Merton of the Movies
Harry Leon Wilson
LARB Classics, 2019 (originally published 1919)
It is the 100th anniversary of Merton of the Movies, a book that inspired three films (the 1947 version with Red Skelton is the best known), a play, and a musical, but which is for the most part forgotten today. read more
US / 82 minutes / bw / MGM Dir: Robert Alton Pr: Albert Lewis Scr: George Wells, Lou Breslow Story: Merton of the Movies (1919) by Harry Leon Wilson, and Merton of the Movies (1922 play) by George S. Kaufman, Marc Connelly Cine: Paul C. Vogel Cast: Red Skelton, Virginia O’Brien, Gloria Grahame read more
The 1920′s cover sans jacket. There’s a pretty good chance that you have never heard of Harry Leon Wilson. He specialized in light comedic fiction with eccentric characters overwhelmed by everyday life in the early twentieth century. I really hate to make comparisons like this but I ha read more
Hollywood is slyly skewered by Glenn Hunter and Viola Dana. Merton of the Movies (1924) Status: Missing and presumed lost Harry Leon Wilson is not well-remembered today but he was a popular writer in the early 20th century. He wrote zany, breezy comedic novels that often involved a cripplingly ecce read more
