Mixed Nuts is a good read, filled with information on the careers of the Marx Brothers, Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, etc. He also gives attention to the careers of the largely forgotten teams of Wheeler and Woolsey, Olsen and Johnson, and Weber and Fields. Sadly, Epstein gives little attention to the Ritz Brothers, seemingly undervaluing their importance in the history of American entertainment. Standard biographical information on the Ritzes is mentioned in the book, but little more.
Having said that, I still recommend this book, as well as "The Haunted Smile". Epstein writes with a light touch, and clearly loves and respects his subject matter. I think you will enjoy his work. INTERESTING NOTE: In the Acknowledgement sections of both books, Epstein thanks our community's Jeff Abraham for his knowledge and assistance. In Mixed Nuts, Epstein writes, "Jeff Abraham, entertainment agent, knows an incredible amount about comedy and must be the world expert on the Ritz Brothers". Awesome!
Here is Amazon's link to Mixed Nuts:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=mixed+nuts+epstein&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Amixed+nuts+epstein&ajr=0
2 comments:
I follow the facebook page, but I really like reading this blog. I'm too young to remember the Ritz brothers from their heyday (but not too young to employ that term!) I caught their movie, "The Gorilla," one evening on television and after my first comment, "Who ARE these guys?" I settled in to watch and was so sorry when the movie was over. Just wanted to say thanks for doing this blog. It softens the blow of not being able to go back and enjoy the full reality of the Ritz Brothers.
Thank you Penny! I really appreciate your kind words. This blog is one of my hobbies and is, in my view, an additional means for Ritz Brothers fans to stay in touch and support our mutual interest. Janna Ritz and others have been extremely supportive of this blog, and it's been fun to watch it's viewership grow. I like your "first time" history of viewing the Ritz Brothers: The Gorilla is a fun movie indeed. My first time was watching "Mr. Saturday Night" with Billy Crystal...his character praises the talents of Harry Ritz. That aroused my curiosity, so I had to learn more about Harry, which led to the Ritz Brothers, and here we are today. Again, thank you for your kind words...it makes me want to do make the blog better and better for people like you! Please keep reading and keep in touch. All the best, Tim :)
Post a Comment