Golden Age of Hollywood Book Club discussion

What books do you think group members would love to read?

I love books about the early days of the movies, including novels with that setting. Two that I really enjoyed were The Rocky Mountain Moving Picture Association and The Edge of Ruin.

As a lover of Film Noir some good books and authors whom write in that genre:

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
Poodle Springs by Raymond Chandler

Also, I have yet to see the movie but I did really enjoy the book Breakfast at Tiffany's

Silver wrote: "As a lover of Film Noir some good books and authors whom write in that genre:

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
The Black Dahlia by [author:James Ellr..."

I will have check out The Maltese Falcon because I like the movie :) I'm not sure if I've seen The Black Dahlia but have heard about the murder case that really happened. I also haven't heard of Poodle Springs. I love Breakfast at Tiffany's! The movie is a little different then the book.

Phair wrote: "I love books about the early days of the movies, including novels with that setting. Two that I really enjoyed were The Rocky Mountain Moving Picture Association[bookcover:The Rocky ..."

Those sound interesting. When I add the books everyone is suggesting I will add a shelf for movie inspired fiction :)

I just inter-library loaned a cool book: Hollywood and History: Costume Design in Film which is full of costume sketches, actual costumes and stills from tons of period films, mostly from the golden age. So far I've mainly pored over the pictures & only dabbled in the text.

My library just got in this new book by Robert Wagner that got good reviews
You Must Remember This: Life and Style in Hollywood's Golden Age. . It will go on my mountainous TBR list.

Phair wrote: "My library just got in this new book by Robert Wagner that got good reviews
You Must Remember This: Life and Style in Hollywood's Golden Age. [bookcover:You Must Remember This: Life..."

I would have loved to win this book from the Goodreads giveaway! Let me know if the book seems worth buying whenever you get a chance to browse through. I am going to see if my library has this :)

I just got an email from my library saying the book You Must Remember This: Life and Style in Hollywood's Golden Age by Rober Wagner is in! I will let you know what I initially think once I pick it up :)

I was lucky to buy a copy of Those Glorious Glamour Years. at a book sale ($1.00!).

Loving it so far. Chock full of studio publicity stills of gorgeous outfits from 1930's films with nicely detailed descriptions of each including tidbits about the actresses and designers as well as the whys & wherefores of the designs. Sections on evening, daytime, 'at home', sport, bridal and period costume.

Scrumtious!

I've been reading another series by one of my fav authors, Loren Estleman, which, although having a contemporary setting is full of info about the golden age of Hollywood. The Valentino Mysteries start with Frames in which our modern Valentino is a film preservationist at UCLA who stumbles on a lost print of Stroheim's silent film Greed as well as a more recent murder. Only two more books so far in the series. Just finished Alone which features Greta Garbo and hope to start #3 Alive! featuring Bela Lugosi's lost screen test for the part of Frankenstein. These are great fun and the author includes scads of recommended books for further reading on each subject as well as annotated filmographies.

Phair wrote: "I've been reading another series by one of my fav authors, Loren Estleman, which, although having a contemporary setting is full of info about the golden age of Hollywood. The Valentino Mysteries ..."

Thanks! These sound great!

Having just read that mystery highlighting Greta Garbo I discovered TCM is airing a bunch of Garbo films including some of the silents next week!

I highly recommend "Trumbo" by Larry Ceplair and Christopher Trumbo. It's a comprehensive look at Dalton Trumbo's life and is a must read for anyone interested in the Red Scare and the resultant Blacklist.

Lee wrote: "I highly recommend "Trumbo" by Larry Ceplair and Christopher Trumbo. It's a comprehensive look at Dalton Trumbo's life and is a must read for anyone interested in the Red Scare and the resultant Bl..."

Great! I added the book to our group's bookshelf! Have you read Tender Comrades: Backstory of the Hollywood Blacklist by Patrick McGilligan and Paul Buhle? It's on my to-read and the groups shelf.

Jamie wrote: "Lee wrote: "I highly recommend "Trumbo" by Larry Ceplair and Christopher Trumbo. It's a comprehensive look at Dalton Trumbo's life and is a must read for anyone interested in the Red Scare and the ..."

