally, providing the addresses of the various places the subject's lived was most interesting - especially when the author indicated the house was still standing. I thought this was a great book with a lot of great character actresses covered. There was a nice bibliography and chapter notes for each actress. I wish there had been more photos as well as a filmography for each actress. However, I still would highly recommend the book to anyone with an interest in character actresses due to its' unique content.… (mere)
 
Markeret
knahs | Dec 12, 2016 |

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Værker
10
Medlemmer
60
Popularitet
#277,520
Vurdering
4.1
Anmeldelser
3
ISBN
17
Sprog
1

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