She Could Be Chaplin!: The Comedic Brilliance of Alice Howell (Hollywood Legends Series)

Alice Howell (1886-1961) Is Slowly Gaining Recognition And Regard As Arguably The Most Important Slapstick Comedienne Of The Silent Era. This New Study, The First Book-length Appreciation, Identifies Her Place In The Comedy Hierarchy Alongside The Best-known Of Silent Comediennes, Mabel Normand. Like Normand, Howell Learned Her Craft With Mack Sennett And Charlie Chaplin. Beginning Her Screen Career In 1914, Howell Quickly Developed A Distinctive Style And Eccentric Attire And Mannerisms, Successfully Hiding Her Good Looks, And Was Soon Identified As The Female Charlie Chaplin. Howell Became A Star Of Comedy Shorts In 1915 And Continued Her Career Through 1928 And The Advent Of Sound In Film. While She Is Today Recognized As A Pioneering Female Filmmaker, During Her Career She Never Expressed Much Interest In Her Work, Seeing It Only As A Means To An End, With Her Income Carefully Invested In Real Estate. It Has Taken Many Years For Her To Gain Her Rightful Place In Film History, Not Only As A Comedienne, But Also As Matriarch Of A Prominent American Family That Includes Son-in-law And Director George Stevens And Grandson George Stevens Jr., Founder Of The American Film Institute And The Kennedy Center Honors, Who Provides A Foreword. Introduction -- The Early Years -- The Starring Years -- The Final Years -- Yvonne And The Stevens Dynasty. Anthony Slide. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Includes Filmography. Cover -- SHE COULD BE CHAPLIN! -- Title -- Copyright -- CONTENTS -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- FOREWORD -- INTRODUCTION -- CHAPTER ONE: The Early Years -- CHAPTER TWO: The Starring Years -- CHAPTER THREE: The Final Years -- CHAPTER FOUR: Yvonne and the Stevens Dynasty -- APPENDIX I: Yvonne Stevens, Interviewed October 17, 2000 -- APPENDIX II: Yvonne Stevens, Interviewed February 12, 2001 -- NOTES -- FILMOGRAPHY -- BIBLIOGRAPHY -- INDEX