Download or read book Tinseltown written by William J. Mann and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2014-10-14 with total page 488 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New York Times Bestseller • Edgar Award winner for Best Fact Crime The Day of the Locust meets The Devil in the White City and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in this juicy, untold Hollywood story: an addictive true tale of ambition, scandal, intrigue, murder, and the creation of the modern film industry. By 1920, the movies had suddenly become America’s new favorite pastime, and one of the nation’s largest industries. Never before had a medium possessed such power to influence. Yet Hollywood’s glittering ascendency was threatened by a string of headline-grabbing tragedies—including the murder of William Desmond Taylor, the popular president of the Motion Picture Directors Association, a legendary crime that has remained unsolved until now. In a fiendishly involving narrative, bestselling Hollywood chronicler William J. Mann draws on a rich host of sources, including recently released FBI files, to unpack the story of the enigmatic Taylor and the diverse cast that surrounded him—including three beautiful, ambitious actresses; a grasping stage mother; a devoted valet; and a gang of two-bit thugs, any of whom might have fired the fatal bullet. And overseeing this entire landscape of intrigue was Adolph Zukor, the brilliant and ruthless founder of Paramount, locked in a struggle for control of the industry and desperate to conceal the truth about the crime. Along the way, Mann brings to life Los Angeles in the Roaring Twenties: a sparkling yet schizophrenic town filled with party girls, drug dealers, religious zealots, newly-minted legends and starlets already past their prime—a dangerous place where the powerful could still run afoul of the desperate. A true story recreated with the suspense of a novel, Tinseltown is the work of a storyteller at the peak of his powers—and the solution to a crime that has stumped detectives and historians for nearly a century.

Download or read book William Desmond Taylor written by Bruce Long and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 1991 with total page 472 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By reprinting over 400 items from contemporary newspapers, magazines, and trade journals, this book reveals Taylor's life in Hollywood--from his arrival as a minor actor in 1912 until his death in 1922 as one of Hollywood's top directors.

Download or read book The Blue Book of the Screen written by Ruth Wing and published by . This book was released on 1924 with total page 394 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Murder in Hollywood written by Charles Higham and published by Terrace Books. This book was released on 2004-11-15 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For more than eighty years, the famous unsolved murder of William Desmond Taylor, the legendary bisexual film director, has generated debate and controversy. Now, best-selling author Charles Higham has solved the crime. Higham uncovers the corruption and intrigue of Los Angeles in the Roaring Twenties—and the film industry moguls’ complete domination of the city’s authorities. When it was discovered that a famous star of the day had probably killed Taylor, a massive cover-up began—from the removal of crucial evidence to the naming of innocent people as killers—which has continued until now to protect the truth. Murder in Hollywood goes beyond the killing to unearth unknown details about the life of Taylor before his arrival in Hollywood, as well as the stories and histories buried by the crooked authorities and criminals involved the case. The author’s exclusive interviews with the culpable star, his unique possession of long-vanished police records, and the support of the present-day Los Angeles county coroner—who examined the evidence as if the murder had taken place now—have ensured a hair-raising thriller. Charles Higham successfully presents the most plausible and convincing solution yet to the mystery. In the process he paints a vivid portrait of Hollywood in the 1920s—from its major stars to its bisexual subculture. The result is a compelling answer to a long-standing mystery and a fascinating study of a place, and an industry that, as today, let people reinvent themselves. Murder in Hollywood is more extraordinary than any crime of fiction and more exciting than any action adventure movie.

Download or read book The Movies in the Age of Innocence written by Edward Wagenknecht and published by Norman : University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 1962 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Personal view of the silent film and its players.

Download or read book Murder in Hollywood written by Charles Higham and published by Terrace Books. This book was released on 2004 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Charles Higham presents the most plausible and convincing solution to the mystery yet. In the process he paints a vivid portrait of Hollywood in the 1920s - from its major stars to its bisexual sub-culture. The result is an answer to a long-standing mystery and a study of a place and an industry that, as today, let people reinvent themselves."--BOOK JACKET.

Download or read book Dangerous Jane written by Suzanne Slade and published by Holiday House. This book was released on 2020-07-07 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An inspiring picture book biography of Jane Addams, the groundbreaking social activist who went from the FBI's "Most Dangerous Woman in America" to Nobel Peace Prize winner. From the time she was a child, Jane Addams's heart ached for others—for those who were sad, hungry, and hopeless. When she grew up, Jane created Hull House, a settlement house in Chicago where she worked eighteen hours a day, providing whatever her immigrant neighbors needed: English lessons, childcare, steady work—as well as friendship, dignity, and hope. Then World War I broke out. Jane had helped people from different countries live in peace at Hull House, but what could she do to stop a war? Suzanne Slade's powerful free verse and Alice Ratterree's stunning, period-perfect illustrations bring a remarkable woman to life.

