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King of Comedy
Examines the life of the comedy genius who brought the Keystone Cops and Charlie Chaplin to the big screen
284 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1954
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 14, 2014
A lively, self-serving, pants-down tale of the Slapstick King building his kingdom. Sennett had a remarkable eye for talent (Mabel Normand, Charlie Chaplin, Fatty Arbuckle and many many others; Frank Capra worked for him as a writer) and a fanatical work ethic. If he was sometimes a bully, or snookered by forces too powerful for him to handle, well that goes with ruling a kingdom surrounded by empires. How much of the tale is actually what happened - who knows? The man made up funny stories for a living.
January 23, 2012
Moderately entertaining, but wildly inaccurate. The extent to which Sennett distorts the historical record is unbelievable, and I'm confident that his is the most chronologically muddled autobiography I've ever read. Read Simon Louvish's "Keystone" or Rob King's "The Fun Factory" instead.
March 4, 2013
A book sale find I could not pass up because it was old. 1954.
As much as I love the old show biz world, I wasn’t too interested in its beginning. I wasn’t that interested in even reading this book. I got into it and must now search out info on Mabel Normand and Chaplin, etc….
I had forgotten that Sennett created the Keystone Kops. Mack mentioned Fatty Arbuckle, and 2 other mysterious and intriguing murders…I found his relationship with Mabel Normand very strange.
Mack did describe his movie making ways….it’s wild to think film making started out this way. So very innocent.
All in all…this book was “told” in Mack’s vernacular I suppose. Sounding like a Canadian hick he claimed to be. At the end of the book…the collaborator did state there were inaccuracies…. I was still very happy I bought this gem of a book!
As much as I love the old show biz world, I wasn’t too interested in its beginning. I wasn’t that interested in even reading this book. I got into it and must now search out info on Mabel Normand and Chaplin, etc….
I had forgotten that Sennett created the Keystone Kops. Mack mentioned Fatty Arbuckle, and 2 other mysterious and intriguing murders…I found his relationship with Mabel Normand very strange.
Mack did describe his movie making ways….it’s wild to think film making started out this way. So very innocent.
All in all…this book was “told” in Mack’s vernacular I suppose. Sounding like a Canadian hick he claimed to be. At the end of the book…the collaborator did state there were inaccuracies…. I was still very happy I bought this gem of a book!
June 11, 2020
I only came here for the Mabel Normand content
January 13, 2021
Really liked it.
Its an autobiographic rambling of Mack Sennett during his time leading up to his successes in Hollywood. And when I say rambling, it can get very confusing. It often jumps in similar timeframes to retell important figures of the Sennett troupe, from the legends (Keaton, Lloyd and Chaplin, WC Fields), now forgotten (a lot of early silent comedy directors), the museum pieces (Harry Langdon, Ben Turpin, the Sennett Bathing beauties), to the infamous(Desmond Case in general) .
Though, it must be noted that much of the book is him remembering Mabel Normand. It is the most interesting portion of the book. He has a very alarming reverence to her. He practically faun every moment he could. It kind of feel awkward sometimes, because he is self aware of the situation. He comes off as pathetic. Throughout the book, he seems to be the one trying to make things work. But it was as clear as day, she was never in it. Its kind of sad when things fall apart for him and her. Her, due to controversies (this book probably the closest an inside account we could have with the Desmond case, and her other controversies) and fame getting into her head. Him, his oddly bad business intuition and the industry just changint.
I would say this is probably the closest I could be in experiencing what is like to be in someone shoes during the Silent era. Though some of his recollections can be too saccharine, I would say that he still his callouts for his contemporaries endearing. He is clearly is reminding himself of the good days. A bit edited to feel better of the yesteryears but fun nevertheless. 3.5/5
Its an autobiographic rambling of Mack Sennett during his time leading up to his successes in Hollywood. And when I say rambling, it can get very confusing. It often jumps in similar timeframes to retell important figures of the Sennett troupe, from the legends (Keaton, Lloyd and Chaplin, WC Fields), now forgotten (a lot of early silent comedy directors), the museum pieces (Harry Langdon, Ben Turpin, the Sennett Bathing beauties), to the infamous(Desmond Case in general) .
Though, it must be noted that much of the book is him remembering Mabel Normand. It is the most interesting portion of the book. He has a very alarming reverence to her. He practically faun every moment he could. It kind of feel awkward sometimes, because he is self aware of the situation. He comes off as pathetic. Throughout the book, he seems to be the one trying to make things work. But it was as clear as day, she was never in it. Its kind of sad when things fall apart for him and her. Her, due to controversies (this book probably the closest an inside account we could have with the Desmond case, and her other controversies) and fame getting into her head. Him, his oddly bad business intuition and the industry just changint.
