The New Book About Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew! Click Link Converse Allstars Custom

I

CONVERSE EMAIL REGISTRATION 15% OFF PROMOTION

have been excited beyond reason since Rob Farr told me about his new book about Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew. Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but hyperbole is the clay from which I mold my most obscene sculptures. So…not “beyond reason”, but damn, yes, very excited. The topic combines two of my great loves, silent comedy cinema and the world of old school classical stage acting (which I usually call “ham” acting for the purposes of illumination, though I think much more highly of the style than that dismissive term implies). Sidney Drew and his first wife Gladys Rankin were both theatrical royalty, from two of America’s greatest acting dynasties. The second Mrs. Drew Lucile McVey co-starred with her husband in popular comedy films in the teens; they were thus movie stars before their better remembered nieces and nephews The Barrymores.

Rob founded the much missed Slapsticon back in the day, and gave a most enjoyable presentation at the 2024 Marxfest. He possesses all the virtues you would want from the author of such a book, among them a scholarly bent, a way with words, a deep knowledge of his subject, and a terrific sense of humor. That excellent concern Split Reel publishing is putting the book out. There is a Kickstarter afoot to get the thing going, and they’ve nearly reached their goal, so I hope you will help put them over the top so we can all read the thing, which will almost certainly be occasion for me to revamp my somewhat anemic post on the Drews here on Travalanche. Get all the info here.