Download or read book The Legendary Lydecker Brothers written by Jan Alan Henderson and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Theodore and Howard Lydecker worked in the Hollywood film industry long before the advent of computer generated imagery (CGI). In those days, exciting and realistic action scenes had to be filmed in real time. Known throughout the industry as the "Miniature Men," they were in fact giants in their field of creating detailed scale model ships, trains, planes, and automobiles. While these carefully crafted models performed on large-scale landscapes or backlot water tanks, all manner of mayhem and chaos would be inflicted upon them as the cameras rolled at carefully calculated film speeds. The Lydeckers produced some of the most thrilling and authentic action sequences on a shoestring budget.Primarily remembered for their outstanding visual effects in the Republic Pictures cliffhanger serials, they were often required (it was their job) to enhance the studio's feature films. When the script called for spectacular destruction, the Lydeckers delivered onscreen production value with economy the executives of the other picture studios could only imagine.This book presents an overview and some illustrated remembrances of the "Legendary Lydecker Brothers" and their outstanding contribution to special visual effects.
Download or read book Cowboys Creatures and Classics written by Chris Enss and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2018-09-01 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Take one well-oiled effective killing machine, add a familiar hero on the ground, in the air, and on horseback; stir in a ghastly end that’s surely impossible to escape, add action, add passion, made on a shoestring budget at breakneck speed, and you’ve got the recipe for Republic Pictures. Who, after all, cannot forget The Atomic Kid, starring Mickey Rooney, or The Untamed Heiress, with an un-Oscar-worthy performance by ingénue Judy Canova? Exploding onto the movie scene in 1935, Republic Pictures brought the pop culture of the 30s and 40s to neighborhood movie houses. Week after week kids sank into their matinee seats to soak up the Golden Age of the Republic series, to ride off into the classic American West. And they gave us visions of the future. Visions that inspire film makers today. Republic was a studio that dollar for dollar packed more movie onto the screen than the majors could believe. From sunrise on into the night over grueling six day weeks, no matter how much mayhem movie makers were called upon to produce, at Republic Pictures it was all in a day’s work. Republic Pictures was the little studio in the San Fernando Valley where movies were made family style. A core of technicians, directors, and actors worked hard at their craft as Republic released a staggering total of more than a thousand films through the late 1950s. Republic Pictures was home to John Wayne for thirty-three films. Always inventing, Republic brought a song to the West. It featured the West’s first singing cowboy. Republic brought action, adventure, and escape to neighborhood movies houses across America. And they brought it with style. Scene from westerns such as The Three Mesquiteers and the Lawless Range gave screaming kids at the bijou a white-knuckle display of expert film making. Republic Pictures became a studio where major directors could bring their personal vision to the screen. Sometimes these were projects no other studio would touch such as The Quiet Man (which brought director John Ford an Oscar) and Macbeth. Killer Bs, Cowboys, Creatures and Classics: The Story of Republic Pictures is for anyone who likes B movies magic. It is the honest account of an extraordinary production house, one whose ability to turn out films quickly boded well for its transition into television production. Not only were its sets used for such shows as Leave it to Beaver and Gilligan’s Island, stock footage from Republic’s movies was used on such shows as Gunsmoke and The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp.
Download or read book Science Fiction Film Television and Adaptation written by Jay Telotte and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2011-08-05 with total page 409 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While film and television seem to be closely allied screen media, our feature films and television series have seldom been successfully adapted across those screens. In fact, rather than functioning as portals, those allied media often seem, quite literally, screens that filter out something that made the source work so popular in its original form. Differences in budget, running times, cast, viewing habits, screen size and shape all come into play, and this volume’s aim is to track a number of popular texts in the course of their adaptive journeys across the screens in order to sketch the workings of that cross-media adaptation. For its specific examples, the volume draws on a single genre—science fiction—not only because it is one of the most popular today in either film or television, but also because it is arguably the most self-conscious of contemporary genres, and thus one that most obviously frames the terms of these technological adaptations. The essays included here mine that reflexive character, in both highly successful and in failed efforts at cross-media adaption, to help us understand what film and television achieve in screening science fiction, and to reveal some of the key issues involved in all of our efforts to navigate the various screens that have become part of contemporary culture.
Download or read book Fantastic Serial Sites of California written by Gail Orwig and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2022-11-02 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first of its kind, this guide to California filming sites covers five decades of science fiction, fantasy, and horror in chapter plays. Covering more than 60 serials, many familiar locations are documented, including the rugged terrain of Red Rock Canyon, which served as a stand-in for Saturn in Buck Rogers; the Bronson Caves and Griffith Observatory, which appeared in Flash Gordon; and the famous Iverson Ranch, which appeared in Batman, Superman and many other serials. The reader will also find serials starring Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney, Jr. Also covered are the skyscrapers that appeared alongside Captain Marvel in The Adventures of Captain Marvel, the location of the Green Hornet's apartment and filming locations for five silent serials. The in-depth storytelling is enhanced by photos of serial memorabilia, postcards, serial descriptions, accurate instructions to locations, notes and more.
