Product Description
Fatty Arbuckles career came to a sudden halt amidst allegations that he raped and caused the death of a young starlet named Virginia Rappe. Though he was acquitted, the comedian, who was at one time second in popularity only to Charlie Chaplin, was ruined. Interviews with many of Arbuckles contemporaries (including Minta Durfee, his first wife) and extensive research inform this serious study of the once-fabled comedian. His early days in the Keystone comedies and his relationship with Chaplin are recounted. The details of the Rappe trial and his life afterwards are also provided.
Customer Reviews:
Better than some..........2007-01-25
I had high hopes for this book- particularly given the $30 price tag. Don't get me wrong, I am more than willing to pay more for a good product. Unfortunately, there are several "little" problems that add up to a less than stellar experience. The first thing that struck me when I received the book was how thin it was. Now at 255 pages, it's not exactly a pamphlet but most of the other biographies that I own for silent film stars are more substantial. My real issues started within the first few pages. The text states that Arbuckle made 3 sound shorts in 1933 as part of an attempt at a comeback. Not true. Arbuckle made a total of 6 shorts in 1932-1933. The short that the text says was the first short made was in fact the LAST one made. Elsewhere, the text states that Buster Keaton gave up $250/wk on a show in exchange for $40/wk to work with Arbuckle and he considered the pay cut a small price to pay for his apprenticeship with Arbuckle. Keaton, if fact never bothered to ask initially how much he would make working with Arbuckle. There are other minor examples I could site. This may seem nitpicky of me but if these basic facts are incorrect and/or misleading, I am left to wonder what else in incorrect or misleading. There are also several typos throughout the book- not a big deal but one more minor thing that detracts from the work. I also noticed that on several occasions an incident that is sited in one chapter is sited again in the following chapter without adding anything to the retelling; it gives the impression of a school child told to write a 1000 word essay and repeats himself to reach the word requirement.
On the bright side, I have this to say about the book: It is certainly better that the Stahl book out there that, though a self proclaimed fictional work, many take to be more biographical than they should. Oderman's book is a balanced, non-sensationalized account of Arbuckle's life. Also I was pleased to see excerpts of interviews with Minta Durfee(Arbuckle's first wife). It was informative to read her take of events in her own words. Much of this material I have not seen elsewhere. In the end I enjoyed reading the book very much but I am left wondering how much of the material is accurate.
So Far So Good.......2006-08-30
I am About halfway through this book but it is well written , informative and definitely holds your attention. I decided to get this book after reading Jerry Stahl's novel" I ,Fatty" so I could get more factual info on Roscoe Arbuclkle and this book delivers!!!
Arbuckle's life included more than a terrible scandal, and this book confirms that.......2006-07-14
Even today, 85 years after the incident, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle is better known as the very first victim of a Hollywood scandal rather than the master comedian he actually was. If you ask a stranger on the street who Fatty Arbuckle was, you will either get the answer "Oh yes, that's the fat comedian who raped and killed a young girl, isn't it?" or, if you are more lucky, "Who is that?"
This is a tragedy. The fact that Arbuckle's fans abandoned him back in the early 1920's is awful enough in itself (he WAS completely innocent in the death of the young actress), but what's even worse is that he still is compared to scandals of today, involving stars like Michael Jackson, etc.
But there is hope -- Arbuckle's talent has recently been celebrated in a wonderful DVD box including more than thirty of his short films, and a three-hour long documentary is on the way.
This book, ROSCOE "FATTY" ARBUCKLE A BIOGRAPHY OF THE SILENT FILM COMEDIAN by Stuart Oderman, which was first published in 1994 and reprinted last year, is another triumph. It includes details about Arbuckle's childhood which was very sad --his mother died when he was five, his alcoholic father abandoned him when he was twelve, and, mainly because of his heavy weight, he had no friends-- and about his early stage career. The book is not only about Arbuckle -- it is about the whole era. You get the feeling that you actually is around Arbuckle all the time while you are reading. The scandal is described to last detail, but what's also described to last detail is Arbuckle's 23 year long movie career, from his first few one-reelers at Selig to his six Warner Brothers talkie shorts.
Arbuckle's relationship with women is also an important part of the story. Roscoe is known to have been very shy towards women (despite the fact that he actually was married three times), and Oderman explains, with deep understanding, Arbuckle's fear of women, why he could not (or at least very rarely) feel comfortable with their company. What's also very interesting to read about is the relationship between Mack Sennett and Mabel Normand (you've probably heard that they had an innocent, sweet romance which lasted some years before it gradually dissolved...well, that's not the cause!) and Buster Keaton's early movie career.
