Reel Characters: Great Movie Character Actors
"Reel characters" refers to character actors, a dozen of whom are admiringly profiled. For film buffs, some of the subjects will be familiar (e.g., Beulah Bondi, Elisha Cook, Sam Jaffe), but others such as Anita Garvin and Feld are more obscure. Photographs are copiously spread throughout the text, and the filmography for each actor is very detailed, including unbilled bits and even some appearances as an extra. The body of the book is based on interviews Young had with his subjects, and while it reads easily enough, on the whole the book is shallow. The book isn't bad, but John Kobal's People Will Talk ( LJ 1/86) offers more interviews for the money. Movie Entertainment Book Club main selection. John Smothers, Monmouth Cty. Lib., Freehold, N.J.Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.