Book Review: The Entertainer: Movies, Magic and My Father's Twentieth Century by Margaret Talbot (2012)

Synopsis: Born in 1902, Lyle Talbot had a long career in entertainment, starting as a hypnotist's assistant, traveling with a carnival and theater troupes and eventually becoming a lead actor in Hollywood movies and television. This book, written by his daughter, tells his story while also providing a history of American entertainment.

Review: I am familiar with Lyle Talbot because I've seen probably at least a dozen of his films. In fact, I have chosen films in part because I saw his name in the credits. So, when I came across The Entertainer: Movies, Magic and My Father's Twentieth Century at my library, I decided to check it out. I finished reading the book yesterday evening and thought it was a good pick.

Even though I recognize the name, I honestly didn't know a whole lot about Talbot outside his movie roles, and I think I am safe saying this book was a real eye-opener as far as his life goes, just because it seemed so unique from the typical Hollywood fame story. He was raised by his grandmother who ran a hotel in Nebraska, was forced to share a bed with whichever (female) staff members would share one with him and only got into the entertainment business after being reconnected with his estranged father.

His story from there was surprisingly much more about hard work and perseverance than talent, with him learning on the fly, whether it was pretending to be hypnotized or nearly getting fired from a carnival show after accidentally punching another performer. It was inspirational and the fact the story was being told by his daughter, with that perspective, only added to it.

The book also proved to be educational when it came to entertainment history as well. I, for one, didn't realize stage hypnotists had such a popular run in the early part of the 20th century. I also learned a bit more about the early-century stage troupes and how they traveled and performed before community theaters were a common thing and when actors were treated not unlike unwanted vagrants. It really made me wonder why anyone would want to do that.

If I had any complaints about the book, it would be the chapter lengths. This is obviously personal preference and isn't anything I took points off for, but I would probably have enjoyed the book more had it been broken into more and shorter chapters, just to give the book a few more natural stopping points to let the information sink in.

Final Opinion: It is an entertaining and informative book about an intriguing actor and the era he would grow up to be successful in. It's worth taking the time to read.

My Grade: A

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Here are some reviews of other books about classic Hollywood entertainers:

Book Review: The Brightest Star by Gail Tsukiyama (2023)

Book Review: Room 1219 by Greg Merritt (2013)

Book Review: Hedy's Folly by Richard Rhodes (2011)

Book Review: Lou's On First by Chris Costello (1981)