Hi Jamie- I've not read that one, although I have read several others on the topic in the course of my research for my newest project. Among them are "Naming Names" by Victor Navasky and "Class Struggle in Hollywood, 1930-1950" by Gerald Horne. That era was fascinating to read about.

Lee wrote: "Jamie wrote: "Lee wrote: "I highly recommend "Trumbo" by Larry Ceplair and Christopher Trumbo. It's a comprehensive look at Dalton Trumbo's life and is a must read for anyone interested in the Red ..."

Great recommendations!

I've been a longtime reader of Golden-Age material. Stage plays, biographies, source novels for famous films, shooting scripts, industry exposes...cinematography...film theory...auteurs theory and criticism...scandal books and tell-alls.

The latest one in my sights are these: Hollywood Rajah: The Life and Times of Louis B. Mayer written by the famous (famously scathing) Golden Age film reviewer, Bosley Crowther.

This series also catches my eye:
Boom and Bust: American Cinema in the 1940s
there's one for all the classic film decades.

You also may have seen this series on PBS:
The Complete History of American Film Criticism

But these days I read mostly research on the studio system or the history of screenwriting, etc.

This one I just finished was wonderful. B Movies Written with so much gusto & love and every few pages has something to grin over. Too many film books are written in 'detached, clinical' fashion. Not this one. Miller is very droll as he tells about how many times a 'woman's brain into ape body' storyline was used and re-used.

But its a very educating book. The story of so many actors and directors as they were on their way up, rising through the ranks of the 'B' movie system.

Picture books and glamor books don't usually appeal to me, but here's one you may dig:
What Becomes a Legend Most?: The Blackglama Story

Feliks wrote: "I've been a longtime reader of Golden-Age material. Stage plays, biographies, source novels for famous films, shooting scripts, industry exposes...cinematography...film theory...auteurs theory and ..."

Thank you for the recommendations!!!

Currently reading 'Saint Cinema; Writings On The Film, 1929-1970'|
by Herman G. Weinberg

Wunnerful collection of film reviews originally printed by Film Life magazine or something like that. A place to read appraisals of early Chaplin, Lang, Eisenstein, deMille, Flaherty, von Stroheim, Pabst, Murnau, Welles, and Renoir films (...some of which don't even exist today or have been re-cut or distorted far from their original form).

Its a fun book in that every chapter is very short; (the length of the original article); and no continuity. You can pick it up, flip to any page and start with a fresh topic.

Weinburg was one of those guys in the studio era who 'knew everybody' and 'everybody knew him'. An endless trove of anecdotes and remembrances.

I'm a little bit premature, but my newest book, "Sterling Hayden's Wars", is being released by the University Press of Mississippi in May. It is the authorized biography of the late film star (The Asphalt Jungle, Dr. Strangelove, The Godfather, etc), best-selling author, and war hero Sterling Hayden. If you recall, he was also caught up in the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings, where he "named names." I had the pleasure of meeting his widow and son who contributed to the book and as a result, I'm the only researcher who has ever been granted access to the Sterling Hayden Collection at Boston University. He led an incredible life.
More to follow!

Wow. He's one of my favorite actors. I've always admired the attitude he took towards his career, often saying something to the effect that "he just took movie roles to pay for his passion for yachting and sailing." A real down-to-earth, pragmatic American who never put on any airs.

He named names in committee? I wasn't aware of this. Shocking. Definitely a gap in my knowledge about him. I'd never associated him with the usual fallout that usually ensued from giving testimony (such as befell Robert Taylor, or Elia Kazan, for example).

Whew. I need to look further into this. Anyway we will add your book to our group bookshelf and highlight it as best we can. Congratulations!

I have a section in the book that covers the HUAC hearings. Yes, he did provide a few names, names the committee already knew but wanted to hear come out of the mouth of a Hollywood star. Hayden regretted this for the rest of his life. He was a complex man who struggled with depression, alcoholism and hashish abuse, yet he was a master sailor, remained in demand as an actor and penned two international bestsellers. He was truly a tormented Renaissance man.

Aye. Yeah its odd that he is hardly talked about as much as some other big-name actors in the 40s-50s (Bogie, Widmark, Heston) yet Hayden starred in two linchpin movies for both crime and noir. There's almost no pair of flicks as influential as 'Asphalt Jungle' and 'The Killing'. Perhaps only 'Maltese Falcon' carries as much weight as these two titles among enthusiasts.

