Overview: In his 43rd book, prolific writer and scholar Wes D. Gehring presents Gehring Beside Himself: More Selected Essays published by BearManor Media.

Gehring first appeared on the international scene when his critically acclaimed first book on Charlie Chaplin landed an invitation to speak at the Paris-Sorbonne University’s celebration of the comedian’s 100th birthday (1889-1989), hosted by Chaplin’s daughter, actress Geraldine. Her encouragement and the later publication of the talk/essay in a German Chaplin anthology was a great boost to Gehring’s career.

Verdict: Well, as you can well imagine, forty plus frequently award-winning books later, and his style of writing about film comedy and/or film remains the same - be entertainingly insightful. As SNL founder/ongoing producer Lorne Michaels once said, Do it in sunshine (never forget everything about comedy needs entertainment).

As it turns out there was just not enough room in volume one, Gehring Lost and Found: Selected Essays, for all the best of the shorter pieces to find a home. Plus, several pre-Covid years have passed, not to mention the post-2020 Covid years further fueled the number of essays. Consequently, once again it was hard to make the cut.

As for what you can now expect to be entertained by within this second volume, well, these essays are drawn from a number of publications whose interest made the entire text possible. Inside, the book is broken down into four parts: Films (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Make Way For Tomorrow, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, Bull Durham, amongst others), Literature & Film (Capraesque Curtis, The Many Sides of W.C. Fields, Signature Songs, The Comic Anti-Hero in American Fiction, amongst others), Profiles And/Or Moments (Karl Malden, Red Skelton, Sydney Pollack, Peter Sellers, George Clooney, amongst others) and A Lighter Side, which includes Neighborhood Baseball, Darn Ten Speeds, Wordsmithing, Homage To a Humorist.

“I find myself always drawn into Wes’ comedic research and storytelling by its insights into history, politics and sociology of the period explored. In that context, his gift is not only that of a researcher but also a “deeper understanding” of what leads a reader to explain, “Oh, so that’s how he (the subject) got that way.” - Steve Bell, former ABC News and Good Morning America anchor.

About the Author - Wes D. Gehring is Ball State University’s Distinguished Professor of Film. He is the Award-winning author of more than forty books. In 2017 and 2018 he was one of Turner Classics Movies’ on-screen scholars for its summer online classes. His writing has resulted in speaking engagements from the Paris-Sorbonne University to New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

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