Marie Dressler

Matthew Kennedy is a film critic for Bright Lights Film Journal. Visit his website at www.matthewkennedybooks.com.

“excellent...written with flair and impressively researched, it eloquently conveys the mixture of laughter and tears which marked the comedienne’s art and life...one of the finest McFarland books of recent years”—Past Times; “meticulous research...a must read”—The Silents Majority; “highly readable...Kennedy writes with wit and has performed remarkable research...well-illustrated”—Bay Area Reporter; “[Dressler] elevated acting to a craft, infusing her characters with such humanity that she became the biggest star of her day”—Redding Record Searchlight; “a box-office champion who topped Jean Harlow, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Greta Garbo and Mickey Mouse”—Town & Village; “quite a treasure”—Rapport; “scrupulously researched treatise...a must”—David Perry for KALW Radio; “one of the great comeback stories in early Hollywood history”—Pacific Film Archive; “Marie Dressler[s]...1930s Hollywood movies outgrossed those of Greta Garbo and Clark Gable...Kennedy interviewed Dressler contemporaries including actors Maureen O’Sullivan, Jackie Coogan, Jackie Cooper and Anita Page”—The Toronto Star; “heavy in facts”—Classic Images.

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgments      Introduction      1. The Koerbers      2. The Apprentice      3. “Nothing to It but Dressler”      4. The London Ache      5. A Wretch Named Tillie      6. Mack Sennett’s Grand Idea      7. Give Till It Hurts      8. Ghosts      9. The Undying Affection of Friends      10. The Raspberry Season      11. Anna Christie      12. Working      13. Queen Marie of Hollywood      14. “Careless Rapture”      15. Pacific      Epilogue      Appendix 1: Major Stage Appearances      Appendix 2: Filmography      Appendix 3: Discography      Notes      Bibliography      Source Institutions      Index