Download or read book Forbidden Hollywood The Pre Code Era 1930 1934 written by Mark A. Vieira and published by Running Press Adult. This book was released on 2019-04-02 with total page 660 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Filled with rare images and untold stories from filmmakers, exhibitors, and moviegoers, Forbidden Hollywood is the ultimate guide to a gloriously entertaining era when a lax code of censorship let sin rule the movies. Forbidden Hollywood is a history of "pre-Code" like none otherA name=_Hlk518256457: you will eavesdrop on production conferences, read nervous telegrams from executives to censors, and hear Americans argue about "immoral" movies. /aYou will see decisions artfully wrought, so as to fool some of the people long enough to get films into theaters. You will read what theater managers thought of such craftiness, and hear from fans as they applauded creativity or condemned crassness. You will see how these films caused a grass-roots movement to gain control of Hollywood-and why they were "forbidden" for fifty years. The book spotlights the twenty-two films that led to the strict new Code of 1934, including Red-Headed Woman, Call Her Savage, and She Done Him Wrong. You'll see Paul Muni shoot a path to power in the original Scarface; Barbara Stanwyck climb the corporate ladder on her own terms in Baby Face; and misfits seek revenge in Freaks. More than 200 newly restored (and some never-before-published) photographs illustrate pivotal moments in the careers of Clara Bow, Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, and Greta Garbo; and the pre-Code stardom of Claudette Colbert, Cary Grant, Marlene Dietrich, James Cagney, and Mae West. This is the definitive portrait of an unforgettable era in filmmaking.

Download or read book Mining for Justice written by Kathleen Ernst and published by Llewellyn Worldwide. This book was released on 2017-10-08 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The eighth in the series contrasts the difficult life of Wisconsin's Cornish miners with the heroine's burgeoning romance, highlighting both her researching skills and her unusual feel for the past."—Kirkus Reviews Digging Up Secrets Uncovers a Legacy of Peril Chloe Ellefson is excited to be learning about Wisconsin's Cornish immigrants and mining history while on temporary assignment at Pendarvis, a historic site in charming Mineral Point. But when her boyfriend, police officer Roelke McKenna, discovers long-buried human remains in the root cellar of an old Cornish cottage, Chloe reluctantly agrees to mine the historical record for answers. She soon finds herself in the middle of a heated and deadly controversy that threatens to close Pendarvis. While struggling to help the historic site, Chloe must unearth dark secrets, past and present, before a killer comes to bury her. Praise: "Richly imagined and compelling, Mining for Justice once again highlights Kathleen Ernst's prowess as a storyteller...Ernst is a master of reconstructing the past."—Susanna Calkins, author of the Macavity-winning Lucy Campion Mysteries

Download or read book The Jane Addams Papers written by Mary Lynn McCree Bryan and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema written by Christophe P. Jacobs and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 1999-09-30 with total page 381 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The latest offering from the Reference Guides to the World's Cinema series, this critical survey of key films, actors, directors, and screenwriters during the silent era of the American cinema offers a broad-ranging portrait of the motion picture production of silent film. Detailed but concise alphabetical entries include over 100 film titles and 150 personnel. An introductory chapter explores the early growth of the new silent medium while the final chapter of this encyclopedic study examines the sophistication of the silent cinema. These two chapters outline film history from its beginnings until the perfection of synchronized sound, and reflect upon the themes and techniques established with the silent cinema that continued into the sound era through modern times. The annotated entries, alphabetically arranged by film title or personnel, include brief bibliographies and filmographies. An appendix lists secondary but important movies and their creators. Film and popular culture scholars will appreciate the vast amount of information that has been culled from various sources and that builds upon the increased studies and research of the past ten years.

Download or read book Mary Astor s Purple Diary The Great American Sex Scandal of 1936 written by Edward Sorel and published by Liveright Publishing. This book was released on 2016-10-04 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A hilarious send-up of sex, scandal, and the Golden Age of Hollywood by legendary cartoonist Edward Sorel. In 1965, a young, up-and-coming illustrator by the name of Edward Sorel tore away layer after layer of linoleum from the floor of his $97-a-month Manhattan apartment until he discovered a hidden treasure: issues of the New York Daily News and Daily Mirror from 1936, each ablaze with a scandalous child custody trial taking place in Hollywood starring the actress Mary Astor—and the journal in which she detailed her numerous affairs. Thus began a half-century obsession that reached its peak in Mary Astor’s Purple Diary, “a thoroughly charming” (New York Times Book Review, front-page review) account of the scandal in which Sorel narrates and illustrates the travails of the Oscar-winning actress alongside his own personal story of discovering an unlikely muse. Now in a stunning paperback, featuring more than sixty ribald and rapturous original illustrations, Mary Astor’s Purple Diary is the life’s masterpiece of one of America’s greatest illustrators.

Download or read book Olive Thomas written by Michelle Vogel and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2014-11-29 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Olive Thomas was one of Hollywood's first true movie stars. Born in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, in 1894, she moved to New York at age sixteen and began to pursue an acting career. By 1915, she had landed a job as one of Ziegfeld's famous "Follies" girls. Before long her beauty was discovered by Hollywood, where she quickly became one of the biggest names in motion pictures. Her marriage to film star Jack Pickford further enhanced her popularity. Olive's death by poison on September 10, 1920, created a media circus. This biography begins with Olive's birth, follows her trip to stardom, and covers in detail the circumstances surrounding her mysterious death at age 25. Rare and beautiful photographs and a complete filmography are included.

