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David J. Skal
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Claude Rains: An Actor's Voice (Screen Classics) Hardcover – January 1, 2008

by David J. Skal (Author), Jessica Rains (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 108 ratings
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Late in Claude Rains’s distinguished career, a reverent film journalist wrote that Rains “was as much a cinematic institution as the medium itself.” Given his childhood speech impediments and his origins in a destitute London neighborhood, the ascent of Claude Rains (1889–1967) to the stage and screen is remarkable. Rains’s difficulties in his formative years provided reserves of gravitas and sensitivity, from which he drew inspiration for acclaimed performances in The Invisible Man (1933), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Casablanca (1942), Notorious (1946), Lawrence of Arabia (1962),and other classic films.

 

In Claude Rains: An Actor’s Voice, noted Hollywood historian David J. Skal draws on more than thirty hours of newly released Rains interviews to create the first full-length biography of the actor who was nominated multiple times for an Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor. Skal’s portrait of the gifted actor also benefits from the insights of Jessica Rains, who provides firsthand accounts of the enigmatic man behind her father’s refined screen presence and genteel public persona.

 

As Skal shows, numerous contradictions informed the life and career of Claude Rains. He possessed an air of nobility and became an emblem of sophistication, but he never shed the insecurities that traced back to his upbringing in an abusive and poverty-stricken family. Though deeply self-conscious about his short stature, Rains drew notorious ardor from female fans and was married six times. His public displays of dry wit and good humor masked inner demons that drove Rains to alcoholism and its devastating consequences.

 

Skal’s layered depiction of Claude Rains reveals a complex, almost inscrutable man whose nuanced characterizations were, in no small way, based on the more shadowy parts of his psyche. With unprecedented access to episodes from Rains’s private life, Skal tells the full story of the consummate character actor of his generation. Claude Rains: An Actor’s Voice, gives voice to the struggles and innermost concerns that influenced Rains’s performances and helped him become a universally respected Hollywood legend.
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  1. Print length
    290 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Univ Pr of Kentucky
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 2008
  5. Dimensions
    6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0813124328
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0813124322
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David J. Skal is the author of numerous books about film and popular culture, including Death Makes a Holiday, Hollywood Gothic and The Monster Show. He has produced and directed two original documentaries about Claude Rains: The Invisible Man and The Phantom of the Opera.
 
Jessica Rains, the only child of Claude Rains, is a producer and actress whose performance credits include The Sting, Pete and Tillie, Islands in the Stream, and Portnoy’s Complaint. A graduate of the American Film Institute’s producer training program, she has produced eleven independent films and videos. She is currently developing a biographical documentary, A Beautiful Friendship: Claude Rains and the Movies.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Univ Pr of Kentucky; 2nd edition (January 1, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 290 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0813124328
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0813124322
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 108 ratings

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David J. Skal

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
108 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

StephieAnn
5.0 out of 5 stars Exquisite Biograpy of Man Most Did Not Know
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2015
Verified Purchase
Quite an extraordinary glimpse into the life of one of the true consummate actors of this era.
Very well written! The author has obviously familiarized himself with Mr Rains, having apparently used extensive resources, some of which were a prior biographer's hundreds of transcribed conversations between Mr Rains and the biographist first hired to write his biography (he died before he could write the book.
Mr Rains story, beginning with his poor, lonely, friendless, cruel childhood, You will find yourself caught up in his pain, despair and stuttering problems, which were very humiliating to him.
Yet, it takes years before the child finds its "niche" in the world, even though he began working for London Play House s very young.
By that time you find him somewhat happy being near the theatre, you will still find yourself cheering him on to not give up.
I found it unfortunate that his first wives, each in the same way humiiated him horribly, which would have made most men and men to give up on having any trust left to risk another serious relationship.
I found him to be as he appeared to us through his first love, the stage, as well as in most of his movies - highly intense, intolerant of those who did not take the artful craft as seriously as he did.
I do believe that he was a genius when it came to his pereparation for his lines, as well as learning everyone else's as well.
I will say no more, except for his great intensity you find in him in whatever medium of entertainment he applied his masterful craft.
I was both happy and surprised with how respectful and enamored Bette Davus was with him. She never spoke ill of him or his acting, which, as everyone knows, is not usual for our dynamic Bette Davis!
This book will NOT disappoint. However, you may be like me - I had no clue that he overcame sometimes insurmountable odds throughout his entire life.
,
7 people found this helpful
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Tom Smith
4.0 out of 5 stars An account more of a career than the man
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2022
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... and that is quite okay. Oh, Skal and the daughter of Mr. Rains manage to give some endearing glimpses into the man, but never more than glimpses. Maybe because there wasn't much there to begin with. He comes across as a lovely person and a monumental talent. There is no doubt that he was both of these. The recounting of his professional life is even more compelling than that of his private life (quite a feat for someone married six times).

