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Wesleyan Film
Tashlinesque: The Hollywood Comedies of Frank Tashlin
Frank Tashlin (1913-1972) was a supremely gifted satirist and visual stylist who made an indelible mark on 1950s Hollywood and American popular culture--first as a talented animator working on Looney Tunes cartoons, then as muse to film stars Jerry Lewis, Bob Hope, and Jayne Mansfield. Yet his name is not especially well known today. Long regarded as an anomaly or curiosity, Tashlin is finally given his due in this career-spanning survey. Tashlinesque considers the director's films in the contexts of Hollywood censorship, animation history, and the development of the genre of comedy in American film, with particular emphasis on the sex, satire, and visual flair that comprised Tashlin's distinctive artistic and comedic style. Through close readings and pointed analyses of Tashlin's large and fascinating body of work, Ethan de Seife offers fresh insights into such classic films as Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, The Girl Can't Help It, Artists and Models, The Disorderly Orderly, and Son of Paleface, as well as numerous Warner Bros. cartoons starring Porky Pig, among others. This is an important rediscovery of a highly unusual and truly hilarious American artist. Includes a complete filmography.
- GenresFilm
272 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 14, 2020
Frank Tashlin is a hard director to learn about. His animated work is getting more popular thanks to some short documentaries on his days at Warner Brothers, but I can’t find much on his work as a live action film maker. Even Jerry Lewis says in his book, “The Total Filmmaker” that he learned everything from Tashlin, yet I don’t know what that means. Heck I can’t even find some of his films.
While this book is flawed, it is a great starting point to learn about this weird figure in film (and comedy) history. A lot of people complain about the lack of focus on his animation work, that was weirdly short... but honestly if you buy certain blu ray or dvd collections of Looney Tunes you’ll find some good documentaries on his animated work.
My big beef with this book can be summarized by the line during a comparison to Joe Dante, “Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), as argued in the introduction, is a wholeheartedly anarchic comedy which is, in many ways, Dante’s most Tashlinian film: a thorough discussion would be quite lengthy. Here, instead, I wish to discuss....” why tease the most “Tashlinian” film in the beginning of your book to not even gloss over it in the chapter it would be most relevant to? I even rewatch Gremlins 2 right before getting to this chapter just so I’d have it fresh on my mind. Disappointing. There are a few times like this. This animation section specifically hurts, but again people have already mentioned that.
The only reason I really harp on it is this author goes on and on about how no one seems to appreciate Tashlin’s live action work, yet when given the chance to compare it to “modern” films we have seen, helping to give contrast and context to a style that is dated... we get no insight. The author does talk about other films for sure, but they tend to be ones your probably haven’t seen or even heard of. This obviously differs person to person. He does mention other movies like Looney Tunes: Back in Action as well, but why focus on that Dante film and slide right past one you already mentioned?
On the possitive side, we do get a very wide view of lesser known films. Both by Tashlin and by other filmmakers. A list I have bookmarked and will try to watch through. This is where the book is really great. It digs pretty deep into the film catalog and gives you directions to start your own study. The author also, to be fair, lays out his focus for evaluating Tashlin’s work. So this isn’t meant to cover EVERYRHING, and he makes known what he plans to focus on.
It’s a great starting point, I do wish it delivered a bit more, but beggars can’t be choosers. I’m glad to have this as a launching point.
While this book is flawed, it is a great starting point to learn about this weird figure in film (and comedy) history. A lot of people complain about the lack of focus on his animation work, that was weirdly short... but honestly if you buy certain blu ray or dvd collections of Looney Tunes you’ll find some good documentaries on his animated work.
My big beef with this book can be summarized by the line during a comparison to Joe Dante, “Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), as argued in the introduction, is a wholeheartedly anarchic comedy which is, in many ways, Dante’s most Tashlinian film: a thorough discussion would be quite lengthy. Here, instead, I wish to discuss....” why tease the most “Tashlinian” film in the beginning of your book to not even gloss over it in the chapter it would be most relevant to? I even rewatch Gremlins 2 right before getting to this chapter just so I’d have it fresh on my mind. Disappointing. There are a few times like this. This animation section specifically hurts, but again people have already mentioned that.
The only reason I really harp on it is this author goes on and on about how no one seems to appreciate Tashlin’s live action work, yet when given the chance to compare it to “modern” films we have seen, helping to give contrast and context to a style that is dated... we get no insight. The author does talk about other films for sure, but they tend to be ones your probably haven’t seen or even heard of. This obviously differs person to person. He does mention other movies like Looney Tunes: Back in Action as well, but why focus on that Dante film and slide right past one you already mentioned?
On the possitive side, we do get a very wide view of lesser known films. Both by Tashlin and by other filmmakers. A list I have bookmarked and will try to watch through. This is where the book is really great. It digs pretty deep into the film catalog and gives you directions to start your own study. The author also, to be fair, lays out his focus for evaluating Tashlin’s work. So this isn’t meant to cover EVERYRHING, and he makes known what he plans to focus on.
It’s a great starting point, I do wish it delivered a bit more, but beggars can’t be choosers. I’m glad to have this as a launching point.
April 11, 2022
The author seems to have a bone to pick with common interpretations of Frank Tashlin's trademarks, and spends a good chunk of this book attempting to disprove them.
"No you see...Tashlin's movies actually aren't like live action cartoons! Color isn't important in his movies!"
It's snobby in a specifically snobby way, and you could probably strip out half this book and come away with less complaining.
That being said, he certainly makes some great points about Tashlin, and this is a worthwhile rundown of the trajectory of his career. I feel that I have a firmer understanding of what makes Tashlin's movies work, and why his career languished in the second half until he's barely remembered today.
Also yesterday I happened to watch LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION right before coincidentally reading a section of the book comparing Joe Dante's comedic style in that movie to Tashlin's style, so it was fun to have that fresh in my head while reading this.
Anyway, check out someTashlin movies. I recommend WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER? and THE LIEUTENANT WORE SKIRTS for a couple.
"No you see...Tashlin's movies actually aren't like live action cartoons! Color isn't important in his movies!"
It's snobby in a specifically snobby way, and you could probably strip out half this book and come away with less complaining.
That being said, he certainly makes some great points about Tashlin, and this is a worthwhile rundown of the trajectory of his career. I feel that I have a firmer understanding of what makes Tashlin's movies work, and why his career languished in the second half until he's barely remembered today.
Also yesterday I happened to watch LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION right before coincidentally reading a section of the book comparing Joe Dante's comedic style in that movie to Tashlin's style, so it was fun to have that fresh in my head while reading this.
Anyway, check out someTashlin movies. I recommend WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER? and THE LIEUTENANT WORE SKIRTS for a couple.
July 9, 2021
This book has some good comments and ideas, but I ultimately found it frustrating that the book focused on an "issues and highlights" approach to Tashlin's career.
I think this book needed a more narrative approach to Tashlin's career. Instead, it jumped from highlight to highlight, with the result that I ended up mystified. Why did Tashlin's career seem to go downhill after "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" Why did Tashlin end up being seen as the brains behind Jerry Lewis and little more than that?
Ultimately, I found this frustrating, as I felt the author skipped things I would have liked discussed about Tashlin.
I think this book needed a more narrative approach to Tashlin's career. Instead, it jumped from highlight to highlight, with the result that I ended up mystified. Why did Tashlin's career seem to go downhill after "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" Why did Tashlin end up being seen as the brains behind Jerry Lewis and little more than that?
Ultimately, I found this frustrating, as I felt the author skipped things I would have liked discussed about Tashlin.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews