Marie Dressler: The Unlikeliest Star

Editorial Reviews. leondumoulin.nl Review. Marie Dressler was overweight and older than 60 when she made the most spectacular comeback of her roller- coaster.
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Marie Dressler is no longer a household name.

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But during the s, in cinemas across North America, this undeniably plain woman, weighing more than pounds and carrying odd years, was a bigger box-office draw than stars of the day such as Greta Garbo or Jean Harlow. Toronto journalist and editor Betty Lee has written a biography of Dressler that allows us to understand why. Born in , in Cobourg, Ontario, Dressler left home at 14 to tour small Ontario towns in vaudeville and as is the way with Canadian talent moved on to major acclaim in the U.

Her transition to film had some success, but by the end of the First World War her career seemed over. In the late s, however, she made a spectacular comeback. The book opens with a huge birthday celebration that MGM threw for Dressler on her 64th birthday, a year before her death from cancer in All the big Hollywood names were there more than a few Canadian-born and the affair was hosted by L. The party is revisited near the end of the book to reveal that, incredibly, Dressler had completed three films in the year before her death. They have made millions for MGM. Lee brings Dressler to life as an ebullient, bombastic, outrageous, but lovable woman, full of contradictions.

When she was lucky enough to find work in the newly minted Hollywood talkies, she grabbed the brass ring with fierce enthusiasm, even making three films in the year before her death, when she was so sick she had to rest between scenes on a sofa just out of camera range. The two-hundred-pound actress's remarkable stage presence captivated audiences even though her roles were not Hollywood beauties.

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She spoke honestly to her audiences, and troubled people in the comforting darkness of the Depression-era movie theaters embraced her as one of themselves. Read more Read less. Customers who bought this item also bought. Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1. Discoveries from a Lifetime of Film Fandom.

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Catalog Record: Marie Dressler : the unlikeliest star | Hathi Trust Digital Library

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Please try again later. I'm loving this book about a formidable personality and great actress! Too little is known about Ms. Dressler-a star during the reign of Garbo and Harlow. This charming book sets the record straight! A thoroughly enjoyable read!

One person found this helpful 2 people found this helpful. This book gives a lot of insight of old Hollywood and how the studio bosses owned their stable of stars. Marie Dressler was no beauty but she was talented and during the depression she had the capability to take people's minds off their problems. There was only one like her. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. A fascinating insight to a marvelous and underrated character actress. I got the book after seeing dinner at eight.

She literally stoled every scene, even out shining both Barrymore's which is a feat in itself. One person found this helpful.

Catalog Record: Marie Dressler : the unlikeliest star | Hathi Trust Digital Library

Thanks to TCM, we see a glimpse of this interesting lady's performances. She had quite a fascinating life beginning in the late 19th century, ultimately peaking just before her death, when she was the No 1 favorite film star in America! What a way to go! Anyone that loves the old movie stars should read this book. What a great star she was, just wish all her films were available to watch, and the book was larger print for these old eyes.


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I'm unable to compare "Marie Dressler: The Unlikeliest Star" to the other biography in print because frankly Matthew Kennedy's book is too expensive for my fun-money budget a problem I have with most books published by McFarland in general, and has no reflection on the author. So as far as this is the only book I've ever read about Marie Dressler, I can tell you that I found it to be completely enjoyable and informative.