We Will Always Live in Beverly Hills

We Will Always Live in Beverly Hills

Author: Ned Wynn

Publisher: William Morrow

Published: 1990

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Ned Wynn is the son of movie actor Keenan Wynn and the grandson of the immortal comedian Ed Wynn. His story is the male counterpart to the female-dominated literature of Hollywood childhoods, from Haywire to Mommie Dearest. 32 black-and-white photographs.


Van Johnson

Van Johnson

Author: Ronald L. Davis

Publisher: Univ. Press of Mississippi

Published: 2009-09-28

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 9781604737073

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Van Johnson's dazzling smile, shock of red hair, and suntanned freckled cheeks made him a movie-star icon. Among teenaged girls in the 1940s, he was popularized as the bobbysoxer's heartthrob. He won the nation's heart, too, by appearing in a series of blockbuster war films—A Guy Named Joe, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, Weekend at the Waldorf, and Battleground. Perennially a leading man opposite June Allyson, Esther Williams, Judy Garland, and Janet Leigh, he rose to fame radiating the sunshine image Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer chose for him, that of an affable, wholesome boy-next-door. Legions of adoring moviegoers were captivated by this idealized persona that generated huge box-office profits for the studio. However, Johnson's off-screen life was not so sunny. His mother had rejected him in childhood, and he lived his adult life dealing with sexual ambivalence. A marriage was arranged with the ex-wife of his best friend, the actor Keenan Wynn. During the waning years of Hollywood's Golden Age, she and Johnson lived amid the glow of Hollywood's A-crowd. Yet their private life was charged with tension and conflict. Although morose and reclusive by nature, Johnson maintained a happy-go-lucky façade, even among co-workers who knew him as a congenial, dedicated professional. Once free of the golden-boy stereotype, he became a respected actor assigned stellar roles in such acclaimed films as State of the Union, Command Decision, The Last Time I Saw Paris, and The Caine Mutiny. With the demise of the big studios, Johnson returned to the stage, where he had begun his career as a song-and-dance man. After this, he appeared frequently in television shows, performed in nightclubs, and became the legendary darling of older audiences on the dinner playhouse circuit. Johnson (1916-2008) spent his post-Hollywood years living in solitude in New York City. This solid, thoroughly researched biography traces the career and influence of a favorite star and narrates a fascinating, sometimes troubled life story.


Joe and Marilyn

Joe and Marilyn

Author: C. David Heymann

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2014-07-01

Total Pages: 448

ISBN-13: 1439191794

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

From the New York Times bestselling author of Bobby and Jackie comes the riveting, true story of the passionate, volatile relationship between baseball great Joe DiMaggio and Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe. When Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe eloped in January of 1954, they became an international sensation. Joe and Marilyn reveals the true inside story of these two iconic figures whose marital troubles were Hollywood legend. Though their marriage only lasted nine months, they remained close until Monroe’s mysterious death in 1962 at the age of thirty-six. He had a half-dozen red roses delivered three times a week to her crypt for twenty years. According to Heymann, DiMaggio remained devoted to her until his own death in 1999. An intimate, sensitive, shocking, and richly detailed look at two of America’s biggest stars, Heymann delivers the expertise and passion for his subjects that his many fans so love. Based on extensive archival research and personal interviews with family and friends, Joe and Marilyn offers great insight into this famously tragic romance. Sixteen pages of striking photos accompany this unforgettable love.


The Agency

The Agency

Author: Frank Rose

Publisher: Frank Rose

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 580

ISBN-13: 9780887308079

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The story of the William Morris Agency is the stoyr of show business itself. Founded at the turn of the century, it stood as the premier agency in Hollywood for 80 years. With unvarnished descriptions of the board that runs William Morris and the needy and demanding stars they represent, The Agency is a compelling tale that lifts the curtain on the most intriguing business in Americ today. Photos.