Oderman used years to interview several people who knew Arbuckle, among them Minta Durfee, who was Arbuckle's first wife and who played his leading lady in several of his early Keystone-films.
Instead of reading the new I, FATTY-novel by Jerry Stahl, which widely has got pretty good reviews, I recommend Stuart Oderman's biography. This is the true story of a master comedian and kind man -- and, although this is not a novel, you easily get the feeling that it is while you are reading.
It has a few weaknesses; at times, I think Oderman focuses a little too much on Arbuckle's bad sides. However, Roscoe was also a human being and none of us are saints. Oderman tells a lot about how generous Roscoe could be at times, too. The book also has some factual errors -- for example, it's stated here that Arbuckle appeared in three Warner Brothers shorts in the early 1930's; the correct number is six.
Anyway, all in all these flaws are quite minor, and ROSCOE "FATTY" ARBUCKLE: A BIOGRAPHY OF THE SILENT FILM COMEDIAN is highly recommended from me to anyone who appreciate the comedies of the charming comedian, and to you who simply want to know the true story behind him.
Beyond the Scandal.......2006-02-23
If you want to know more about Roscoe than just the infamous scandal you should read this book. Roscoe had a very sad childhood and as a result he was not the "Clown Prince" off camera at all times. A very complex man, Roscoe was generous to his friends to a fault, he and Buster Keaton were well known pratical jokers and these stories are told. This book also talks about the health, alcohol and drug problems that plagued Roscoe. We have much to thank Roscoe for, not only was he a great comedic talent, he was at one time mentor to Buster Keaton. You have to keep reminding yourself that this is written with Minta Durfee's assistance and so it tends to skip through Roscoe's live after Minta.
Mr Oderman is a great teacher.......2001-11-07
My wife and I both had Mr Oderman as an english teacher at barringer high school. we have both read this book and it introduced me to a whole new world of comics. It even made me a fatty Arbuckle fan. E.R.Smith & Saaberah Smith
Product Description
Exact transcriptions in note & tab for all 10 songs form the album: Illusion, In American My Own Prison, Ode, One, Pity For A Dime, Sister, Torn, Unforgiven, What's This Life For.
Customer Reviews:
Exactly as Described.......2006-02-17
This is book is exactly what it says it is in the description. The book has guitar tabulature for every song on Creed's first album. Each song is scored with music, tab, lyrics, and chords. It is very simple to read and understand. The only problem a novice might have is understanding the alternate tunings that Mark Tremonti uses on different songs. This book does not do a very good job of explaining that. Otherwise this is a well put together book of note for note transcriptions of every song.
Average customer rating:
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My Own Prison
Creed
Manufacturer: Hal Leonard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IXRXM2 |
Average customer rating:
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My Own Prison
Creed
Manufacturer: Wind-up Entertainment
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KZ1BFS |
Book Description
Every project in the book can really move! Origami in Action presents 39 actions origami models that are as animated as they are exquisite. Each project is complete with clear step-by-step diagrams, instructions, and a photograph of the finished model. Included are such traditional favorites as the cootie catcher and the waterbomb, as well as some modern novelties--a strumming guitar player and a toothy Tyrannosaurus Rex. Other projects include: --Flapping Butterfly-Blow-up Bunny-Barking Wolf-Talking Dragon-Wagging-Tail Doggie-Boardsailor-Swimming Manatee-Indian Paddling a Canoe
Customer Reviews:
ORIGAMI IN ACTION: PAPER TOYS THAT FLY, FLAP, GOBBLE,& EXPLO.......2003-03-23
I BOUGHT THIS BOOK FOR MY ONE NIECE, SHE HAS THE OTHER ONE BY: ROBERT J. LANG. THIS WAS WHAT SHE WANTED FOR EASTER. SO ALL I CAN SAY IS: FROM LISTENING TO HER, SHE HAS ALOT OF FUN WITH THE BOOK SHE HAS, THE PROJECTS ARE EASY, ALL YOU NEED IS PAPER. I THINK IT IS GREAT BECAUSE, A CHILD HAS TO USE THEIR MINDS, & NO BATTERIES, NOTHING TO PLUG IN, ONE OF THE FEW ITEMS OUT THERE, WHERE A CHILD CAN LET THEIR IMAGINATION GO WILD & THEY DO IT THEMSELVES.
Fascinating... but DEFINITELY not for beginners.......2002-02-25
If you're just starting out in origami, I really suggest averting from this book. No, really. Unless you start off taking origami very seriously and have your steel resolve handy, this book will only serve to discourage. There aren't a lot of easy designs in this volume, and there's plenty of designs towards the end that are obvious expert-level pieces. I'd go get a book that had a sizable section of traditional origami designs first, then I'd go pick a copy of this up. It's terribly fun once you have any idea what you're doing !
