Blumenfeld's Dictionary of Acting and Show Business

(Limelight). Do you know what a gimbal stage is, or a gaffer? What is the Alexander technique? And what does it mean when a director says, "Back to one!" or "Stop thinking!"? Does a film director want a piece of fruit when he or she asks for a half apple, or says, "Give me a banana!"? Do you know what a soundie is? (No relation to a techie!) All these terms and countless more are defined in the remarkable Blumenfeld's Dictionary of Acting and Show Business . Author Robert Blumenfeld combines his expertise from years of working in show business with meticulous research to present a work that is comprehensive and user-friendly. This complete reference book on the art, craft, and business of entertaining is a must-have for every fan, teacher, student, amateur, and professional. Oh, and a half apple? Well, an "apple box" is an eight-inch high wooden platform an actor stands on to appear taller. (The term dates to the silent film era when an actual fruit crate was used.) A "half-apple" is four inches tall - half the height of an apple box. But when a film director says "Give me a banana," she's telling the actor to walk in front of the camera in a smooth, gentle curve, as if he were tracing the shape of a banana on the floor. (Of course, in vaudeville slang, a "banana" is a comedian, and his sidekick is a "second banana.") All these entries and 4000 more are defined, including slang, idioms, acronyms, historical terms, common expressions, and legal language in Blumenfeld's Dictionary of Acting and Show Business.