Showing results by author "Jim Manago" in All Categories

Writer-Producer Robert Youngson’s seminal compilation documentaries of silent comedy in the 1960s inspired a Renaissance in the legacies of Charley Chase, Snub Pollard, and, above all, Laurel and Hardy as well as other comedians from movies of the teens and '20s. Youngson died young, but his widow, Jeanne, tells author Manago about her late husband’s obsession with movies, laughter, and food.

The Hazel theme music plays to an applauding audience as 64-year-old Shirley Booth steps up to the stage for her second Emmy Award. As the character Hazel, her superb comedic and dramatic skills resulted from arduous years of perfecting her minimalist approach to acting. More than 50 years earlier, Shirley first stepped onto the stage against the wishes of her father. How could Shirley Booth achieve so much success as an actress, winning every major acting award possible without formal dramatic training?