Margaret O'Brien

Margaret O'Brien

Author: Allan R. Ellenberger

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2015-09-11

Total Pages: 255

ISBN-13: 1476604010

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Among Hollywood's child stars are some talented children, normal and pleasant who find fame in film. Margaret O'Brien is one; her career began in 1941. The fresh-faced moppet quickly became a sensation and won the 1944 Academy Award for Outstanding Child Actress. As Adele in Jane Eyre (1944) and Beth in Little Women (1949), Margaret endeared herself to millions. Despite the strain of growing up on screen, O'Brien continues to perform today. This reference work details O'Brien's remarkable and varied career on stage, screen, and television: it includes a biography and a complete listing of all her film, radio, stage, and television appearances, as well as references to her in magazines and newspapers. Each entry includes complete production information, as well as reviews and behind-the-scenes commentary. Included are forewords by Robert Young and O'Brien herself, who provided much of the information in this book. Dozens of photos, including many from O'Brien's personal collection, illustrate the text and show the varied stages of a career that includes both famous roles and famous friendships.


Unreal Estate

Unreal Estate

Author: Michael Gross

Publisher: Broadway

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 562

ISBN-13: 076793265X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A history of lucrative real estate in Los Angeles shares the lesser-known contributions of a range of figures from Douglas Fairbanks and Marilyn Monroe to Howard Hughes and Ronald Reagan. By the best-selling author of Rogues' Gallery.


In His Arms

In His Arms

Author: Caraway Carter

Publisher: Never Too Late Books

Published:

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In His Arms is a collection of stories that explores the lives of men making mistakes and finding solutions that give them the happier ever lives they crave. Brandon is in Paris for the wedding of his twin sister, has a fling with the man who becomes his brother-in-law. An artist recounts a lifetime of love, pain, sadness and triumph. Chad gets a day of innuendos and unexpected sexual encounters that could lead to the beginning of a new life. Two widowers find struggle to the top of Machu Picchu to close one life and begin another. Toby-Lee is in Hawaii for a wedding, and falls for the man who would arrest him on a technicality just to get closer to him. In His Arms is a collection of stories that deal with grief, life, loss, and a surprising sense of adventure. If you like stories about men discovering what they can do, then you'll love Caraway Carter's romantic tales. Buy In His Arms to fall in love today!


Beverly Hills Organizer's Home Organizing Bible

Beverly Hills Organizer's Home Organizing Bible

Author: Linda Koopersmith

Publisher:

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 202

ISBN-13: 9781616739225

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

At last...an easy-to-follow, step-by-step visual guide to organizing your home room by room and piece by piece. Most organizing books are too complicated to actually use—you have to read them cover-to-cover, search for the information you need, then try to remember it once you finally find it. And after all that, it may be useless! With The Beverly Hills Organizer's Home Organizing Bible, you can quickly turn to the section they need, and then follow organizing ace Linda Koopersmith's decluttering "recipe" step by step, just like a cookbook. Everything you'll need is there on one spread! Linda's practical strategies and smart storage systems help you clear out the clutter and stay organized for good. Packed with organizational tips and techniques that are easy, inexpensive, obtainable and simple to maintain Recommends the best products for each task Includes do-it-yourself tips that could save readers thousands of dollars Reveals the "30-Second Rule" that makes staying uncluttered and organized a snap Based on the author's experience with thousands of clients


