The Entertainer: Movies, Magic, and My Father's Twentieth Century (original 2012; edition 2012)

Excellent treatment of entertainment and film through an entertainer who was there. ( )

Affectionate biography by Margaret Talbot of her father, actor Lyle Talbot. Nicely written, and contains more than just the facts of Talbot's life. In addition to the story of Lyle Talbot, this is also a story of America during the 20th century.

Margaret Talbot has written not only a lively biography of her father the actor Lyle Talbot,but also a breezy and entertaining history of American theater, movies and television during the 20th century. This book should be on the must-read list of anyone interested in the evolution of American entertainment. ( )

The Entertainer by The New Yorker writer Margaret Talbot is a biography of her father, actor Lyle Talbot. Talbot is perhaps best known for his work in early 1930's films for Warner Brothers or his role as the neighbor on the 1950s sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. While Talbot never really achieved stardom, he did have quite a prolific career (take a lengthy scroll through his IMDb credits to verify this) in a variety of mediums.

In detailing her father's life and career, Margaret Talbot's book sways between a look at one man and an overview of the entertainment industry as a whole throughout the twentieth century. Her focus progresses from carnivals to traveling theater groups to early Hollywood 'talkies' to Saturday matinee serials to television. We also visit the habits of traveling salesmen, the evolution of celebrity fan clubs, and the rise of mid-century suburban life, among other topics.

While the sheer amount of material covered could make for a scattered and rambling study, The Entertainer progresses quite naturally and remains readable from start to finish. Much of this is due to Margaret Talbot's writing style, which is conversational and interesting throughout. One would imagine that a book about a little-known actor with a career filled with bit parts would appeal to a small audience. But the end product is something that rises above your standard filmography to an entertaining survey of pop-cultural history that could be enjoyed by any number of tastes. ( )

As a old movie fan, I looked forward to learning more about Lyle Talbot, whose life nearly spanned the 20th century (1902--1996). He was an actor who I'd think, "I've heard that name somewhere before, but can't place the face." Looking at Wikipedia (and what a handsome face it was!), Talbot's filmography is long and varied. The Entertainer could have used a filmography in the end papers to help the reader better place the actor in time and memory.

Talbot's daughter Margaret writes a nontraditional biography of her father, placing him in context with what was happening in history, society, culture at various times in his life. Talbot grew up in Nebraska, and his first venture into entertainment was as a hypnotist's assistant in a side show. He later ended up in Hollywood, appearing in silent films and talkies. Left Hollywood for Broadway, then returned to California and encountered difficulty finding work after WWII. But Talbot worked hard, and didn't care what parts he played as long as he worked. Then came serials (Batman) and Ed Wood films (Plan 9 from Outer Space). He found steady work on television in the 1950s and 60s as a regular on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and guest starred on many other shows. The title The Entertainer is appropriate for the long and varied career of the author's father.

I kind of dozed off at times while reading because Margaret Talbot thoroughly researched history and culture and many times overdid the background material when just a little would have sufficed. The most interesting part of the book was the last chapter in which M. Talbot describes her family's home life and her relationship with her father.(less) ( )