Classic Movie Fans Asked for It... Here it is!

 

Many people asked for a paperback version of my books on classic movies, so here it is!

I've just released my first three eBooks (CLASSIC MOVIES: 14 Films You May Not Have Seen, But Should, Classic Movie Gems and Hidden Hollywood Gold) as ONE volume in PAPERBACK!

It's called Hollywood Gems of the Golden Age: 50 Films You May Not Have Seen, But Should.

Check out the Amazon link below and see what underappreciated Hollywood treasures I write about, giving you my take and taking you behind the scenes.

Hollywood Gems of the Golden Age

If you get the chance to read it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Gone with the Wind: Who Will Play Scarlett O'Hara?

 

In 1936, producer David O. Selznick bought the film rights to a new novel that was sweeping the nation.  Margaret Mitchell's epic saga of the South, Gone with the Wind. Among the numerous massive preparations for the movie, top of the list was to find just the right actress to play the lead role... fiery Southern belle, Scarlett O'Hara. 

Actresses both famous and infamous wanted the role of a lifetime.  Some were deemed too old (Tallulah Bankhead), some too inexperienced (Lana Turner and Susan Hayward), some came close to landing the part (Paulette Goddard and Joan Bennett).  When the dust settled, it was a beautiful English rose, Vivien Leigh, who came out on top.

But the getting there was extremely interesting and more than intriguing.  A true slice of Hollywood history, the Search for Scarlett O'Hara would never see the likes of casting possibilities again.  My book by that name is now available in paperback, revised and expanded (the eBook version has also been revised and expanded in a 2nd edition).  The Search for Scarlett O'Hara: Gone with the Wind and Hollywood's Most Famous Casting Call is perfect classic movie reading about what is arguably the most famous classic movie of them all.  Check it by clicking on the photo below.

Welcome to Sherwood! More Than Just Men in Tights

When Warner Brothers started to make plans for a version of the legendary story of Robin Hood they planned to feature their main headliner, James Cagney as the man in green.  Yep, it's true.  They even marketed the upcoming movie with Cagney's name in a leading trade paper at the time.

However, it didn't work out and Flynn was in! And boy, aren't we, the classic movie viewer glad.  He was... IS Robin Hood. Olivia de Havilland IS Lady Marian Fitzwalter, though she too wasn't the only actress considered for the part.

All the backstory of this tantalizing tale is in the new book, Errol, Olivia & The Merry Men of Sherwood: The Making of The Adventures of Robin Hood, on sale now at Amazon! A fantastic price for some fantastic information about one of Hollywood's most-loved films.
Check it out at the link below!

Jane Eyre (1944) Textbook Gothic Romance

Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries there have been many, many, many versions of Charlotte Bronte's classic novel, Jane Eyre, both on the big and small screens and produced on both sides of the Atlantic.  Arguably the best-known (and in this blogger's opinion the best) is the 1944 installment from 20th Century-Fox, which starred Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine.  One of the first things to note when watching Hollywood's retelling of the beloved book is that while acting out the story, the film also attempts to rewrite it... literally!  "Text" from the book, shown on screen and emphasized with highlights, have nothing in common with the actual words of Bronte's novel.  Still, artistic license abounds in Tinsel Town, as it always has.

The basic premise is, of course, the same in Fox's version as it is in Charlotte's.  Published in 1847, Jane Eyre tells the story of the title character, a ten-year-old orphan in Yorkshire, England, who lives with and is mistreated by her aunt, Mrs. Reed.  To escape the oppression of her relatives home, Jane goes to Lowood Institution, a dark and dank asylum for orphaned girls.  She finds harsh treatment at Lowood and spends a decade there before coming of age and leaving to take a position as governess at Thronfield Hall.  She meets the brooding master of Thornfield, Edward Rochester, and discovers romance, intrigue and heinous mystery within the estate's walls.

Unbeknownst to many who enjoy this film, the initial idea for this version was taken on by none other than David O. Selznick.  The movie impresario who produced Gone with the Wind and Rebecca, set about organizing the production, only to sell the package (along with two other projects, Claudia and The Keys to the Kingdom) to Fox.  Part of the package deal was Selznick contract actress, Joan Fontaine.

Ironically, when discussing the film in her autobiography, No Bed of Roses, Fontaine's focus is on the pomposity and arrogance of her co-star, Orson Welles.  Her entire reminiscence of the picture revolves around Welles and his bad behavior during production.  Wrote the actress:  "Orson Welles was a huge man in 1943.  Everything about him was oversized, including his ego.  Unlike Charles Boyer or Fred Astaire, Orson's concern was entirely for Orson:  Jane Eyre was simply a medium to show off his talents."  That point aside, Welles used the $100,000 he made from the movie to support his other personal film projects, specifically It's All True, a documentary-style film which remains unfinished to this day. (Completed footage from the film, as well as documentary about its production was compiled for a DVD in 2004).