All I know is that whenever I'm watching a film and Mr. Rains appears, he is the only one I see from that point on.

I guess the point of a biography is to help you know the person better ... If not from a personal viewpoint than from a public one ... This book succeeds in the latter. Well worth the time of anyone interested in theater and film of the era and especially anyone captivated by Mr. Rains.
2 people found this helpful
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Little surfer girl
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book!
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2023
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Bought this for my boyfriend's birthday! It's an amazing book and was in great condition! Thank you!
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johnkenrick
5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful
Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2022
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As a longtime fan of Claude Rains, I found this book a treasure trove of background on this extraordinarily versatile actor and some of his most memorable screen performances. He appeared in hundreds of films so not all can be covered in detail. But everything here is choice. Thanks to his daughter's participation, his personal life is covered frankly but with empathy. Definitely recommended for fellow fans of classic film.
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W Miller
4.0 out of 5 stars PEOPLE ARE BEING TO HARD ON THIS BOOK
Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2008
Verified Purchase
This book, long awaited by myself, is a detailed account of the life and credits of William Claude Rains. I must compliment David J Skal for the amount of info he got on this deprived actor, who, not much is known about. The book itself is interesting and witty, as was Rains. The civer art was very good aswell.

The only thing I would have to complain about would not be about the book, but about amazon. The book is supposed to come with a disc full of rare-never before seen interviews and stock footage of Rains, however one never came and the blurb of the book says BIOGRAPHY/FILM. I will definitely have a talk to amazon about this, but even without the disc i found the shipment worth the wait and the money, and an enjoyable read.
11 people found this helpful
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Meg
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable book, needs more details
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2017
Verified Purchase
Although I would have appreciated more detail, this is far and away the biography on Claude Rains, treasured by film fans but not attracting the attention of writers on the medium. He has always been one of my favorite actors, possessed of what I think was the finest actor voice of the Golden Age of Hollywood. I don't think any other actor stole so many films from the starts, and indeed I think he can be considered one of the creators of what we would now call the character lead, not a movie star type, and yet the star of the show. The book gives a good view of his youth and how he became Claude Rains, and although it's a little skimpy on production details and his life in Hollywood, there is a good filmography in the back (Though I would have appreciated plot summaries in addition to the other information). My other complaint is the lack of photos, at least in the digital edition that I purchased. But the book is well worth the purchase price, for anyone interested in Rains and his films.
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

G. Gregorio
5.0 out of 5 stars Intesting reading on a great actor!
Reviewed in Canada on December 21, 2013
Verified Purchase
I must say that I only recently discovered Claude Rains while watching the movie Mr. Skeffington which brought me to see "Deception" and many others of his films. He was an autodidact and an interesting man, truly a great actor. I recommend this book to anyone like myself who would like to know more about his life and achievements. I'm really glad that he has not been forgotten and that this book is available.
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jill basten
5.0 out of 5 stars Claude Rains the greatest actor never to win an Oscar
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 21, 2014
Verified Purchase
I have been a Claude Rains fan since at the age of 12 I saw him in The Phantom of the Opera but apart from entries in Who's Wh in the Theatre and him being mentioned in other people's memoirs knew nothing about him. I knew he was one of the "ladies from hell" in The Great War and was gassed at Vimy Ridge but that was all. This book has told me so much about his interesting life and I now appreciate more than ever what a great actor he was. One who should have won more than one Oscar but was never favoured. I still love seeing his films. No wonder he was Bette Davis's favourite costar
One person found this helpful
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Chris Holmgren
5.0 out of 5 stars Good product
Reviewed in Canada on July 18, 2017
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Good book
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P F.
4.0 out of 5 stars The cover of the book was slightly damaged despite the ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 30, 2017
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The cover of the book was slightly damaged despite the fact that it was supposed to be new. It was well laid out inside however and both clearly written and entertaining.
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Chris Coomber
3.0 out of 5 stars A pleasant read not enough about the man himself
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 26, 2014
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A pleasant read although would of liked more insight into his personal life I felt the book relied to heavily on his film and theatre career
2 people found this helpful
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