McFarland & Co Inc Karl Dane: A Biography and Filmography

"The life of Karl Dane was a Cinderella story gone horribly wrong. This biography tells the tale of a daring yet tragic man who aimed for his wildest dreams and succeeded, if only for a short time"--Provided by publisher. Balogh, a teacher and writer, provides a biography of Karl Dane (1886-1934), an immigrant from Copenhagen who became an overnight star after he appeared as Slim in The Big Parade in 1925. She traces his career in about 40 silent comedy films and describes how it ended with the decline of the silent film era during the Depression, due to his Scandinavian accent. She describes his childhood in Denmark, family background, his first marriage and estrangement from his wife, his second marriage, how he was completely broke when his career ended, and how he committed suicide in 1934. The book is based on archival materials, family photos, letters, and history, and information from film company collections. A filmography, and b&w photos from the films are included. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Karl Dane's life was a Cinderella story gone horribly wrong. The immigrant from Copenhagen was rapidly transformed from a machinist to a Hollywood star after his turn as the tobacco-chewing Slim in The Big Parade in 1925. After that, Dane appeared in more than 40 films with such luminaries as Lillian Gish, John Gilbert and William Haines until development of talkies virtually ruined his career. The most famous casualty of the transition from silent to sound film, Dane reportedly lost his career because of his accent. He was broke and alone at the height of the Depression and committed suicide in 1934. Autorid: Laura Petersen Balogh