Download or read book A Rose for Mrs Miniver written by Michael Troyan and published by University Press of Kentucky. This book was released on 2010-09-12 with total page 518 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: " In this first-ever biography of Greer Garson, Michael Troyan sweeps away the many myths that even today veil her life. The true origins of her birth, her fairy-tale discovery in Hollywood, and her career struggles at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer are revealed for the first time. Garson combined an everywoman quality with grace, charm, and refinement. She won the Academy Award in 1941 for her role in Mrs. Miniver , and for the next decade she reigned as the queen of MGM. Co-star Christopher Plummer remembered, ""Here was a siren who had depth, strength, dignity, and humor who could inspire great trust, suggest deep intellect and whose misty languorous eyes melted your heart away!"" Garson earned a total of seven Academy Award nominations for Best Actress, and fourteen of her films premiered at Radio City Music Hall, playing for a total of eighty-four weeks--a record never equaled by any other actress. She was a central figure in the golden age of the studios, working with legendary performers Clark Gable, Marlon Brando, Elizabeth Taylor, Errol Flynn, Joan Crawford, Robert Mitchum, Debbie Reynolds, and Walter Pidgeon. Garson's experiences offer a fascinating glimpse at the studio system in the years when stars were closely linked to a particular studio and moguls such as L.B. Mayer broke or made careers. With the benefit of exclusive access to studio production files, personal letters and diaries, and the cooperation of her family, Troyan explores the triumphs and tragedies of her personal life, a story more colorful than any role she played on screen.

Download or read book Mrs Jeffries Stalks the Hunter written by Emily Brightwell and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2004-10-05 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sir Edmund Leggett is flattered to be stalked by a young lady--who makes herself scarce after he's murdered in cold blood. The police hold the young woman to blame. But Inspector Witherspoon has other ideas and consults his housekeeper, Mrs. Jeffries--who always gets to the heart of the matter.

Download or read book Look Behind You written by Sarah Haley Head and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2003-10 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Horror descends on the small town of Ashley Springs, Arkansas, when the slaughter of some of its most respected business men begins. Amy Bordeaux, owner of an antique shop, discovers the body of the second victim. She has a precognitive flash of another murder not yet committed. Amy is unable to convince Sheriff Frank Morgan of the validity of her vision. Another man is murdered exactly as she "saw" it. Frank, who knew all three victims as young men, believes that past events in their lives have come back to haunt them. He secretly thinks that Amy's precognition is real, and is afraid she will identify the killer before he can make an arrest. Frank decides to confront the person he believes to be guilty. Later, his deputies report him missing. Amy, desperate to stop both the visions and the killings, has begun her own investigation. She is unaware that the killer is watching her every move. When she stumbles upon the sheriff's body in a most unexpected place, Amy is forced to accept the unacceptable when the killer stands before her. She literally runs for her life.

Download or read book The Grip of the Bookmaker written by Percy White and published by . This book was released on 1901 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book A Woman s View written by Jeanine Basinger and published by Knopf. This book was released on 2013-09-04 with total page 806 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now, Voyager, Stella Dallas, Leaver Her to Heaven, Imitation of Life, Mildred Pierce, Gilda…these are only a few of the hundreds of “women’s films” that poured out of Hollywood during the thirties, forties, and fifties. The films were widely disparate in subject, sentiment, and technique, they nonetheless shared one dual purpose: to provide the audience (of women, primarily) with temporary liberation into a screen dream—of romance, sexuality, luxury, suffering, or even wickedness—and then send it home reminded of, reassured by, and resigned to the fact that no matter what else she might do, a woman’s most important job was…to be a woman. Now, with boundless knowledge and infectious enthusiasm, Jeanine Basinger illuminates the various surprising and subversive ways in which women’s films delivered their message. Basinger examines dozens of films, exploring the seemingly intractable contradictions at the convoluted heart of the woman’s genre—among them, the dilemma of the strong and glamorous woman who cedes her power when she feels it threatening her personal happiness, and the self-abnegating woman whose selflessness is not always as “noble” as it appears. Basinger looks at the stars who played these women and helps us understand the qualities—the right off-screen personae, the right on-screen attitudes, the right faces—that made them personify the woman’s film and equipped them to make believable drama or comedy out of the crackpot plots, the conflicting ideas, and the exaggerations of real behavior that characterize these movies. In each of the films the author discusses—whether melodrama, screwball comedy, musical, film noir, western, or biopic—a woman occupies the center of her particular universe. Her story—in its endless variations of rags to riches, boy meets girl, battle of the sexes, mother love, doomed romance—inevitably sends a highly potent mixed message: Yes, you women belong in your “proper place” (that is, content with the Big Three of the women’s film world—men, marriage, and motherhood), but meanwhile, and paradoxically, see what fun, glamour, and power you can enjoy along the way. A Woman’s View deepens our understanding of the times and circumstances and attitudes out of which these movies were created.

