I remember Brent Walker working on a book about Mack Sennett and the Keystone films a good 25 years ago when I would correspond with him via snail mail in those pre-internet dark ages.  Once the internet came along and I had more access to out of town friends like Brent, I would ask about the Sennett project.  He was continuing to work on it.  Knowing Brent’s research abilities and penchant for detail (he has offered real help on my own projects), I knew that once his book was out, it would be the definitive study of Sennett’s work.

Well, finally, McFarland has released MACK SENNETT’S FUN FACTORY, an oversized, heavily illustrated, mammoth study that is not only the first and last word on Sennett’s screen work, it is one of the most comprehensive and beautifully mounted film books that I have seen in nearly 50 years of movie geekdom.

Mack Sennett was one of the moving picture’s bonified pioneers, understanding the rudiments of comedy lie in satire and parody.  He also understood that movement within the frame was an essential factor in capturing the audience’s attention during cinema’s infancy.  From as early as 1912, Sennett became a master at rounding up just the right stable of writers, directors, and performers who were able to fully comprehend his vision, adding their own ideas.  As a result of these collaborations, the foundation of motion picture comedy was born.  Any contemporary example of physical comedy performance on screen can be traced to roots in Sennett’s work.

Walker tells the entire story of Sennett’s career, from the earliest Keystone productions, to his final appearances as himself in cameos during the 1950s.  Along the way, we are presented the complete evolution of movie comedy during the first decades of the 20th century and how Sennett’s production company served as the apprenticeship and eventual path to superstardom for the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Roscoe Arbuckle, Mabel Normand, Ben Turpin, and Harry Langdon;  all of whom are noted pioneers of screen humor.  Noteworthy names like Charley Chase, Edgar Kennedy, and Harold Lloyd worked in Sennett  comedies as they explored or began to define their careers.  Some, like Arbuckle, Chaplin, Chase, and Normand, directed their own films.

With his interest in parody, Sennett skewered authority by forming The Keystone Kops; a group of actors who, as inept policemen, made history with their wild knockabout antics.  In an effort to realize the necessary movement required to make the most exhilarating comedies of cinema’s early years, Sennett explored technological ways to enhance gags where cars were crushed, people leaped from buildings, and dizzying heights were conquered.  Sennett would attend actual events, such as fires or stock car races, bring along a crew and some actors, and put together an impromptu one-reeler with the actual event as the backdrop.  And in the meantime, his creativity and that of his staff and actors, were inventing the language of cinema.

Along with presenting Sennett’s entire story, Walker offers insight as to how each actor, director, and writer contributed to this fascinating evolution.  A complete, exhaustive filmography of over 1,000 titles is also offered for reference, as well as capsule biographies of virtually every actor, director, writer, or crew member to work in a Sennett film.

Mack Sennett is one of the most important figures in motion picture history.  The performers and directors who worked with him over the years are some of the greatest names in all of motion picture history.  Walker’s book is the most thorough, informative, enlightening, and fascinating study on any of the individuals contained therein, especially Sennett himself.

I can offer no  greater praise than to state that anyone with even a remote interest in early cinema should own this book.  For libraries and study centers it is essential.  For comedy film buffs, it is indispensable.  MACK SENNETT’S FUN FACTORY is what this reviewer would call a perfect book.

For more information:  http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-3610-1