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Houseman, John : Entertainers And The Entertained: Essays On Theater, Film, And Television

Simon & Schuster, New York City, NY, 1986

ISBN 0671622331

First Edition / First Printing. Fine in Fine Dust Jacket. 336 pages. Collection of essays on subject. Now considered a late-modern classic. The First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now scarce. Presents John Houseman's "Entertainers And The Entertained". The legendary American actor/producer/director's reflections on his life in the performing arts: Theater, film, and television. Written as a series of linked essays, John Houseman describes from a personal point-of-view (and as the ultimate insider) the revival of American theater after a period of seemingly irreversible decline, with the rise of film and television. Ever the pragmatist, Houseman did not object to the emergence of Hollywood or television. On the contrary, he embraced the new media and ended up becoming one of entertainment's most iconic figures. In his highly entertaining and insightful book, Houseman weaves several narratives into a seamless whole (Griffith, Hitchcock, and Chaplin as well as Brecht, Orson Welles, Marlon Brando, and John Gielgud). His breakthrough role as the intimidating Law Professor in "The Paper Chase", the film that became a global hit and made Houseman a household word in America, is recounted not as an American success story (which it was, because it brought Houseman enormous fame, riches, and awards), but as a wry and self-deprecating rumination on the unknowable in life and art. "For anyone who loves the performing arts, this is simply the liveliest and best of all books" (Publisher's blurb). An absolute "must-have" title for John Houseman collectors. This copy is very boldly and beautifully signed in black pen-marker on the front free endpaper by John Houseman. It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page, as copies available online are. This title is a classic. This is one of few such signed copies of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing still available online and despite its imperfection (publisher's neat stamp on bottom page edge) is still in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright, a beauty. Please note: Copies available online have serious flaws, are subsequent printings, or are remainder-marked. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A scarce signed copy thus. One of the greatest American performers of the 20th century. A fine copy. . ISBN 0671622331.

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