Merton Of The Movies by Harry Leon Wilson, Paperback | Indigo Chapters

In Gertrude Stein's favorite novel of the 1920s, country bumpkin Merton Gill travels to Hollywood to become a star. Discouraged and disappointed by the faults of his onetime idols, he lands a small part through a friend, which he totally botches. His bungle, as it turns out, is hilarious: he rises to comedy stardom, thinking all the while he's a master of drama. Merton of the Movies, which Gertrude Stein called the best book about 20th century American youth," follows midwestern bumpkin Merton Gill's unlikely journey from a Kansas stockroom to the star-studded set of a silent film. Unfortunately, the actors he's idolized from afar lose their luster up close, which fuels his desire to become a dramatic leading man - not some slapstick fool. By a stroke of luck, Merton lands a gig as an extra. His natural oafishness catches the eye of stuntwoman Flips Montague, and before long he's a comic star - the only problem is, it's all a spoof, and he doesn't know it. First published in 1919 in the Saturday Evening Post, and adapted three times to film and once as a Broadway musical, Harry Leon Wilson's cartoonish tale has earned its place as an essential California classic. This freewheeling romp gets to the heart of any Angeleno's worst nightmare: what if I'm not in on the joke?" | Merton Of The Movies by Harry Leon Wilson, Paperback | Indigo Chapters