Download or read book Motion Pictures From the Fabulous 1940 s written by Terry Rowan and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2016-01-06 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Europe the war was already old, but while feeding nickels into roadhouse jukeboxes, the Presidential conventions, where the biggest question would be whether That Man in the White House would shatter yet another precedent and run for a third term. To many Americans, there seemed little else worth worrying about. As with all time periods, the 1940s had a set of specific fads that were popular around the country. Read this book and find out about the films of this decade and more...
Download or read book The American Western A Complete Film Guide written by Terry Rowan and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2012-11-18 with total page 474 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive film guide featuring films and television shows of the great American western. The stories of the men and women who tamed the old West. Also featuring actors and directors who made these films possible.
Download or read book Monsters in the Movies written by John Landis and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2011-12-13 with total page 798 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From B-movie bogeymen and outer space oddities to big-budget terrors, Monsters in the Movies by legendary filmmaker John Landis showcases the greatest monsters ever to creep, fly, slither, stalk, or rampage across the Silver Screen! Landis provides his own fascinating and entertaining insights into the world of moviemaking, while conducting in-depth "conversations" with leading monster makers, including David Cronenberg, Christopher Lee, John Carpenter, and Sam Raimi — to discuss some of the most petrifying monsters ever seen. He also surveys the historical origins of the archetypal monsters, such as vampires, zombies, and werewolves, and takes you behind the scenes to discover the secrets of those special-effects wizards who created such legendary frighteners as King Kong, Dracula, and Halloween's Michael Myers. With more than 1000 stunning movie stills and posters, this book is sure to keep even the most intense fright-seekers at the edge of their seats for hours!
Download or read book Crypt 39 written by Jan Alan Henderson and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2016-06-05 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A mystery that can never be solved is truly a mystery. This is the case of TV's Superman, George Reeves. Found dead in his Benedict Canyon home in 1959, stories have circulated for decades on what took down the Man of Steel. George Reeves, the human being, was not the Man of Steel. "Crypt 39, Coroner's Case 45426 George Reeves" is a fictional first person account of the last decade of this TV icon's life.
Download or read book American Cinematographer written by and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 772 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Irwin Allen Television Productions 1964 1970 written by Jon Abbott and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2015-06-14 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Before establishing himself as the "master of disaster" with the 1970s films The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno, Irwin Allen created four of television's most exciting and enduring science-fiction series: Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel and Land of the Giants. These 1960s series were full of Allen's favorite tricks, techniques and characteristic touches, and influenced other productions from the original Star Trek forward. Every science-fiction show owes something to Allen, yet none has equaled his series' pace, excitement, or originality. This detailed examination and documentation of the premise and origin of the four shows offers an objective evaluation of every episode--and demonstrates that when Irwin Allen's television episodes were good, they were great, and when they were bad, they were still terrific fun.
Download or read book John Wayne Was Here written by Roland Schaefli and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2021-06-09 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: John Wayne worked on film sets around the globe. This book follows the trail, from his beginnings on the Fox backlot to his final filming in Lone Pine, California. Locations in Mexico, Normandy, Rome, Madrid, London, Ireland, Libya and Africa are covered, along with his favorite vacation spots in Hawaii, Acapulco, Greece, Monaco, and the Hollywood hot-spots he frequented. Anecdotes revisit his most famous scenes, including Rooster Cogburn's charge in True Grit (1969) and Davy Crockett's last stand in The Alamo (1960). Production details describe how San Diego stood in for Iwo Jima, how Old Tucson was turned into El Dorado, and how Genghis Kahn ruled over the deserts of Utah. Never before published photos present then-and-now views in this first of its kind guided tour for film location hunters and Wayne aficionados.