A good book, but I hope that this is not Lang's new style.......1999-11-21
The challenge (and pro) in this book is that you can make the completed model "move" by pull or push the model. And it contains some wonderful models, like the boat rower and the guitarist. However there are too many easy models here, and most of them can be found in other origami books. It's a good idea to make the model come to live, but I'm afraid some quintessential qualities of origami will be lost. A new and good try, but I hope this isn't Lang's new style. From the very beginning Mr. Lang's models are always highly expected and appreciated and adored by folders around the world, and always a challenge. So,fold us more super complex models.....
Fun, accessible origami models from a master origamiist!.......1999-11-04
Robert Lang is one of the most prolific and innovative origami model creators around. Many of Lang's books, however, are composed mainly of more difficult models appropriate for intermediate and advanced folders. But *Origami in Action* offers lots of fun model building for folks at every skill level. The diagrams and instructions are wonderfully clear and presented on big pages surrounded by lots of calming white space.
I've been teaching origami to 20 third graders (an interesting volunteer experience!). *Origami in Action* is one of my top suggestions when a parent asks me to recommend an origami book for an eight or nine year old.
But this book is also great fun for grownups -- even origami-addicted grownups and other advanced folders. The otter lying on its back is absolutely wonderful!
Thanks Mr. Lang!
Entertaining for enthusiast for all levels.......1999-05-20
For the origami purists, this book appeals in that none of the models require cutting or glueing. With a wide range of difficulty levels, there is something for everyone. And of course with a title like that, the greatest appeal is to make the model "move" once you complete it. Some models "move" better than others (as I had expected) so you'll find some more satisfying than others. Nevertheless, it's always an added thrill to have your paper model do more than lie flat on the table. Beginners will find themselves easily hooked on origami because of this. What I like about the tougher models are the innovative designs that are unique to this book, like the musicians and the boat-rower. This is a nice change from the more traditional designs commonly seen in Japanese origami books. The down side of this book lies in its folding instructions. The illustration is not comprehensive enough so it is unclear what happens to the in-between layers not shown in the disgram. Also, there's too much creasing and unfolding that makes the eager enthusiast feel impatient, wondering if all that is necessary. I also encountered a lot of steps require the paper to "wrap-around" in the opposite direction, which in reality will cause the paper to tear if the maker does exactly as he was told (i.e. to "wrap"). Paper sizes vary according to the level of difficulty and type of paper recommended also varies with the model. 80% of the models use square paper.
Book Description
DO YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO WHAT YOU DO BEST EVERY DAY?
Chances are, you don't. All too often, our natural talents go untapped. From the cradle to the cubicle, we devote more time to fixing our shortcomings than to developing our strengths.
To help people uncover their talents, Gallup introduced the first version of its online assessment, StrengthsFinder, in the 2001 management book Now, Discover Your Strengths. The book spent more than five years on the bestseller lists and ignited a global conversation, while StrengthsFinder helped millions to discover their top five talents.
In its latest national bestseller, StrengthsFinder 2.0, Gallup unveils the new and improved version of its popular assessment, language of 34 themes, and much more (see below for details). While you can read this book in one sitting, you'll use it as a reference for decades.
Loaded with hundreds of strategies for applying your strengths, this new book and accompanying website will change the way you look at yourself -- and the world around you -- forever.
AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY IN THE NEW & UPGRADED EDITION OF STRENGTHSFINDER 2.0
(using the unique access code included with each book)
* A new and upgraded edition of the StrengthsFinder assessment
* A personalized Strengths Discovery and Action-Planning Guide for applying your strengths in the next week, month, and year
* A more customized version of your top five theme report
* 50 Ideas for Action (10 strategies for building on each of your top five themes)
* The more user-friendly StrengthsFinder 2.0 companion website, with a strengths community area, library of downloadable discussion guides and activities, a strengths screensaver, and a program for creating display cards of your top five themes
Customer Reviews:
Dinamic Strengths.......2007-10-01
I found the Strengths Finder 2 to be a great, dinamic tool to helping my team find their talents. The good thing about this version, compared to Now Discover your Strengths is that it has guidelines and activities you can do to change the talents into strengths.
Find and Maximize your strengths...fast.......2007-09-24
Great product for anyone wanting to know themselves better. Especially helpful for job seekers or people in transition.
StrengthsFinder Opinion.......2007-09-23
This is great investment! The price is very low and value of the information provided is very high. The best $15 I ever spent.
