SELLING CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD COMEDIANS - MY INTERVIEW WITH RICHARD S. GREENE

Since January 2026, I've published several articles focusing on a series of books written by the American author and film historian, Richard S. Greene (click here to check those out). Each book in the series explores how certain classic Hollywood comedians were promoted to the public, ranging from Laurel and Hardy to Martin and Lewis, and includes a large variety of vintage promotional material. Today, we are going to learn a bit more about Richard and his work, courtesy of the following Q and A with the main man himself. Please enjoy.





1) Name three words that best describe who you are.   I'd say, creative, compulsive, and collector.

2) What was the first film that made you fall in love with classic Hollywood cinema?   Well, it was more than just one film. It was the Universal horror film library of the 1930s and 1940s, including 'Dracula', 'Frankenstein', 'The Invisible Man', 'The Wolf Man', and 'The Mummy's Tomb'. This led me to discover my favorite film of all time, the original 1933 version of 'King Kong'.

3) So far, you have written and published five books about classic comedians and how they were promoted to the public. What have you learned through your research? And do you have a background in advertising?   To answer the second part of the question first, yes, for the past forty-five years, I've been working in the promotional products industry, both as a sales manager and a regional vice-president. During this time, I've discovered that the people behind motion picture comedy advertising routinely used exaggerated images of comedians with big heads on little bodies, from Chaplin to Keaton to Abbott and Costello. Every studio thought this approach to promoting their comedy stars was necessary.

4) If you could get a celebrity - either living or dead - to promote your wares, who would you choose, and why would you want to choose this particular person?   I would choose the dearly departed Johnny Carson, given our mutual passion for old-school comedians. I can imagine appearing on his late-night talk show and discussing these classic comedians we both grew up loving.

5) What's the one thing about your series of books that might surprise people?   My books are packed with seven hundred and fifty to eight hundred and fifty vintage images that are both rare and wonderful. Even the most devoted film buffs will find dozens and dozens of ads, photos, posters, and other promotional materials that they have never seen before. I hear this over and over from the most dedicated of collectors, especially how shocked they are to see so much that is new to them in the pages of my books.

In closing, I'd like to thank Richard S. Greene for telling us about himself and his series of books. To check out his books, click here to visit Richard's official Amazon page.