Download or read book Ed Wood and the Lost Lugosi Screenplays written by Gary D. Rhodes and published by BearManor Media. This book was released on 2016-05-26 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With trowel and brush in hand, noted film archaeologist Gary D. Rhodes excavates the cinematic sepulcher of Ed Wood's unproduced scripts for Bela Lugosi, The Vampire's Tomb and The Ghoul Goes West. Joining Rhodes on the expedition are pith-helmeted horror movie expert Tom Weaver, plus Lugosi's original biographer Robert Cremer. These Raiders of the Lost Archives dig deep into the desert of unfilmed films, unearthing all manner of previously unknown artifacts and unseen relics. Ed Wood and the Lost Lugosi Screenplays puts these treasures on exhibit for the very first time. "Ed Wood would shout, 'Perfect!' if he saw this book. An amazing collection of unproduced work from the low budget maestro, lovingly curated and explained. Worth buying for the intros alone. These guys know their stuff." - Larry Karaszewski, screenwriter of Tim Burton's Ed Wood (1994) "Hot on the heels of Gary D. Rhodes' Bride of the Monster script book comes Ed Wood and the Lost Lugosi Screenplays. Delving into the most mythical aspects of the Wood saga, this book examines the facts and mysteries of these unproduced works. Essential for genre enthusiasts." - Jan Alan Henderson, author of Speeding Bullet, The Legendary Lydecker Brothers, and Crypt 39 - a Novel "Gary D. Rhodes, a living breathing encyclopedia of all things Bela Lugosi, now takes us into 'what might have been' territory ... Rhodes' research is, as always, impressively meticulous. How does he find some of this stuff?" - David-Elijah Nahmod, journalist and film critic "Anyone interested in film production history will find this book fascinating. Those who seek insights into the intriguing lives of Ed Wood and Bela Lugosi will be doubly rewarded. But I'm thinking right now of the number of readers who are increasingly interested in screenplay origins, screenplay histories: for that growing number of readers this book will prove to be a true gem!" - Graeme Harper, Dean of the Honors College, Oakland University, Michigan
Download or read book Encyclopedia of American Film Serials written by Geoff Mayer and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2017-02-07 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From their heyday in the 1910s to their lingering demise in the 1950s, American film serials delivered excitement in weekly installments for millions of moviegoers, despite minuscule budgets, nearly impossible shooting schedules and the disdain of critics. Early heroines like Pearl White, Helen Holmes and Ruth Roland broke gender barriers and ruled the screen. Through both world wars, such serials as Spy Smasher and Batman were vehicles for propaganda. Smash hits like Flash Gordon and The Lone Ranger demonstrated the enduring mass appeal of the genre. Providing insight into early 20th century American culture, this book analyzes four decades of productions from Pathe, Universal, Mascot and Columbia, and all 66 Republic serials.
Download or read book Vintage Science Fiction Films 1896 1949 written by Michael Benson and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Along with biographical material on the stars, the filmmakers, and the technicians responsible for cinema's first special effects, this volume has plot summaries of all the films, production anecdotes, literary origins and production credits.
Download or read book Mary C McCall Jr written by J. E. Smyth and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2024-09-03 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A screenwriter, novelist, labor leader, Hollywood insider, and feminist, Mary C. McCall Jr. was one of the film industry’s most powerful figures in the 1940s and early 1950s. She was elected the first woman president of the Screen Writers Guild after leading the fight to unionize the industry’s writers and secured the first contract guaranteeing a minimum wage, credit protection, and pay raises. Her advocacy was not welcomed by all: To screenwriters McCall was an “avenging goddess,” but to studio heads she was, in the words of one Hollywood executive, “the meanest bitch in town.” And after a clash with the mogul Howard Hughes in the blacklist-era 1950s, she disappeared from the pages of Hollywood history. J. E. Smyth tells McCall’s remarkable story for the first time, putting the spotlight on her trailblazing career and crucial influence. She explores McCall’s life and work, from her friendships with stars such as Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, and James Cagney to her authorship of the hit Maisie series about a working-class showgirl’s adventures. Analyzing McCall’s deft political maneuvering, Smyth offers new insight on screenwriters’ struggle for equality and recognition. She also examines why McCall’s legacy is unrecognized, showing how the Hollywood blacklist and entrenched sexism obscured her accomplishments. Colorful and compelling, this biography provides a powerful account of how one extraordinary woman shaped golden age Hollywood.
Download or read book Roman Art written by Nancy Lorraine Thompson and published by Metropolitan Museum of Art. This book was released on 2007 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A complete introduction to the rich cultural legacy of Rome through the study of Roman art ... It includes a discussion of the relevance of Rome to the modern world, a short historical overview, and descriptions of forty-five works of art in the Roman collection organized in three thematic sections: Power and Authority in Roman Portraiture; Myth, Religion, and the Afterlife; and Daily Life in Ancient Rome. This resource also provides lesson plans and classroom activities."--Publisher website.
Download or read book Donovan s Brain written by Curt Siodmak and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2016-10-21 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The SF classic novel of the terror that lurked in DONOVAN’S BRAIN. DEAD...Doomed by disease, then mangled in a plane crash, there was no doubt that Donovan was dead. YET...floating in a tank of nutrient, linked to complex apparatus, Donovan’s brain still lived... ALIVE...someone walked with Donovan’s gait, wrote his signature, knew his foulest secrets—and carried out his last, weirdest plan! “Donovan’s Brain is terrific!”—THE NEW YORK TIMES