Download or read book The Fixers written by E.J. Fleming and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2015-01-28 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Eddie Mannix and Howard Strickling are virtually unknown outside of Hollywood and little-remembered even there, but as General Manager and Head of Publicity for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, they lorded over all the stars in Hollywood's golden age from the 1920s through the 1940s--including legends like Garbo, Dietrich, Gable and Garland. When MGM stars found themselves in trouble, it was Eddie and Howard who took care of them--solved their problems, hid their crimes, and kept their secrets. They were "the Fixers." At a time when image meant everything and the stars were worth millions to the studios that owned them, Mannix and Strickling were the most important men at MGM. Through a complex web of contacts in every arena, from reporters and doctors to corrupt police and district attorneys, they covered up some of the most notorious crimes and scandals in Hollywood history, keeping stars out of jail and, more importantly, their names out of the papers. They handled problems as diverse as the murder of Paul Bern (husband of MGM's biggest star, Jean Harlow), the studio-directed drug addictions of Judy Garland, the murder of Ted Healy (creator of The Three Stooges) at the hands of Wallace Beery, and arranging for an unmarried Loretta Young to adopt her own child--a child fathered by a married Clark Gable. Through exhaustive research and interviews with contemporaries, this is the never-before-told story of Eddie Mannix and Howard Strickling. The dual biography describes how a mob-related New Jersey laborer and the quiet son of a grocer became the most powerful men at the biggest studio in the world.

Download or read book Haunted by History written by Craig Owens and published by . This book was released on 2017-08 with total page 410 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Haunted by History, Volume I, by Craig Owens uncovers little known facts about eight prominent historic hotels in Southern California and the origins behind many of their ghost stories. Not only does his well-documented research separate facts from legends, but Owens also keeps the subject matter interesting by interweaving historic photos with his own elaborately staged Old Hollywood-style photos shot in the most haunted rooms, hallways, and lobbies. This unique book blends solid research, fascinating insights, and haunting photography that will appeal to believers and non-believers alike. Hotels and inns featured in Vol. 1 are the Hotel del Coronado, the Victorian Rose Bed & Breakfast, the Julian Gold Rush Hotel, the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, the Alexandria Hotel, the Wyndham Garden Pierpont Inn, the Banning House Lodge, and the Glen Tavern Inn.

Download or read book My Magic Carpet of Films written by Dennis "Micky" Moore and published by . This book was released on 2009-04 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From his introduction: A ride on a magic carpet is a wonderful thing. It allows you to see the past, the present and takes you into the future. It can give you new perspectives, offer up lessons and provide you with wild adventures. A magic carpet can give you a passport to almost anywhere and so it is with my magic carpet of films. My journey started when I was eighteen months old, in 1916, and continues right up into the 21st Century. It has made it possible for me to meet and work with people from all walks of the motion picture industry. It has taken me to many wonderful places around the globe. It has provided me with a career that extends from the silent days of films, called flicks, to the present era of blockbusters and high tech special effects movies. During this time, I have seen the silent films become talkies and talkies give way to surround-sound. I have seen picture shows go from black and white to color, from ten minute one-reelers to three-hour epics. I have seen film change from celluloid to digital and cameras go from hand-cranked to computerized. I have seen movies presented on a single screen enhanced by organ music give way to multiplexes and home theaters with THX. I have seen movies stars' careers rise and fall and the emphasis on celebrities in our culture. I have seen directors become as famous as their leading actors. I have seen the cost of a movie ticket go from 5 cents to over $10 and box office grosses now reported in the news along with the weather report. A lot has changed in the motion picture industry during my lifetime-good and bad-but one thing remained constant, my love of what I have done. Perhaps it was my destiny, a combination of fate and timing, an early start in the business and my adventurous attitude, that gave me an opportunity to work with some of the most talented individuals in the business and kept me an active part of the industry for so many years. But how do I share with you my story that spans nine decades? Perhaps, to keep things in perspective, let's go back in time on my magic carpet to the beginning.

Download or read book Silent era Filmmaking in Santa Barbara written by Robert S. Birchard and published by Gremese Editore. This book was released on 2007 with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Between 1910 and 1921, the American Film Company was one of the fledgling movie industry’s most successful studios, with production facilities in Santa Barbara and business offices in Chicago. Nicknamed for its distinctive winged “A” logo, the “Flying A” produced nearly 1,200 films, starring such favorites of the day as Mary Miles Minter, J. Warren Kerrigan, Wallace Reid, and King Baggot. The company’s rather patriotic motto invited patrons to “See Americans first.” The studio’s films also documented the picturesque and developing Pacific seaside community of Santa Barbara and served as a training ground for some of Hollywood’s greatest directors, including Allan Dwan, Henry King, Victor Fleming, Frank Borzage, George Marshall, William Desmond Taylor, and Marshall Neilan.