Douglas Fairbanks"The heedless ambition of youth. The triumphs of maturity, redefining our ideas of fame, fortune and international celebrity. The sad aimlessness of the aging male, stripped of his powers over his formerly adoring audience. It is the archetypal Hollywood story, maybe the archetypal American story. And Jeffrey Vance tells it with verve and compassion and admirable compression in his handsomely illustrated biography of Douglas Fairbanks. It is a book that restores his subject to his rightful place as the American movies' founding Big Brother--shrewd, playful, flawed and endlessly fascinating."--Richard Schickel "Over the years I have had an interest in Douglas Fairbanks' life and films before reading Jeffrey Vance's book. I was delighted to find that the research was admirable, the detail abundant, and the style devoid of pretense and heavy-handed scholarship. The book reads gracefully with a wonderful sense of 'and then what happened?' And a great deal does happen to the inimitable Doug along the way. His cinema world of high adventure, storybook romance, cloak and sword derring-do, and dazzling acrobatics against spectacular settings are all here in the text and in the abundance of extraordinary photos--many quite rare. A first-rate book."--Rudy Behlmer, film historian and author "Douglas Fairbanks was one of the most important characters in film history, and this enthusiastic and well-researched book will tell you why."--Kevin Brownlow, filmmaker and film historian |
Contents
Prologue | 1 |
A Bad Case of St Vitus Dance | 10 |
The Machine for Escape | 26 |
Hero and Popular Philosopher | 60 |
United Artists | 71 |
The Mark of Zorro 1920 | 312 |
Douglas Fairbanks as The Gaucho 1927 | 319 |
Douglas Fairbankss Broadway Appearances 19021915 | 337 |
Acknowledgments | 355 |
Common terms and phrases
Academy of Motion actor adventure Alistair Cooke Allan Dwan Angeles art director Artcraft Arts and Sciences audiences Black Pirate Broadway camera Cast Charles Stevens cinema Cinematography color comedy costume films D. W. Griffith d'Artagnan December Don Q Douglas Fairbanks Collection Douglas Fairbanks Jr Douglas Fairbanks Pictures Edward Fairbanks and Pickford Fairbanks films Fairbanks in Robin Fairbanks Pictures Corporation Fairbanks's father February film's five reels Gaucho George Glen MacWilliams Henabery Hollywood interview Iron Mask John Fairbanks Kevin Brownlow Lotta Woods Majesty the American Margaret Herrick Library Mark of Zorro Mary Pickford Mollycoddle Motion Picture Arts Movies musical November Photograph Photoplay Pickfair play Premiere pressbook Produced by Douglas production release Richard Schickel Robert Fairbanks Robin Hood role scenario scene score Screenplay sequence Shrew silent film Son of Zorro star story studio stunt Technicolor Thief of Bagdad Three Musketeers tion Triangle Film Ulman United Artists Victor Fleming William York City