Download or read book Dan Duryea written by Mike Peros and published by Univ. Press of Mississippi. This book was released on 2016-10-11 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dan Duryea (1907–1968) made a vivid impression on moviegoers with his first major screen appearance as the conniving Leo Hubbard in 1941's classic melodrama The Little Foxes. His subsequent film and television career would span from 1941 until his death. Duryea remains best known for the nasty, scheming villains he portrayed in such noir masterpieces as Scarlet Street, Criss Cross, and The Woman in the Window. In each of these, he wielded a blend of menace, sleaze, confidence, and surface charm. This winning combination led him to stardom and garnered him the adoration of female fans, even though Duryea's onscreen brutality so often targeted female characters. Yet this biography's close examination of Duryea's oeuvre finds him excelling in various roles in many genres—war films, westerns, crime dramas, and even the occasional comedy. Dan Duryea: Heel with a Heart is a full-scale, comprehensive biography that examines the tension between Duryea's villainous screen image and his Samaritan personal life. At home, he proved to be one of Hollywood's most honorable and decent men. Duryea remained married to the former Helen Bryan from 1931 until her death in 1967. A dedicated family man, he and Helen took an active role in raising their children and in the community. In his career, Duryea knew villainous roles were what the public wanted—there would be a public backlash if fans read an article depicting what a decent guy he was. Frustrated that he couldn't completely shake his screen image and public persona, he wrestled with this restriction throughout his career. Producers and the public did not care to follow any new directions he hoped to pursue. This book, written with Duryea's surviving son Richard's cooperation, fully explores the life and legacy of a Hollywood icon ready for rediscovery.

Download or read book The Mystery of Popularity written by Cherie Anne Fernandes and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2014-07-01 with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: She would never admit it, but Elizabeth (Lizzie) Rivers has always wanted a blond ponytail that sways when she walks. Instead, she winds up with a stringy brown clump of hair that can only end up in a messy braid. Shes always wanted a perfectly coordinated outfit, with cute accessories, but she always ends up a few steps behind the latest fashion. Shes not a wannabe, but Elizabeth just doesnt get this popularity business. One fateful day Lizzie, who is perfectly happy with her current friends, winds up palling with Mackenzie, a new student from L.A.! At first Lizzie gets suspicious, but then winds up doing things she would NEVER otherwise do. Such as skipping class, or changing her style. She starts liking it. But not stopping there, Mackenzie has other plans. Shes ready to go extreme- and wont hesitate to get others (including Lizzie) in trouble in the process. Will Lizzies reputation as a good student, and worse, a good friend, be ruined, all thanks to this one girl? Was this a big mistake? Is she still out to solve the mystery of popularity?

Download or read book If You Ever Meet A Weasel written by Belinda MacGruder and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2013-08 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the 1800s, the lives of persons in the entertaining industry, specifically theater, were often as dramatic as the characters' lives in some plays by Samuel Beckett, Anton Chekhov, Henrik Ibsen, William Inge, Arthur Miller, Thornton Wilder and Tennessee Williams. If You Ever Meet a Weasel by Belinda MacGruder is one such dramatic story. Historical fiction, this novel details the lives of theatre people who travel from Europe to the New World. This novel's main character must tolerate her father's traditional attitudes toward marriage. She must accept the separation from her European friends when she moves to the New World. Of course, New World customs are different from European customs. As such, this novel's female, main character must learn New World customs while retaining the Old World ones. Natural and manmade tragedies afflict most, if not all, of the characters in If You Ever Meet a Weasel. Highly unusual events occur. Personality conflicts vie with conflicts of interests. A famous American war disrupts the lives of some of the characters. Travel to and from the European continent stresses relationships and relatives. However, this novel contains more than tragedies, conflicts and turmoil. Tender moments occur between spouses. Understanding develops among friends. Between employers and employees, friendships emerge to last lifetimes. In dialogs and expositions, the author references historical dates and events. For the readers, these historical events emphasize characters' personalities, create empathy, explain difficulties and inspire imagination. This novel's timeline ends in the 21st century. From beginning to end, readers will read about various transportation methods: horse-drawn carriages; steam-powered, ocean liners; taxis and train travel. If You Ever Meet a Weasel is an insightful, but fictional, literary experience into theatrical lives.

Download or read book The Pursuits of Mr Peter Pell written by Short Fiction and published by DigiCat. This book was released on 2022-11-22 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The Pursuits of Peter Pell" is a 12-part episodic interconnected novel set in Perth, Australia. The novel revolves around Peter Pell who is a liar. He gets into a lot of amusing adventures and situations. It's told in the form of a series of short stories.

