GRANT WILLIAMS

GRANT WILLIAMS, Giancarlo Stampalia. Bearmanor; 2018.

It is made clear from the beginning that this is not a traditional biography of the actor Grant Williams -- most famous for The Incredible Shrinking Man -- but a career study put together from assorted press clippings and interviews with a couple of co-workers and acting students. Stampalia was hampered by Williams' extreme privacy during his life, as well as the absence of living co-stars and others who were willing to contribute anecdotes. However, Stampalia adds depth to his manuscript with his analyses of Williams' acting approach to various roles, and whether his performances worked or not, and why they did or didn't. He goes on for some length on The Incredible Shrinking Man -- but there are also notes on all of Williams' film, TV, and radio appearances. Although it would be easy to see Williams as a closeted gay or bisexual man suffering from Catholic guilt -- and this may certainly have been the case --  Stampalia argues that this assessment is by no means certain without solid proof. If Williams failed to reach major stardom it may have been, as Stampalia suggests, that he was more interested in being a good actor than in being a movie star. However, even his TV and "B" movie career might have suffered because of his heavy drinking and possible alcoholism. Williams became a regular on Hawaiian Eye and gave a notable performance in the thriller The Couch. Stampalia makes a strong case for Williams' acting talent -- he did a creditable job playing Peter Tchiakovsky on a episode of The Magical World of Disney -- although it is also true that the effect the actor frequently exuded was one of handsome blandness. Stampalia is perhaps more erudite then other writers of movie star fan books, so he can be forgiven the occasional foray into pretentiousness. The book is bolstered with lots of interesting photographs.

Verdict: Intensive study of a comparatively minor film player who kept his secrets to himself. ***.