Book Review: Silent Divas: The Women of Silent Comedy
Silent film historian Steve Massa released a quintessential book a few years ago called “Lame Brains and Lunatics,” which celebrated comedians of the teens and twenties who get little coverage elsewhere, but whose work deserves more attention. With this latest volume, Massa has created the definitive study of women in silent comedy, giving much-deserved attention to some of the finest screen comedians of the same era.
The study is presented chronologically, beginning in the late 19th century when narrative film was still just a concept and the idea of created pictures that moved remained something of a novelty. Pioneers like May Irwin and (especially) Cissy Fitzgerald help set the foundation that would soon be followed by Gigetta Morano, Florence Turner, and Flora Finch, before Mack Sennett formed the Keystone studios and gave us Mabel Normand. Massa offers historical details and critical assessments of the earlier screen comediennes whose work gave screen comedy its syntax.
By the time the book arrives on Ms. Normand, a lot of material is necessary to flesh out the importance of a woman who engaged in the sort of roughhouse slapstick that had been limited to male actors, who helped support Charlie Chaplin’s early work, and who explored areas beyond performance and into directing and production. Challenges in her personal life are indicated, especially as they affected her work, which continues to resonate in the 21st century.
Mabel’s success allowed for other women to extend beyond romantic plots and also engage in the same sort of slapstick, including Josie Sadler and Rose Melville, all of whom are introduced to the reader. Massa then gives more attention on the long, varied career of Louise Fazenda and the immense talent of Alice Howell. Ethel Teare and Polly Moran are also discussed before the author examines some of the leading ladies of the teens, whose work explored comedy at the starring level.
Leading ladies of the teens like Billie Rhodes, Madge Kennedy, and Betty Compson showed another dynamic of women in screen comedy, leading us to such twenties comedy stars as Marion Davies, Dorothy Gish, Marie Prevost, and Colleen Moore.
The book is rounded out by some of its most fascinating chapters – dealing with women behind the camera, offering their creative vision to another aspect of filmmaking, those who specialized in romantic comedy and, finally, the many supporting players who enhanced every scene in which they appeared. Massa concludes with a mammoth selection of capsule biographies listing every conceivable woman to appear in a comedy film.
Reviewing a book with this level of importance to cinematic scholarship is an honor for this writer who has long appreciated screen comedy’s history. Steve Massa has compiled a painstakingly complete, thoroughly informative, enormous and magnificent study that not only greatly benefits those first learning about this area of movie history, but will expand the knowledge and appreciation of those who believe themselves to be experts.
“Slapstick Divas” is an absolute must for all libraries and research centers, and is heavily recommended for both fans and scholars of motion picture history, especially if one’s chief interest is comedy. It is not hyperbole to claim that this is one of the three or four greatest books written about silent movies.
The book is published by Bear Manor and is available here.