Fairbanks capitalized on his rising popularity by publishing a self-help book, Laugh and Live which extolled the power of positive thinking and self-confidence in raising one's health, business and social prospectsDouglas Fairbanks explains upon his theories for living a good and happy life. Fairbanks's formula for happiness-humility, good humor, and particularly strenuous physical exercise-is enshrined in this and his other advice books.There is one thing in this good old world that is positively sure-happiness is for all who strive to be happy, and those who laugh are happy. Everybody is eligible-you, me, the other fellow. Happiness is fundamentally a state of mind, not a state of body. And mind controls. Indeed, it is possible to stand with one foot on the inevitable "banana peel" of life with both eyes peering into the Great Beyond and still be happy, comfortable, and serene-if we will even so much as smile.
About the Author: Douglas Fairbanks (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 - December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro but spent the early part of his career making comedies. Fairbanks was a founding member of United Artists. Fairbanks was also a founding member of The Motion Picture Academy and hosted the first Oscars Ceremony in 1929. With his marriage to Mary Pickford in 1920, the couple became Hollywood royalty and Fairbanks was referred to as "The King of Hollywood", a nickname later passed on to actor Clark Gable. Though widely considered as one of the biggest stars in Hollywood during the 1910s and 1920s, Fairbanks' career rapidly declined with the advent of the "talkies". His final film was The Private Life of Don Juan (1934). Douglas Fairbanks began acting at an early age, in amateur theatre on the Denver stage, performing in summer stock at the Elitch Gardens Theatre, and other productions sponsored by Margaret Fealy, who ran an acting school for young people in Denver. He attended Denver East High School, and was expelled for cutting the wires on the school piano. He left school in the spring of 1899, at the age of 15. He variously claimed to have attended Colorado School of Mines and Harvard University, but neither claim is true. He went with the acting troupe of Frederick Warde, beginning a cross country tour in September 1899. He toured with Warde for two seasons, functioning in dual roles, both as actor and as the assistant stage manager in his second year with the group. After two years, he decided to take a crack at Broadway, and moved to New York, where he found his first Broadway role in Her Lord and Master, which premiered in February 1902. He worked in a hardware store and as a clerk in a Wall Street office between Broadway jobs. His Broadway appearances included the popular A Gentleman from Mississippi in 1908-09. On July 11, 1907, Fairbanks married Anna Beth Sully, the daughter of wealthy industrialist Daniel J. Sully, in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. They had one son, Douglas Elton Fairbanks, who later became known as actor "Douglas Fairbanks Jr." In 1915, the family moved to Los Angeles