" From his unique perspective of friendship with many of the actors and actresses about whom he writes, silent film historian Anthony Slide creates vivid portraits of the careers and often eccentric lives of 100 players from the American silent film industry. He profiles the era's shining stars such as Lillian Gish and Blanche Sweet; leading men including William Bakewell and Robert Harron; gifted leading ladies such as Laura La Plante and Alice Terry; ingenues like Mary Astor and Mary Brian; and even Hollywood's most famous extra, Bess Flowers. Although each original essay is accompanied by significant documentation and an extensive bibliography, Silent Players is not simply a reference book or encyclopedic recitation of facts culled from the pages of fan magazines and trade periodicals. It contains a series of insightful portraits of the characters who symbolize an original and pioneering era in motion history and explores their unique talents and extraordinary private lives. Slide offers a potentially revisionist view of many of the stars he profiles, repudiating the status of some and restoring to fame others who have slipped from view. He personally interviewed many of his subjects and knew several of them intimately, putting him in a distinctive position to tell their true stories.

About the Author
Anthony Slide, a scholar of film history, has published over fifty pioneering works on film and entertainment.

Reviews
Slide sets a standard for film research that other writers can study and emulate. - Daily Variety ""The grand master of silent film scholarship."" - Choice ""One writer who possesses the special insight necessary to any intelligent discussion of the silent movie is Slide."" - Films in Review



Book Information
ISBN 9780813122496
Author Anthony Slide
Format Hardback
Page Count 464
Imprint The University Press of Kentucky
Publisher The University Press of Kentucky