In Stardust and Shadows, Charles Foster argues that Canadians
made an important contribution to the development of early Hollywood.
To support this thesis, he includes eighteen portraits of Canadians
who were active in the formative years of the film industry in both
New York and Hollywood. In addition to brief biographies of well known
film figures such as Mary Pickford, Louis B. Mayer, Mack Sennett,
and Norma Shearer, Foster examines lesser known individuals such as
Florence La Badie, Al and Charles Christie, and Joe and Sam De Grasse.
The sketches are well written and based upon interviews conducted
by Foster, an author who is obviously enamoured with his subject.
A careful reader will find some real gems in this volume, such as
the fact that when the Pickfair estate (home of Mary Pickford and
Douglas Fairbanks) was renovated, its new owners were shocked to find
what they assumed was some type of torture chamber. Instead, they
had discovered a dentist chair and equipment which was installed by
Fairbanks so that Canadian actor Sam De Grasse, whose original training
was in the field of dentistry, could attend to Fairbanks in the comfort
of his own home.
Foster primarily uses anecdotal evidence to bolster his case for the
Canadian influence within Hollywood. However, Foster is not a professional
historian, and he offers little analysis as to why Canadians played
such a pivotal role in the film capital's formative years. In fact,
Foster offers little explanation as to why he has selected these eighteen
Canadians for inclusion in his volume. The assumption is that these
are the individuals about whom Foster was able to gain the greatest
amount of information during his interviews.
Foster began this project during the Second World War when he was
a pilot for the British Royal Air Force and spent two weeks of leave
in Hollywood. He was invited to stay at the home of fellow Canadian
and director Sidney Olcott, who was instrumental in opening the doors
of the film industry to Foster. The Canadian connection in Hollywood
became a passion for Foster, who returned to the film industry as
often as possible over the next fifty years. His work in the field
of public relations in both the United States and England, however,
made it difficult for Foster to turn his interviews into a manuscript.
Upon retirement in the early 1990s, Foster vowed to complete his labor
of love which is contained within the pages of Stardust and Shadows.
The author concludes, "The result is this tribute to eighteen
talented Canadians. It will, I hope, make a lot of people wonder whatever
would show business have done without them" (p. 10).
Foster is obviously enamored with the glamour of early Hollywood,
but what will modern readers make of this volume? Individuals such
as Mary Pickford and Norma Shearer are hardly any longer household
names. In eulogy to the way Hollywood used to be, it is worth considering
that film today is in many ways a more democratic and accessible enterprise
with new technologies and the inclusion of racial and ethnic groups
once excluded from the mainstream. Also, it is not necessary simply
to consider the Canadian contribution to Hollywood, for Canada has
a rich film industry and culture which is worthy of celebration.
Accordingly, while Foster's book is often quite entertaining, it
is also rather antiquated. It is difficult to perceive of this volume
being of great interest in the schools, however, students might learn
something about the value of doing oral history and pursuing one's
dreams. Some of the portraits might be of use in the classroom to
demonstrate that Hollywood was not simply an American creation. Many
nationalities, including Canadians, played a significant role in Hollywood's
formative years. While Stardust and Shadows may be of greater
interest to older readers, it is worth noting that there is a rich
Canadian cinematic history on which contemporary filmmakers continue
to build.