I would say this is probably the closest I could be in experiencing what is like to be in someone shoes during the Silent era. Though some of his recollections can be too saccharine, I would say that he still his callouts for his contemporaries endearing. He is clearly is reminding himself of the good days. A bit edited to feel better of the yesteryears but fun nevertheless. 3.5/5
November 17, 2021
I read this for research purposes, but really enjoyed it. One caveat: I already knew most of the personalities and many of the events related in this book, because of my previous reading, but I always enjoy a different vantage point, and first-person narratives are always the best. The humour and light tone of this book gives a real sense of Sennett's personality, and if he dodges the tough stuff a bit, that's okay. He admits in several places that he may have misremembered or straight out embellished the truth, but it's always done to serve the story. This book is many things: a lively portrait of early film production, a behind-the-scenes look at Keystone comedies, a wry look at Mack's rollercoaster career, a detailed account of an unsolved murder, and a sweet and tragic love story. The brilliant and wildly off-kilter Mabel Normand threads in and out of this book, as she did through Sennett's life, and when he talks about her he is at his absolute best.
November 4, 2022
I think I learned of this book from the great film historian Leonard Maltin. Mack Sennett was an actor, director, and producer of short comedy films at the dawn of movies. I've seen a representative sampling of his Keystone comedies, and I have to say they have not aged well. There's a pretty high ratio of mugging for the camera to coherent story lines. But Sennett had an amazing eye for talent. He helped to discover Mabel Normand, Fatty Arbuckle, Charlie Chaplin, Marie Dressler, Charley Chase, W.C. Fields, Bing Crosby, and many many more. Yet most of these actors did their best work after leaving Keystone.
King of Comedy is an autobiography of sorts. It was evidently assembled from a series of interviews Sennett did with his ghostwriters. Sometimes the chronology seems to jump back and forth, resulting in incoherence worthy of a Keystone short. It is also clear that you often have to take what Sennett says with a grain of salt. But overall the book is very entertaining. Towards the end it becomes an ode to Mabel Normand, whom Sennett describes as the love of his life, though they never married. We get a lot of detail about Mabel's involvement in the murder case of William Desmond Taylor, much of it taken from police statements and testimony in court. It seemed out of place in a memoir from the king of slapstick.
While reading this book, I was able to watch a handful of Fatty Arbuckle and Mabel Norman shorts. Even though I had seen some of them before, it was fun to watch with new eyes after reading Sennett's account of how his films were made.
King of Comedy is an autobiography of sorts. It was evidently assembled from a series of interviews Sennett did with his ghostwriters. Sometimes the chronology seems to jump back and forth, resulting in incoherence worthy of a Keystone short. It is also clear that you often have to take what Sennett says with a grain of salt. But overall the book is very entertaining. Towards the end it becomes an ode to Mabel Normand, whom Sennett describes as the love of his life, though they never married. We get a lot of detail about Mabel's involvement in the murder case of William Desmond Taylor, much of it taken from police statements and testimony in court. It seemed out of place in a memoir from the king of slapstick.
While reading this book, I was able to watch a handful of Fatty Arbuckle and Mabel Norman shorts. Even though I had seen some of them before, it was fun to watch with new eyes after reading Sennett's account of how his films were made.
January 28, 2017
Sennett's version of events from years and years ago. His memory tends to be faulty in places, but it's still an interesting read.
March 4, 2024
The best Chaplin story I’ve ever heard is recounted here when he first came to Sennett’s studios.
I’m not that big a fan of Chaplin (Charlie)
I’m not that big a fan of Chaplin (Charlie)
June 7, 2015
I have mixed feelings about this memoir. While Mack Sennett often comes across as sincere and more or less friendly, there is an underlying feeling that one gets while reading this book. One the one hand, Mr. Sennett speaks fondly of his former colleagues and even wistfully about Mabel Normand, but on the other hand, it seems as though he was somewhat harsh with them, and, dare I say this, friendless.
Certain portions particularly gave me this feeling. He admits in one portion that, shortly before his planned wedding to Mabel, that he "made a pass" for Mae Busch. (This is likely an understatement; it's understood that Mabel quite literally walked in on them.) Mabel called the wedding off shortly after. Sennett shows vague regret for this, even referring to his actions as foolish, but there seemed to be little repentance; he continued to flirt with his bathing beauties and other actresses, promptly hurting Mabel. However, he later mentions that Mabel was rumored to be engaged to a man in Europe, and he says that he was upset by that. I wanted to ask him why he felt the right to be mad when he cheated on her before their wedding. It's hypocritical and, frankly, a bit whiny.
Another portion that seems a bit unnecessary and uninformed is the long, long section about the William Desmond Taylor murder. I didn't expect Sennett to even mention it, and while I can see why it mattered to him (Mabel was at the center of it), it seemed out of place considering he wasn't involved at all. If I wanted to read about the Desmond Taylor murder, I would have gotten a book on it, not a book on Mack Sennett. Also, he spends a comparatively shorter time talking about the Roscoe Arbuckle scandal, something that you'd think would be closer to home for him.
So, why am I even giving it 3 stars after all of these complaints? Well, despite some underlying problems and irritations, there is a level of sincerity in his words. He may have treated Mabel poorly and he may have been somewhat ignorant about certain things, but there is the feeling that he tried his best with what he had, and he does recall all people rather fondly. I don't like how some memoirs almost slander other stars. Sennett's, at least, gracefully insults them.
While some of the information in this book is questionable and the tone is somewhat wishy-washy, it's a good book for those looking for perhaps the truest story of Mack and Mabel that we yet have. It also speaks about the beginnings of Charlie Chaplin's career, which is a treat for his fans. And that's why, at the end of the day, I enjoyed it and would recommend it.
Certain portions particularly gave me this feeling. He admits in one portion that, shortly before his planned wedding to Mabel, that he "made a pass" for Mae Busch. (This is likely an understatement; it's understood that Mabel quite literally walked in on them.) Mabel called the wedding off shortly after. Sennett shows vague regret for this, even referring to his actions as foolish, but there seemed to be little repentance; he continued to flirt with his bathing beauties and other actresses, promptly hurting Mabel. However, he later mentions that Mabel was rumored to be engaged to a man in Europe, and he says that he was upset by that. I wanted to ask him why he felt the right to be mad when he cheated on her before their wedding. It's hypocritical and, frankly, a bit whiny.
Another portion that seems a bit unnecessary and uninformed is the long, long section about the William Desmond Taylor murder. I didn't expect Sennett to even mention it, and while I can see why it mattered to him (Mabel was at the center of it), it seemed out of place considering he wasn't involved at all. If I wanted to read about the Desmond Taylor murder, I would have gotten a book on it, not a book on Mack Sennett. Also, he spends a comparatively shorter time talking about the Roscoe Arbuckle scandal, something that you'd think would be closer to home for him.
So, why am I even giving it 3 stars after all of these complaints? Well, despite some underlying problems and irritations, there is a level of sincerity in his words. He may have treated Mabel poorly and he may have been somewhat ignorant about certain things, but there is the feeling that he tried his best with what he had, and he does recall all people rather fondly. I don't like how some memoirs almost slander other stars. Sennett's, at least, gracefully insults them.
While some of the information in this book is questionable and the tone is somewhat wishy-washy, it's a good book for those looking for perhaps the truest story of Mack and Mabel that we yet have. It also speaks about the beginnings of Charlie Chaplin's career, which is a treat for his fans. And that's why, at the end of the day, I enjoyed it and would recommend it.
December 22, 2013
King of Comedy, 1st published in 1954, is the autobiography of writer/actor/director-producer/movie theater owner, Mack Sennett. The 1st half is how he got started, which is very good reading. The 2nd half dwells too much on Mabel Normand and basically ends as the sound era begins. It really should have been 2 books instead. His story was no doubt circulating around for quite awhile before it was put down on paper. A semi-fictional version was filmed in 1939 as Hollywood Cavalcade, and of course some 30 years later came the Broadway play, Mack and Mabel. Except for his 1952 appearance on the TV show, This Is Your Life, the sound era should have been included as well since he was only in semi-retirement. Left out is work with Abbott and Costello, Steve Allen and Lawrence Welk to name a few. In any event, Mack was so much a part of the film industry and such a big influence that this book, if for no other reason, is an important way of keeping his memory alive. The pages dealing with W.C. Fields either deal with a lost film or are completely fictional. Maybe his comical persona got carried away.
July 4, 2011
The King of Comedy himself tells all. Where else are you going to hear about the early days of cinema and learn how to conduct a successful cinematic pie fight?
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews