Harry Leon Wilson 
Merton of the Movies 

Merton of the Movies, which Gertrude Stein called “the best book about 20th century American youth, ” follows midwestern bumpkin Merton Gill’s unlikely journey from a Kansas stockroom to the star-studded set of a silent film. Unfortunately, the actors he’s idolized from afar lose their luster up close, which fuels his desire to become a dramatic leading man — not some slapstick fool. By a stroke of luck, Merton lands a gig as an extra. His natural oafishness catches the eye of stuntwoman Flips Montague, and before long he’s a comic star — the only problem is, it’s all a spoof, and he doesn’t know it.

First published in 1919 in the Saturday Evening Post, and adapted three times to film and once as a Broadway musical, Harry Leon Wilson’s cartoonish tale has earned its place as an essential California classic. This freewheeling romp gets to the heart of any Angeleno’s worst nightmare: what if I’m not in on the joke?

About the author

Mitra Jouhari is a writer and performer based in Los Angeles. She is currently writing for “Big Mouth” on Netflix, has written for ‘High Maintenance’ on HBO, ‘Pod Save America’ on HBO, ‘Miracle Workers’ on TBS, and ‘The President Show’ on Comedy Central, for which she was nominated for a WGA Award. She worked on the inaugural season of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee and was a punch-up writer on S5 of Broad City.