Ever since his big screen breakthrough as phobia ridden accountant Leo Bloom in "The Producers," Gene Wilder has been one of America's most beloved comic actors. For five decades, Wilder has entertained audiences in some of the funniest films ever made, including "Blazing Saddles," "Young Frankenstein," and "Stir Crazy." Brian Scott Mednick's fascinating new biography "Gene Wilder: Funny and Sad" (BearManor Media) reveals a very serious and private side to Wilder that audiences don't get to see. The book traces Wilder's humble beginnings in 1930s Milwaukee as a shy child who learned early on that being funny got him attention.
The author devoted time to telling the stories with prose, and I found myself chuckling over the humor and saddened by the others. For five decades, Gene Wilder has been making people laugh and appeared in some of the funniest movies ever made. But even comedians have their downtime and this book is a great read. Sadly, when the author sent the manuscript to Gene Wilder's manager, it was rejected. Wilder decided he didn't want to read about himself and the author respected his wishes. The photos are few, an insert in the middle of the book, but his birth certificate was worth a peak (easily available as a matter of public records). However, I would have preferred more photos. If it was me, I would have avoided listing Wilder's movie credits at the end of the book. He's not a silent screen actor who needs to have his life preserved. I can get the same information from imdb. But that's me, and should not be taken into consideration. It's an amusing read and I wish more biographies were written like this. A labor of love, indeed.
 |
| www.CoverOut.com |
No comments:
Post a Comment