The Entertainer

The Entertainer: Movies, Magic and My Father's Twentieth Century (2012) by Margaret Talbot. This is a charming book about the entertainment industry as scene through the lens of Lyle Talbot, the author's father and a man who worked in the entertainment industry through the 20th century. Lyle Talbot, born in 1902, started out as a hypnotist's assistant in the teens, then managed to work his way into stage acting, and later became a B-movie actor and television actor who worked more-or-less steadily for his entire career. His zenith probably came as a movie actor in the 1930s, when he was in his 30s and lived in the movie colony in California. Later, he had a recurring role in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, a TV show, and in Leave It to Beaver. He never quite reached the pantheon of Movie Stars, but he was a presence on the entertainment landscape from his own coming of age until late in the 2nd half of the century. Margaret Talbot, his daughter, writes with warmth and nostalgia about Hollywood history, social history, and her own family history. It's a cozy book, one I looked forward to reading each night upon going to bed. Grade: B+