THIS is a difficult book to categorise. It’s partly a cartoon homage to the great showbusiness stars of yesteryear — from Buster Keaton to Burt Lancaster — but it also points up small details in the faces of the stars you may not have noticed before. In fact, it’s the very essence of what art should be — showing you things you might not have seen before. The drawings are accompanied by sayings of the showbiz heroes. Some are well known, such as Humphrey Bogart’s “The world is three drinks behind”, some a little more obscure like Judy Garland’s “If you have to be in a soap opera make sure you don’t get the worst role” and some extremely illuminating, such as Robert Mitchum’s: “The only difference between me and my fellow actors is that I’ve spent more time in jail.” The compilation of drawings and cartoons of Hollywood film stars by Aidan Caine are evidently a labour of love for the second generation Irishman. Over the years the artist has sent his superb drawings to the stars involved — including Grace Kelly, Fred Astaire and Richard Harris. In later years Jane Russell wrote to the artist telling him she had his cartoons of her on her wall and even thanked him for considering her a Hollywood Great. This is a delightful book. It may be short at 118 pages, but it’s long on insight, draughtsmanship and artistic merit.
Celebrating 125 years of the GAA, Railway Cup Ruislip 2009.