Optimal Solution for Understanding Yourself.......2007-09-23
I've been a senior leader of several organizations, and consequently have been exposed to a gauntlet of industrial psychologists, personality tests, intelligence tests, leadership training, cultural orientations, yada yada.
This book/body of knowledge/tool does 2 things extremely well. By well, I mean in an optimal way measured by the degree of understanding relative to the time investment. First, for an investment of maybe an hour at minimum, and an additional few hours to explore the guidance and begin to consider the implications and choose new behaviors, etc. you get, in my opinion, the best single, and correct perspective about yourself than any combination of the other methods mentioned above, period. It is not just directionally correct, like a horoscope type paragraph that would be true for anyone who read it, but rather a set of desciptions of your strengths that just "nail it" and descibe you as you know yourself. It tells you about yourself in a way that you can understand, regardless of whether you or anyone who is around you has ever articulated it.
The second thing it does well is offer a rational and empirically validated framework that is just long overdue. It is a simple truth that has been so elusive. It addresses a major reason why leadership is so rare in business - the modern organization strangles out your ability to contribute by trying to fix what you will likely never be much good at, or hate doing even if you end up with some level of proficiency at it.
Get it, read it (25 minutes) and take the online test (35 minutes). If you are like me and the 50 people around me who've infectiosuly taken and immediately recommended this thing to their inner circle of friends and family, you will absolutley find value in it. But like anything, an idea or a tool is only as good as it is put to use. A master craftsman never blames his tools. Remember to act on it and that is something for which only you can be responsible.
Fascinating but Now What?.......2007-09-19
This was an in depth test that I think actually produced accurate results. It was interesting to see where I fell and to read the descriptions of the categories. I think the test was most likely right. So, it was fun and it was somewhat informative...now what? Overall the book didn't give me that much insight on the different categories and the suggestions in some cases contradicted each other. I think it is useful to use in conjunction with additional career books or counselors. It is important to understand your strengths and this may or may not help. Alone, however, I do not think it is enough to give much to the reader.
Amazon.com's Best of 2001
Effectively managing personnel--as well as one's own behavior--is an extraordinarily complex task that, not surprisingly, has been the subject of countless books touting what each claims is the true path to success. That said, Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton's Now, Discover Your Strengths does indeed propose a unique approach: focusing on enhancing people's strengths rather than eliminating their weaknesses. Following up on the coauthors' popular previous book, First, Break All the Rules, it fully describes 34 positive personality themes the two have formulated (such as Achiever, Developer, Learner, and Maximizer) and explains how to build a "strengths-based organization" by capitalizing on the fact that such traits are already present among those within it.
Most original and potentially most revealing, however, is a Web-based interactive component that allows readers to complete a questionnaire developed by the Gallup Organization and instantly discover their own top-five inborn talents. This device provides a personalized window into the authors' management philosophy which, coupled with subsequent advice, places their suggestions into the kind of practical context that's missing from most similar tomes. "You can't lead a strengths revolution if you don't know how to find, name and develop your own," write Buckingham and Clifton. Their book encourages such introspection while providing knowledgeable guidance for applying its lessons. --Howard Rothman
Book Description
Unfortunately, most of us have little sense of our talents and strengths, much less the ability to build our lives around them. Instead, guided by our parents, by our teachers, by our managers, and by psychology's fascination with pathology, we become experts in our weaknesses and spend our lives trying to repair these flaws, while our strengths lie dormant and neglected.
Marcus Buckingham, coauthor of the national bestseller First, Break All the Rules, and Donald O. Clifton, Chair of the Gallup International Research & Education Center, have created a revolutionary program to help readers identify their talents, build them into strengths, and enjoy consistent, near-perfect performance. At the heart of the book is the Internet-based StrengthsFinder® Profile, the product of a 25-year, multimillion-dollar effort to identify the most prevalent human strengths. The program introduces 34 dominant "themes" with thousands of possible combinations, and reveals how they can best be translated into personal and career success. In developing this program, Gallup has conducted psychological profiles with more than two million individuals to help readers learn how to focus and perfect these themes.
So how does it work? This book contains a unique identification number that allows you access to the StrengthsFinder Profile on the Internet. This Web-based interview analyzes your instinctive reactions and immediately presents you with your five most powerful signature themes. Once you know which of the 34 themes -- such as Achiever, Activator, Empathy, Futuristic, or Strategic -- you lead with, the book will show you how to leverage them for powerful results at three levels: for your own development, for your success as a manager, and for the success of your organization.
