Never Say Die is the gripping story of Arthur 'Baby' Gore, a battling tennis player of the Edwardian era and the oldest-ever winner of the Wimbledon singles title.Gore enjoyed an unparalleled 40-year career in which the game evolved from a garden-party pastime into a dynamic international sport. Thrice All-England champion, Olympic gold medallist and the first-ever Davis Cup captain, Gore was an amateur of the old school who competed in more Wimbledon tour...

The fruit of many years' research, this entertaining study charts the changing fortunes of Music Hall in Britain during the early twentieth century through the lives and careers of ten artistes. Each presented some aspect of the national character which made people laugh at themselves. Many, including Lily Morris, Nellie Wallace and Billy Bennett, reached the top of their profession, and even the less well-known performers were once household names. All worked hard to develop their individ...

Portrait of a Unique Music Hall ArtisteOrphaned at thirteen, Malcolm Scott rose to become a leading female impersonator of the Edwardian era. A true eccentric, he first made his name at the Palace and Pavilion theatres in London attired as a female figure of history where he entertained audiences with his highly individual satiric act as "The Woman Who Knows." An acerbic wit, with a surrealist humour, he was in many ways a man ahead of his time. Besides being an actor, he was the d...

With her striking looks, the raven-haired, dark eyed Ruth Roman had an air of sophistication that made her seem sexy yet wholesome. She had to strive harder than most to establish herself as a leading actress in Hollywood during its glory years and finally broke through in 1949 with her role in Champion. As one of the last Warner Bros. contract players, she appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's classic Strangers on a Train. Seen at her best in strong parts, such as the ambitious...

Brian Donlevy (1901-1972) was an underrated film actor with surprising range and a little-heralded gift for comedy. Often typecast as a villain, he played the definitive bad guy in such films as Destry Rides Again, Union Pacific and Beau Geste (all in 1939). He showed his versatility in the title role of Preston Sturges' political satire The Great McGinty (1940) and impressed both New York critics and the Soviet government as the cooly authoritative Major Caton i...

At the age of 61, Sydney Greenstreet made one of the most memorable debuts in classic cinema as the mysterious Kaspar Gutman in The Maltese Falcon (1941). His performance earned him a Best Supporting Actor Nomination. Born in England, Greenstreet had enjoyed a forty-year stage career which encompassed everything from Shakespeare to musical comedy and some of the most acclaimed plays of the 1930s. His film career lasted a mere eight years but included the timeless Casablanca

One of the most versatile actors of his generation, Edmond O'Brien made a series of iconic noir films. From a man reporting his own murder in D.O.A. (1949) to the conflicted title character in The Bigamist (1953), he portrayed the confusion of the postwar Everyman.His memorable roles spanned genres from Shakespeare to westerns and comedies--he also turned his hand to directing. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor as the harassed press agent Oscar Mu...

A versatile craftsman, actor Van Heflin was never concerned with popularity or comfortable with stardom. Lauded by his peers, Heflin won over moviegoers with his portrayal of resolute homesteader Joe Starrett in George Stevens' classic Shane (1953). He impressed in all genres, convincingly portraying every type of character from heel to hero.Van Heflin first garnered attention as the sensitive, alcoholic friend of gangster Johnny Eager (1941), for which he won an ...

Claire Trevor (1910-2000) is best remembered as the alluring blonde femme fatale in such iconic noir films as Murder, My Sweet (1944) and Raw Deal (1948). Yet she was a versatile performer who brought rare emotional depth to her art. She was effective in a range of diverse roles, from an outcast prostitute in John Ford's classic Stagecoach (1939) to the ambitious tennis mother in Hard, Fast and Beautiful (1951) to the embittered wife of a landowner in William Wellman's ov...

Blonde, vivacious Jean Arthur is best remembered today for her unizue, childlike voice and for the handful of classic Thirties and Forties movies she made for directors Frank Capra and George Stevens, such as You Can't Take It With You, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The More the Merrier and her last picture Shane, released in 1953. But not many know that her 30-year film career dates from the early Twenties, when she was an inexperienced contract player at Fox. In fact, Arthur appeared in ...

The definitive guide to classic films from one of America's most trusted film criticsThanks to Netflix and cable television, classic films are more accessible than ever. Now co-branded with Turner Classic Movies, Leonard Maltin’s Classic Movie Guide covers films from Hollywood and around the world, from the silent era through 1965, and from The Maltese Falcon to Singin’ in the Rain and Godzilla, King of the Monsters!Thoro...

Another essential book for the film buff's library, this book, at a little over A5 size, is smaller than previous books in the series. Nonetheless, its 343 pages are packed with information and reviews on classic movies. Not as many photos in this edition, but some of the reviews are quite extensive. John Howard Reid provides all the information you need for classic movies, including complete cast and production staff. For "The Ten Commandments", for instance, Reid devotes over nine pages....