HAROLD LLOYD: MAGIC IN A PAIR OF HORN-RIMMED GLASSES by Annette D'Agostino Lloyd (paperback)
Voted "Best Book of 2009" by Classic Images magazine!
You know the films. You know the characters. You may even know the man behind the glasses, but do you really know the events that changed Harold Lloyd, the turning points in his life and career? From birth to death, Harold grew and evolved because of the things that were happening around him, and he was always aware of the importance of those events, the turning points that fashioned the magic: the coin toss that got him to California; meeting a fellow extra at Universal by the name of Hal Roach; creating his revolutionary Glasses Character; a death-defying bomb accident; patenting his legendary thrill comedies; building his Greenacres mansion; making a too-quick leap into sound film; taking perpetual control of his films; deciding to raise his granddaughter; leaving two film compilations for posterity; not allowing his films to be aired on early television; winning his Oscar. Friends, family, and Harold Lloyd himself, together with author Annette D'Agostino Lloyd, tell the story that gives us a clear picture of this comedy legend.
“Just when you were wondering where that next Harold Lloyd bio is, it's here! Writer Lloyd (no relation), author of The Harold Lloyd Encyclopedia and webmistress of www.haroldlloyd.us, takes another look into the career of the silent film comedian. Her book is "dedicated to fans" and has a fanzine feel. She extracts quotes from various interviews to give Harold's perspective, sprinkles "fun facts" throughout the text, explains the appeal of Lloyd's "Glasses Character" (an average guy in glasses can be funny without a costume), and offers synopses of various films. She further explores Lloyd's life and career trajectories, drawing on extensive research. A chronology is included. Readers may also be interested in Jeffrey Vance and Suzanne Lloyd's Harold Lloyd: Master Comedian and the three-volume Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection on DVD; The Harold Lloyd Encyclopedia will also be reissued in paperback this summer/early fall. VERDICT For silent comedy fanatics and all Harold Lloyd fans." –Barbara Kundanis, Longmont P.L., CO