With accessible and profound insights on how to turn talents into strengths, and with the immediate on-line feedback of StrengthsFinder at its core, Now, Discover Your Strengths is one of the most groundbreaking and useful business books ever written.
Customer Reviews:
Strengthsfinder is a powerful tool.......2007-10-01
I have not yet read any of the book, but bought it for the key to taking the online Strengthsfinder assessment for a graduate class in career and workforce development. (NOTE: MAKE SURE TO BUY A NEW COPY OF THE BOOK IF YOU WANT TO GET AN "UNUSED" KEY TO TAKING THE STRENGTHSFINDER ASSESSMENT ONLINE.)
The assessment alone was well worth the price of the book. Structuring one's professional development or career pathing around one's strengths (instead of around one's weaknesses) is an energizing way to invest in one's work self. If you only take the assessment and never read the book, you will have gotten your money's worth.
Regarding the book, my professor tells me it goes a good job at applying the Strengthsfinder to the work world and management.
book.......2007-09-21
great product. exactly as stated it would be. great book. very uplifting!
If you want to know your strengths.......2007-09-21
I read this book and took a class on it, there are coaches that are trained all over the world that will help you discover and use your strengths in every day life. Loved this book. They even have a book for every age, (young students, adults, and college age)
Go straight to the last chapter and forget the rest.......2007-09-20
Very dissapointed as to what the title leads you to believe about the book. Though the authors have done a tremendous amount of research, it flaws in 2 major issues which it forgets:
a) the profile though quite specific, is similar to other profiles out there
b) 90% of the book is about why we should concentrate on our strenghts. Now lets face it, if you are a small business person like me who wants to grow his business, i already understand that i should be concentrating and exploring my strenghts and that of my organisation. I dont think i need to go thru the majority of the book to learn the concept.
If you are a small business owner like me who wants the "how to", just read chapter 7 which goes to practical issues. If on the other hand you have nothing else to do, then yes do go ahead.
Marketing Excellence-Yes! New Information-?.......2007-09-19
This book is an excellent illustration of the Gallup Organization's ability to market data as "knowledge". Today we seem to be so enamored of huge statistical databases that we assume better conclusions come from analyzing more information, in newer and more complex ways. When I finished reading this book, and taking the online "Signature Themes" profile evaluation I was struck by the enormity of my tranquilized obviousness. Everything I "learned" from this book I already knew, other than the valuable marketing lesson of how they got me to buy it!
Product Description
2 BOOK SET
Average customer rating:
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Now, Discover Your Strengths
Manufacturer: POCKET BOOKS (SIMO)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GM4X0A |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Modern Casting, published by American Foundrymen's Society, Inc. on April 1, 2004. The length of the article is 772 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Now, discover your strengths.(Novel Solutions)(Book Review)
Author: William J. Libby
Publication:
Modern Casting (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 1, 2004
Publisher: American Foundrymen's Society, Inc.
Volume: 94
Issue: 4
Page: 46(1)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Product Description
After always addressing weaknesses and focusing on negatives, it is energizing to read about identifying and nurturing strengths.
As a manager with over 20 years of experience, I've learned that constantly focusing on weaknesses or areas where improvement is required can be demoralizing and destructive.
I first read this book not long after reading now discover your strengths. I've added the now discover your strengths action plan to my library as one of the better tools for effective management.
In my own case, I found that knowing my own strengths was conceptually rewarding, but I was left without a plan to implement. I got the idea, but what is the next step?
This book effectively: 1. Details how to validate your strengths, 2. Identifies the specific techniques and skills associated with each talent, and 3. Demonstrates when to use what strength through the use of triggers. Finally the mystery is removed and the idea behind the strengthsfinder is realized.
Average customer rating:
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Now, Discover Your Strengths
Manufacturer: Recorded Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: 0788794531 |
Books:
- Scene by Scene
- Server-Side Flash: Scripts, Databases and Dynamic Development
- Silent Film Sound (Film and Culture Series)
- Some of Me
- Somewhere in the Night
- Speaking the Language of Desire: The Films of Carl Dreyer (Cambridge Studies in Film)
- Star Wars: The Magic of Myth (Star Wars)
- Steven Spielberg: Crazy for Movies
- Tales from the Left Coast: True Stories of Hollywood Stars and Their Outrageous Politics
- Teaching Analysis of Film Language (Bfi Teaching Film and Media Studies) (Bfi Teaching Film and Media Studies)
Books Index
Books Home
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Actors & Actresses
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Frame-Up!: The Untold Story of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle
The Forgotten Films of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle
I, Fatty: A Novel
A History of the Hal Roach Studios
The Best Arbuckle/Keaton Collection