Download or read book Tales from the Southern Hotel written by Stephanie Macomber and published by Crossroad Press. This book was released on 2024-09-29 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fifteen-year-old Mary Lou Peters lives in the historic Southern Hotel in fictional Asheville, Maryland. Her life-long dream is to take over the hotel that her parents kept the same for so long. She discovers that she has an amazing gift that throughout these eight stories helps her solve previously unsolved mysteries, many having to do with the hotel’s eventful past. In the beginning, she has no friends besides friends of her parents. She meets all kinds of interesting people—her best friend Robby, energetic Julie, and even a few ghosts. Like everyone else, tragedies, celebrations, good and bad times are a part of Mary Lou’s life, and the hotel’s past. These stories take place in a hotel that is based on the real Southern Hotel in North Carolina. In July, 2005, I toured the hotel when it was for sale. The building and the history inspired this historical fiction collection about a mid-20th century family living in a prosperous small-town hotel.

Download or read book The Films of Agnes Moorehead written by Axel Nissen and published by Scarecrow Press. This book was released on 2013-07-11 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Before she achieved immortality on the long-running situation comedy Bewitched, Agnes Moorehead had established a distinguished career as a character actress. After her screen debut in Citizen Kane (1941), Moorehead became one of the most familiar female faces on the silver screen. For moviegoers of the 1940s and ‘50s, she was the quintessential character actress, earning four Academy Award nominations during a career that saw her gain the respect of her peers in all four major entertainment media: radio, film, theater, and television. In The Films of Agnes Moorehead, Axel Nissen looks at the actress’s sixty-three feature films between 1941 and 1973. Each film is profiled here, with particular emphasis placed on the films that merit closer attention: Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons, Mrs. Parkington, Dark Passage, All That Heaven Allows, The Left Hand of God, The Swan, Tempest, The Bat, and Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte. Arranged in chronological order, the discussion of these films highlights Moorehead’s contribution to each feature. In addition to analyzing her performances, the author discusses the development of Moorehead’s career as a whole, along with her relationship with various studios, directors, producers, and fellow actors. Based on extensive interviews with the actress’s surviving friends and co-workers, as well as detailed archival research into primary sources, this book brings to light new information not just about Moorehead’s work in film, but on her life and career in general. Though this book will certainly appeal to movie buffs, The Films of Agnes Moorehead will also be of interest to students and scholars of classic Hollywood films, including those interested in women and film, gender studies, and film history.

Download or read book Hollywood Winners Losers A to Z written by Mark Thise and published by Hal Leonard Corporation. This book was released on 2008-01-01 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ultimate film reference (and trivia) book, Hollywood Winners and Losers features almost 900 separate entries for every actor and actress ever to be nominated for an Academy Award. From icons to would-be superstars and the forgotten faces that had only a moment in the sun, every personality is listed here along with their best-known films, real names, bios, and little-known facts. More than just a reference guide or "bet-settler," this is a perennial coffee-table read, perfect for film fans of all ages. It simply cannot be beat.

Download or read book Early Autumn written by Louis Bromfield and published by DigiCat. This book was released on 2022-08-01 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Early Autumn" by Louis Bromfield. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

Download or read book Haunted House written by Susan Meddaugh and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2010 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Based on the characters created by Susan Meddaugh."

Download or read book Journeys of Desire written by Alastair Phillips and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2019-07-25 with total page 530 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive guide to European actors in American film, this book brings together 15 chapters with A-Z entries on over 900 individuals. It includes case studies of prominent individuals and phenomena associated with the emigres, such as the stereotyping of European actresses in 'bad women' roles, and the irony of Jewish actors playing Nazis.

Download or read book MGM written by Tino Balio and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-03-14 with total page 359 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The winner of the 2019 Peter C. Rollins Book Award This is the first comprehensive history of MGM from its origins in 1905 to the present. Following a straightforward chronology corresponding to specific periods of film industry history, each chapter describes how successive managements adjusted their production strategies and business practices in response to evolving industrial and market conditions. As the production subsidiary of the Loew’s Inc. theatre chain, MGM spent lavishly on its pictures and injected them with plenty of star power. The practice helped sustain MGM’s preeminent position during the heyday of Hollywood. But MGM was a conservative company and watched as other studios innovated with sound and widescreen, adjusted to television, and welcomed independent producers. By the 1960s, the company, sans its theatre chain, was in decline and was ripe for a takeover. A defining moment occurred in 1969, when Kirk Kerkorian, a Las Vegas entrepreneur, made a successful bid for the company. There followed a tumultuous thirty-six-year period when Kerkorian bought and sold MGM three times. Meanwhile, MGM never regained its former status and has functioned as a second-tier company to this day. Focusing on MGM’s top talent – such as Louis B. Mayer, Irving Thalberg, David O. Selznick, and Arthur Freed; directors King Vidor and Vincente Minnelli; and stars of the screen Greta Garbo, Judy Garland, Clark Gable, and Mickey Rooney – and award-winning films, this book highlights the studio’s artistic achievements and status within the industry.

Download or read book Leading Ladies written by Andrea Cornell Sarvady and published by Chronicle Books. This book was released on 2006-03-30 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contains photographs and profiles that examine the lives and careers of fifty actresses of the studio era who empowered women, each with an annotated list of films, style notes, behind-the-scene facts, trivia, and a list of awards and nominations.