To my eye, his acting skills never diminished as he got older. I love the roles he took in the 1970s. He always appeared confident in every performance.

But yea it was his honest love for the ocean and boats that always recommended his character to me.

I'm dismayed that he wound up on the wrong side of that committee and glad it did not ruin his career. Taylor and Kazan were excoriated by their fellow professionals for the rest of their lives.

Lee wrote: "I have a section in the book that covers the HUAC hearings. Yes, he did provide a few names, names the committee already knew but wanted to hear come out of the mouth of a Hollywood star. Hayden re..."

Your book sounds great and I hope I get to read it soon! Asphalt Jungle is a great movie! I need to re-watch it and other Hayden movies.

As I previewed in a prior post, my newest book, "Sterling Hayden's Wars", is being released this week. It is an authorized biography of the late film star (The Godfather, The Killing, The Asphalt Jungle, Dr. Strangelove, etc), author, and war hero, Sterling Hayden. I was able to interview several family members as well as several surviving acquaintances for the book and my research took me to the National Archives as well as to the Howard Gotlieb Research Archives at Boston University where I was the only researcher ever granted access to the Sterling Hayden collection. I've been a Sterling Hayden fan since I first saw him in 'Suddenly' with Frank Sinatra when I was a kid and I'm honored to have the opportunity to present his life story.

Used book score!

Leading Ladies: The 50 Most Unforgettable Actresses of the Studio Era

Sounds like a great book! Have you read it yet? I sure miss Robert Osborne.

Well, I mostly glommed it for the handsome look of the edition; out on my little display table where I put my reading material. Looks snazzy. I've flipped through it but mostly already know all the info in it!

But it just goes to show that people are tossing away really fine hardbound titles when they should hang on to them!

The Ragman's Son,the autobiography of Kirk Douglas.
Bring on the Empty Horses,and The Moon's a Balloon by David Niven.

If you are in the mood for a gossipy Hollywood read but with some substance too, I highly recommend The Man Who Seduced Hollywood: The Life and Loves of Greg Bautzer, Tinseltown's Most Powerful Lawyer.

The pioneering African-American film-maker Oscar Micheaux (1884-1951) suffered from racism, of course, but he also wanted his own people to be harder on themselves; he had no patience for excuses. This disdain for the unambitious is related to W.E.B. Du Bois’ idea of the “Talented Tenth” (which I have always found attractive, but then I’m an unabashed elitist 🙂 ). Micheaux emerges as a complex and inspiring figure in Patrick McGilligan’s excellent biography Oscar Micheaux: The Great and Only: The Life of America's First Black Filmmaker. Unlike those who become icons of this or that * , he does lend himself to simplification, and this is probably why he is not famous.

* Icons are not always to blame for their own iconography - some self-promote in that way, some don’t. But something about them allows the public to retain a simple image, which is the only sort of concept the public mind can handle.

I've ordered The Pleasure Dome - Graham Greene: The Collected Film Criticism, 1935-40.

.

I'm a staunch fan of Greene and I want to hear how he rates what was maybe the greatest five-year period in movie-making.

Greene was an acerbic and penetrating newspaper columnist at that time, writing about literature and politics --but with his emphasis on cinema that's added value as far as my own tastes. Win-win for me.

Ooh, that sound interesting Feliks, since I am also a fan of Greene.

I would highly recommend this book as an inside look at the making and continuing interest in the classic film Casablanca
by Noah Isenberg

Johnny Guitar is also a great Hayden role.

I just bought by Mark A. Vieira. I haven't started it yet but leafing through it, I think it will be interesting. It is published under the TCM banner.

Thankfully, we've avoided the Great Debate on film noir so far in this group.

Aka "What is noir?"..

Sporadic observations are okay but there is deliberately not any official discussion devoted to this topic.

Its included on the Big List of Dangerous Controversies we keep at bay. Simply breeds too much partisan sentiments, too many divisions, and too many vehement rifts.

Jill wrote: "I just bought by Mark A. Vieira. I haven't started it yet but leafing through it, I think it will be int..."

Sounds like my kind of book, Jill. You are a great source for recommendations.