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For nearly two centuries, Americans have embraced the Western like no other artistic genre. Creators and consumers alike have utilized this story form in literature, painting, film, radio and television to explore questions of national identity and purpose. Westerns: The Essential Collection comprises the Journal of Popular Film and Television’s rich and longstanding legacy of scholarship on Westerns with a new special issue devoted exclusively to the genre. This collection examines and analyzes the evolution and significance of the screen Western from its earliest beginnings to its current global reach and relevance in the 21st century. Westerns: The Essential Collection addresses the ris...
Born Joan Lucille Olander in a small South Dakota town, Mamie Van Doren rose to "Blonde Bombshell" status in Hollywood when she signed with Universal Pictures in 1953, right on the heels of Marilyn Monroe. This comprehensive biography explores Van Doren's early life and career, spanning from her start as a bit player in Howard Hughes' Jet Pilot to her significant role as the last surviving member of Hollywood's famous "Three M's": Mamie Van Doren, Marilyn Monroe, and Jayne Mansfield. A complete filmography lists Van Doren's roles in film and television. Entries include a plot synopsis, cast and crew details, and in many instances recent and contemporary reviews.
The history of American Indians on screen can be compared to a light shining through a prism. We may have seen bits and pieces of the genuine culture portrayed, but rarely did we see a satisfying and informative whole picture. Savages and Saints deals with the changing image of the American Indian in the Western film genre, contrasting the fictionalized images of native Americans portrayed in classic films against the historical reality of life on the American frontier. The book tells the stories of frontier warriors, Indian and white, revealing how their stories were often drastically altered on screen according to the times the films were made, the stars involved in the film's production, and the social/political beliefs of the filmmakers. Studio correspondence, letters from government files, and passages from western novels adapted for the screen are used to illustrate the various points. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.
It could be said that the career of Canadian-born film director Allan Dwan (1885-1981) began at the dawn of the American motion picture industry. Originally a scriptwriter, Dwan became a director purely by accident. Even so, his creativity and problem-solving skills propelled him to the top of his profession. He achieved success with numerous silent film performers, most spectacularly with Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Gloria Swanson, and later with such legendary stars as Shirley Temple and John Wayne. Though his star waned in the sound era, Dwan managed to survive through pluck and ingenuity. Considering himself better off without the fame he enjoyed during the silent era, he went on to do some of his best work for second-echelon studios (notably Republic Pictures' Sands of Iwo Jima) and such independent producers as Edward Small. Along the way, Dwan also found personal happiness in an unconventional manner. Rich in detail with two columns of text in each of its nearly 400 pages, and with more than 150 photographs, this book presents a thorough examination of Allan Dwan and separates myth from truth in his life and films.
Actor and director John Derek was born in Hollywood, where his striking good looks helped get him a contract with David O' Selznick. Derek's career took off after Humphrey Bogart made him his costar in the cultish noir Knock at Any Doors. Derek appeared in such Academy Award-nominated films as All the King's Men, Run for Cover, The Ten Commandments and Exodus, and worked with directors like Nicholas Ray, Cecil B. DeMille, Otto Preminger and others. He was a competent, dedicated performer even in his last, trivial roles. In the 1960s, his career in decline, he began directing his own films. Although critics panned the string of movies he made starring his three wives--Ursula Andress, Linda Evans and Bo Derek--some were box-office hits, like Tarzan, the Ape Man. This biography covers his extraordinary life and career, with extensive analysis of his films.
The Character-based film series, each complete on its own but sharing a common cast of main characters with continuing traits and a similar fituation format and stars include Abbott & Costello, Alan Ladd, Batman, Calamity Jane, Elvis Presley, Harry Callahan, Harry Palmer, Hercules, Indiana Jones, James Bond, John Wayne, Laurel & Hardy, Martin & Lewis, Matt Helm, Nick Carter, Red Ryder, The Saint, Sinbad the Sailor, Spider-Man, Star Trek, Texas Rangers, The Thin Man, The Three Stooges and Tony Rome, plus so many more character-based series. The third book in the series of 3. See the other Books in the series.
Drawing on studio files, newspaper critiques, internet sources and scholarly studies of Mexican cinema, this critical history focuses on film depictions, in Hollywood and in Mexico, of the Mexican Revolution of 1910 and the era of Benito Juarez. Mexico's political and military battles are discussed in detail, and contrasted with the film industry's mostly uninformative take on these events. Important figures of Mexican history are discussed--Benito Juarez, Porfirio Diaz, Francisco Madero, Jr., Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata--as well as non-Latinos whose actions were influential. Performers, production personnel and literary sources for films dealing with revolutionary Mexico, from the silent The Life of General Villa to Cinco De Mayo: La Batalla of 2013, are covered.
This reference work presents useful information for every known film and television episode drawn from a Louis L'Amour work. Chronologically arranged, entries include production information, cast, credits, a synopsis, a description of the L'Amour source used, and the author's commentary. A brief biography of L'Amour, numerous photographs, and an extensive bibliography complement.
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A grourp of films or a character-based series, each complete on its own but sharing a common cast of main characters with continuing traits and a similar format, included are Alien, Austin Powers, Billy the Kid, Boston Blackie, The Bowery Boys, Captain Kidd, Charley Chan, The Cisco Kid, Davy Crockett, Dick Tracey, Dracula, Frankenstein, Gene Autry, The Green Hornet, King Kong, Living Dead, Marx Brothers, Matt Helm, Mexican Spitfire, Perry Mason, Peter Pan, The Range Busters, Sherlock Holmes, The Three Musketeers and The Wild Bunch. These and other character-based films are included in this book! 2 of 3 books.