When Charles Chaplin signed a record-setting contract with the Mutual Film Corporation in February 1916, it was the culmination of events that changed the motion picture business. Mutual's founders redefined how films were bought, sold and distributed. Chaplin redefined screen comedy with a character that leapt into the hearts of moviegoers around the world. Together they established the value of star power and created twelves magnificent comedies that have endured for generations. From the nickelodeon to the internet, the MUTUAL-CHAPLIN SPECIALS have been viewed by more people than any other films in the entire history of cinema. CHAPLIN'S VINTAGE YEAR tells the full story of the MUTUAL-CHAPLIN SPECIALS, framed within the rise and fall of the Mutual Film Corporation, the worldwide phenomenon known as "Chaplinitis," the famous $670,000 contract, and the various acquisitions and releases these comedies have enjoyed for nearly one hundred years. The book includes a detailed filmography featuring period reviews and exhibitor comments, and is lavishly illustrated with over 150 photographs and advertising images.

A full biography and comprehensive filmography, lavishly illustrated, "Little Elf" is the definitive source for all things Harry Langdon, critically acclaimed "fourth genius" of silent comedy

Includes episode logs for radio and television, complete storylines for two unproduced TV episodes, and dozens of "deleted scenes" taken right from the scripts! "Michael J. Hayde significantly broadens our empathy for The Man of Steel through his profound revelations surrounding an imposing figure based on popular myth. In a meticulously researched discourse, he supplies the gaps about a character that became a mid 20th century hero to the nation's boys and girls. Hayde probes the backgrounds of the real-life individuals behind-the-scenes and before the microphones and cameras that intensified that aura. In breezy, comprehensive style, he focuses on the radio and TV manifestations while interweaving timely inferences from the newspaper strip, comics, books, film and other formats plus a prosperous merchandising trade. Lovers of the genre of juvenile adventures are rewarded by the author's efforts to expose how one man wearing a cape and bearing incredible strength could pervade an impressionable younger generation and a society that pursued his exploits intensely." - Jim Cox, author of Radio Crime Fighters "With so many books about Superman out there, it's pleasing to know that one book has everything you'd want to know under one cover. Trivia, background production and numerous behind-the-scenes stories make this a must-have for everyone's shelf. An enjoyable read." - Martin Grams, Jr., author of The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic Over 500 pages of intense research.