Populism and the Capra Legacy

(Hardback)

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Description

Traditionally identified with screwball comedies, Frank Capra has seldom been considered a conduit for populist concerns and issues. In this book, Gehring examines the influence of both Will Rogers and Frank Capra on modern populist movies, providing important background on Capra's links to the crackerbarrel personality of Rogers. He follows this theme forward, examining the populist roots in such films as The Electric Horseman, Field of Dreams, Dave, Grand Canyon, and others. A final chapter is a close-up of the contemporary, Capra-like director, Ron Howard. The inclusion of a bibliography and selected filmography makes this book an important contribution to film studies, popular culture, and American humor.

Reviews

Although narrow in size, the spectrum is broad in this fascinating study that links America's most home-spun comic director with influences like Will Rogers and adherents like Ron Howard, not to mention films like The Electric Horseman, Field of Dreams, Dave, and Grand Canyon. Mr. Gehring is well-versed in his genre, and he makes his points cogently, even if purists will find the mention of Opie and the master in the same breath is fairly sacrilegious. * Films in Review *

Author Bio

WES D. GEHRING is Professor of Film at Ball State University, and the author of nine previous books: Leo McCarey and the Comic Antihero in American Film (1980), Charlie Chaplin: A Bio-Bibliography (1983), W. C. Fields: A Bio-Bibliography (1984), Srewball Comedy: A Genre of Madcap Romance (1986), The Marx Brothers: A Bio-Bibliography (1987), Handbook of American Film Genres (1988), Laurel & Hardy: A Bio-Bibliography (1990) . B or Comforting Thoughts About the Bison: A Critical Biography of Robert Benchley (1992) d Groucho and W.C. Fields: Huckster Comedians (1994). His essays, poems, and humor pieces have appeared in numerous publications.