Most often remembered for her gestures, expressive eyes, and body language on the screen, ZaSu Pitts was an unusual actress (and also an excellent cook: she often gave homemade candies to her coworkers, and her collection of candy recipes was published posthumously). This affectionate study of both her private life off-screen and her public persona details how the multi-talented actress become one of filmdom's favorite comediennes and character players. The book includes many rare photographs.
What a wonderful treasure of information and anecdotes about one of the most beloved actresses in films. I loved her unique comedy, and had the privilege of seeing her perform live. Many thanks to Gayle Haffner for her untiring love and work! ~ Ann B. Davis, Actress An astonishing collection of material - a feast for ZaSu fans! Haffner shows us the real-life ZaSu Pitts -- a fascinating story! ~ Mike Brotherton, Founder of the ZaSu Pitts Film Festival, Parsons, Kansas Haffner imparts the breath of life to a favorite and almost forgotten legend, bringing us ZaSus full career and the personal life she deftly kept private and away from the press. ZaSus humanity will touch all who renew their acquaintance with this great star. ~ Edd Bayes, Co-founder of the Gale Storm Appreciation Society Gayle Haffner gives a fascinating look at the life and career of one of cinemas great, versatile actresses -- the actress who could steal scenes with a flutter of her hands will steal your heart with her story. This authorized biography is well written and painstakingly researched to give the reader the inside story of one of our national treasures. ~ Ron Baker, Co-founder of the Gale Storm Appreciation Society
A detailed look at the charmed life and tragic death of one of Hollywood's earliest stars A vibrant and beloved Golden Age film comedienne who worked alongside the Marx Brothers, Laurel and Hardy, Ginger Rogers, Cary Grant, Clara Bow, and dozens of others, Thelma Todd was one of the rare actors to successfully cross over from silent films to "talkies." This authoritative new biography traces Todd's life and career, from a vivacious little girl to a young woman who became a reluctant beauty queen to her rapid rise as a Hollywood comedy star to her mysterious death at the age of 29. Increasingly disenchanted with the studio star system, Todd opened the successful Thelma Todd's Sidewalk Café, attracting adoring fans, tourists, and Hollywood celebrities. Life appeared blessed for the beautiful and outspoken Hollywood rebel. So the country was shocked when Todd was found dead by her housekeeper in a garage near the café. An inquest concluded that her death was accidental, caused by inhaling the car's exhaust fumes. In a thorough new investigation that draws on FBI documents, interviews, photographs, reports, and extortion notes—much of these not previously available to the public—author Michelle Morgan offers fresh evidence and conclusions about the circumstances surrounding Todd's death, proving what many people have long suspected, that Thelma had been murdered. The cast of suspects includes Thelma's Hollywood-director lover; her gangster ex-husband; assorted thugs who were pressuring her to install gaming tables in the room above her popular café; and a new, never-before-named mobster. Coinciding with the 80th anniversary of Todd's death, The Ice Cream Blonde is sure to interest any fan of Thelma Todd, Hollywood's Golden Age, or gripping real-life murder mysteries.
Barbara La Marr's (1896–1926) publicist once confessed: "There was no reason to lie about Barbara La Marr. Everything she said, everything she did was colored with news-value." When La Marr was sixteen, her older half-sister and a male companion reportedly kidnapped her, causing a sensation in the media. One year later, her behavior in Los Angeles nightclubs caused law enforcement to declare her "too beautiful" to be on her own in the city, and she was ordered to leave. When La Marr returned to Hollywood years later, her loveliness and raw talent caught the attention of producers and catapulted her to movie stardom. In the first full-length biography of the woman known as the "girl who was too beautiful," Sherri Snyder presents a complete portrait of one of the silent era's most infamous screen sirens. In five short years, La Marr appeared in twenty-six films, including The Prisoner of Zenda (1922), Trifling Women (1922), The Eternal City (1923), The Shooting of Dan McGrew (1924), and Thy Name Is Woman (1924). Yet by 1925—finding herself beset by numerous scandals, several failed marriages, a hidden pregnancy, and personal prejudice based on her onscreen persona—she fell out of public favor. When she was diagnosed with a fatal lung condition, she continued to work, undeterred, until she collapsed on set. She died at the age of twenty-nine. Few stars have burned as brightly and as briefly as Barbara La Marr, and her extraordinary life story is one of tempestuous passions as well as perseverance in the face of adversity. Drawing on never-before-released diary entries, correspondence, and creative works, Snyder's biography offers a valuable perspective on her contributions to silent-era Hollywood and the cinematic arts.
To Damian Wayne, there is nothing more important than protecting the streets of Gotham City as Robin. But when he makes a critical mistake while out on patrol, Damian finds himself benched, on top of transferring to a new school. When his new classmate Howard offers to show him the ropes, Damian finds himself in a challenge he never expected…
Modeled on the "Dictionary of American Biography, "this set stands alone but is a good complement to that set which contained only 700 women of 15,000 entries. The preparation of the first set of "Notable American Women" was supported by Radcliffe College. It includes women from 1607 to those who died before the end of 1950; only 5 women included were born after 1900. Arranged throughout the volumes alphabetically, entries are from 400 to 7,000 words and have bibliographies. There is a good introductory essay and a classified lest of entries in volume three.
Joan Crawford was a legendary hostess. Her dinner parties were famed throughout Hollywood, and invitations to her various lavish homes were much sought after. One of her 1930s menus included elaborate treats such as almond soup, roast squab and Crêpes Suzette. Later in life she became known for her more prosaic dishes such as meat loaf and coleslaw.Jenny Hammerton is the proprietress of Silver Screen Suppers, a website dedicated to the things that classic Hollywood stars liked to eat and drink. Joan Crawford is her favourite actress and she has gathered together over 30 of the Queen of the Screen's signature dishes in this compact and bijou book.Why not grab a classic Crawford movie on DVD, invite over your most cherished friends, pop on a hostess gown and enjoy some of Joan's favourite things to eat.