Hiding from Reality

Hiding from Reality

Author: Taylor Armstrong

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2012-02-07

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 1451677715

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

NOT EVERY FAIRY TALE HAS A HAPPY ENDING. . . . Reality hit Taylor Armstrong hard one tragic evening last August when she found the body of her estranged husband, Russell, hanging in his California home. Fans across the country were shocked at the horrific news of his death and even more shocked to discover that behind the glittering “reality” of Taylor’s life on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills lurked a painful story of emotional and physical abuse that she had been terrified to tell. An estimated 80 percent of domestic abuse victims remain silent, suffocated by fear and relentless self-doubt. For Taylor, it was the threat of financial ruin and finding herself alone with her young daughter that kept her tethered to her volatile husband. But after a ferocious roundhouse punch from Russell fractured her face, resulting in reconstructive surgery, she finally made the brave decision to walk away from a man she loved and a legacy of physical abuse that she first encountered as a child and that haunted her throughout her adulthood. To the outside world, the Armstrongs lived like royalty, throwing lavish parties—including a memorable tea party for their daughter’s fourth birthday—and mingling with their privileged Housewives co-stars. It was impossible to hide the cracks in their marriage from the cameras forever, though, and their darkest secrets slowly began to seep through the gilded façade. With searing honesty, Taylor candidly examines her difficult journey from the abusive home in which she was born to the low self-esteem that kept her constantly on the run from herself, to the tumultuous marriage that ended in suicide, and ultimately to her realization that only by sharing her moving story could she help other women. *** “The terrible truth is that I felt lost without the control that Russell had imposed on me for the nearly six years that we were married. Disturbingly, I missed that control. I didn’t know what to do once I had no one there to tell me how to dress, act, and behave; what to want; and who, even, to be. In some ways, I missed the abuse. I missed the pain. I missed being scared. Not because I liked feeling any of that. But because it was the life I had become accustomed to, and without anyone to be afraid of, to apologize to, and to cover for, I felt completely lost.” —TAYLOR ARMSTRONG


Playbills to Photoplays

Playbills to Photoplays

Author: New England Vintage Film Society Inc.

Publisher: Xlibris Corporation

Published: 2010-12-01

Total Pages: 569

ISBN-13: 1453587756

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

"They were pioneers in the most glamorous business in the world, and you only know half of their story. Playbills To Photoplays reveals colorful episodes in the lives of the stars before they became stars. Everyone saw them, but few knew where they came from. This collection of essays follows some of the most famous names in show business from Vaudeville and Broadway to Hollywood, revealing a part of their lives that movie historians have neglected -- until now. I think this book is terrific. It's a must read for any fan of the silver screen, and the days when movie stars were real stars." - Morgan Loew, great-grandson of Adolph Zukor, founder, Paramount Pictures, and Marcus Loew, founder, Loews Theaters and MGM. "Ms. Loew's choice of performers to write about is amazingly diverse and fascinating, from character actors like Conrad Veidt to major stars like Katharine Hepburn. She has written a most compelling book about their transitions from stage to film... many of the stories new to me. Wonderful!" - Joan Benny, daughter of comedian, Jack Benny, one of America's greatest entertainment icons of the 20th century, whose career included vaudeville, radio, movies and television. "A nice compilation of essays on film stars who made the transition from the stage to early talkies with essays on Al Jolson, Mae West, Eddie Cantor, Harpo Marx, Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable, Charley Grapewin, Ed Wynn, and the Morgans (Frank and Ralph). Some essays were much better than others - I loved the one on the Morgans, Burns and Allen, Harpo Marx, and Katharine Hepburn... I would highly recommend the book as it gives you a good idea what vaudeville and the Broadway stage was like in the early 20's and what it was about these stars that allowed them to make the transition." -Librarything.com "....big stars as well as a raft of character actors, and decorated with dozens of striking photos...perceptive close-ups that make for vibrant film criticism...engaging profiles of Old Hollywood icons..." - Kirkus "Performers attempting to breakthrough will find this book inspirational!" - An Aspiring Actor Motion pictures with recorded sound --known as "talking pictures", or "talkies"--signaled the end of silent films and created some of the greatest entertainment icons of the twentieth century. Playbills To Photoplays: Stage Performers Who Pioneered the Talkies introduces a new generation to the real life struggles and careers of talented, hard working, early twentieth century vaudeville and stage entertainers who migrated to sound film. Twenty-eight essays and over one hundred photographs examine the actors before, during, and after the revolutionary new sound film technology catapulted many of them to superstardom during Hollywood's Golden Age. Playbills To Photoplays: Stage Performers Who Pioneered the Talkies explains the social, political, economic, historical, and cultural issues that shaped each performer's body of work, acting technique, persona, and public following over time.