Another interesting bit of potential casting was Selznick's idea to hire Suzanne Farrington, daughter of Vivien Leigh and her first husband, Leigh Holman, as young Jane.  The idea was nixed by Holman, however, who didn't want his daughter to follow in her mother's professional footsteps.  Peggy Ann Garner played the part (with young Elizabeth Taylor taking on the role of her fragile friend, Helen, in an unbilled part).  The picture is filled with other, well-seasoned supporting players, including, Agnes Moorehead as Aunt Reed, Sara Allgood as the kind-hearted Bessie, and Margaret O'Brien as Rochester's precocious ward, Adele (did O'Brien ever play anything but precocious?).

Good movie.

Key Largo (1948): The Hurricane Cometh

At the height of hurricane season, my cinematic thoughts drifted to movies from the golden age in which a hurricane played a major role.  Key Largo was the immediate film that came to mind.  Bogart was a major star by the time the picture hit the screens, and Bacall was no shrinking violet in the realm of celebrity herself.  It was the last of their screen pairings, all of which formed their iconic '40s on-screen bond.

Also in the mix is the legendary Edward G. Robinson, playing a character he had perfected almost 20 years earlier: a gangster (ie: a hood, thug, underworld male-diva). Oh, and there's a Barrymore on hand, Lionel.  It's always good to have a Barrymore on hand if you can get one. Rounding out the star power of this film noir classic is Claire Trevor, giving a no-holds-barred performance as Robinson's boozy, anxiety-ridden moll.

Director John Huston, who excelled at this type of taut, dark, dangerous Warner Brothers picture, knew how to get what he wanted from Trevor's performance.  In one of the film's memorable scenes, Claire is forced to sing by sadistic Robinson. Huston informed Trevor that they were to film her song that very day.  Not a trained singer, and not having rehearsed the song yet, she felt very ill-at-ease and intimidated by the A-list actors seated directly in front of her. The result was a hesitant, nervous, uncomfortable rendition, exactly what Huston was hoping for.  It also resulted in Trevor garnering a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

If you're in the path of a hurricane, stay safe.  If you are just having rainy day blues, catch this impressive, totally watchable classic.

Yet ANOTHER Classic Movie Paperback!

Variety is the spice of life (so they say), and with a great response for the paperback edition of GIRL NEXT DOOR, my biography of Jeanne Crain, I've now released THE NAME BELOW THE TITLE in a paperback format as well.  This edition includes all THREE volumes of the eBooks in ONE!

Check it out by clicking HERE!

NOW in Paperback!

It's been more than 10 months since GIRL NEXT DOOR:  The Life and Career of Jeanne Crain was published in digital format for Kindle.  Since then I have received truly hundreds of requests for a "real" version.  Well, you asked for it, so here it is!  The book (which has been very well-received I'm happy to report) has just been published in a trade paperback format!  You can check it out on Amazon across the globe at any of the links below:

United States: https://amzn.to/2OIzB8u
United Kingdom: https://amzn.to/2KqyEyf
Canada: https://amzn.to/2nf6QE0
Germany: https://amzn.to/2KugwU1
Mexico: https://amzn.to/2Kus1ei
Italy: https://amzn.to/2LS5C02

I hope you get a chance to read it and also that you thoroughly enjoy it!

Birthday Remembrance....

...for beautiful Jeanne Crain, here on her wedding day in 1945, with new hubby Paul Brinkman.  Born on May 25, 1925, the actress would have been 93 had she lived.

My biography of the star, GIRL NEXT DOOR:  The Life and Career of Jeanne Crain, has had a wonderful reception and includes a treasure trove of intimate and fascinating photos from the Crain / Brinkman family archives.

If you like Jeanne, or just Hollywood during the 1940s and '50s, check it out at one of the Amazon links below.

United States

United Kingdom

Canada
Australia
Germany

Clint Walker - Death of a TV (and Movie) Cowboy

He was best known as the tall, barrel-chested cowboy, Cheyenne Bodie on the ABC TV western, Cheyenne in the '50s and early '60s, but his earliest work on screen was in feature films.  This past Monday, May 21, Clint Walker died, just nine days shy of his ninety-first birthday.

Born in Illinois, Walker joined the US Merchant Marine at the age of 17, in the final days of World War II.  One of his earliest acting jobs was for Cecil B. DeMille in the gargantuan Bible epic, The Ten Commandments, but before the movie premiered, Clint had landed what would be his signature role, Cheyenne.  For eight years, Walker's good looks and impressive 6' 6" frame made him a favorite with television audiences.

He appeared in other big screen releases including None But the Brave with Frank Sinatra, The Dirty Dozen, with a multitude of macho heavyweights like Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson and Jim Brown, and a leading role in The Night of the Grizzly.

Walker is survived by his third wife, Susan Cavallari and a daughter.

Last Weekend at the Debut Price!

For all fans of classic 20th Century-Fox star, Jeanne Crain, my new biography of her, Girl Next Door:  The Life and Career of Jeanne Crain, will be available on Amazon at the special debut price through this weekend.  Classic movie fans know Jeanne as America's sweetheart during the late '40s and 1950s.  The book includes many intimate family photos, made available through the Jeanne Crain Brinkman Family Trust.  Read the first two chapters for FREE here.