At the age of ten, Charley Chase was singing and dancing on the street corners of Baltimore. Charley eventually became a local vaudeville attraction, but Baltimore could not contain the ambitious young man. After a brief, but memorable, stint in New York, Chase finally landed in Los Angeles in 1912. His timely arrival coincided with the birth of the film industry, and Charley Chase became a major force in the shaping of motion picture comedy.A human dynamo, Charley's talent and cre...

Beginning with Whip Wilson's "Abilene Trail" and Tim McCoy's "Aces and Eights" and ambling through Gene Autry's "The Old Barn Dance" and "The Old Corral", this guide winds up with one of Autry's best films, "Yodelin' Kid from Pine Ridge", in which Gene's co-star is none other than the wonderful "Peter Pan" herself, Betty Bronson. Yes, Gene's favorite sidekick, Smiley Burnette, is also along for the ride and really excels himself here in what amounts to a character role. Many other Autry oa...

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 ...

A feast for western movie fans, this book takes a close look at over 400 of the 2,000 DVDs currently available. In addition to detailed reviews of classics (Abilene Town, The Big Country, Broken Arrow, Curtain Call at Cactus Creek, Destry Rides Again, Down Mexico Way, Fargo Express, Fort Worth, Frontier Marshal, The Gold Rush, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Just Tony, Law and Order, The Miracle Rider, My Darling Clementine, Mystery Mountain, The Oklahoma Kid, The Searchers, South of the Bord...

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...

Now long out of print, John Dunning's Tune in Yesterday was the definitive one-volume reference on old-time radio broadcasting. Now, in On the Air, Dunning has completely rethought this classic work, reorganizing the material and doubling its coverage, to provide a richer and more informative account of radio's golden age. Here are some 1,500 radio shows presented in alphabetical order. The great programs of the '30s, '40s, and '50s are all here--Amos 'n' Andy, Fibber...

In the days when cinema audiences insisted that movie programs include two features, plus shorts, plus a newsreel, plus trailers, plus a cartoon, the supporting feature was known in the film trade as a "B". On many occasions, the unheralded "B" movie turned out to be more entertaining than the "A" attraction. Many of Hollywood's biggest stars, like John Wayne, Clark Gable, Alan Ladd and Carole Lombard, got their start in "B" pictures. Some, like Gene Autry (once voted the tenth most popula...

Joan Blondell: A Life between Takes is the first major biography of the effervescent, scene-stealing actress (1906-1979) who conquered motion pictures, vaudeville, Broadway, summer stock, television, and radio. Born the child of vaudevillians, she was on stage by age three. With her casual sex appeal, distinctive cello voice, megawatt smile, luminous saucer eyes, and flawless timing, she came into widespread fame in Warner Bros. musicals and comedies of the 1930s, including Bl...

This mammoth book provides a feast of entertainment for movie western fans. Originally published under the title, "Westerns for a Rainy Saturday", this greatly expanded edition details not only typical matinee westerns like "Riders of Destiny" (starring John Wayne), "The Duel at Silver Creek" (one of the best pictures Audie Murphy ever made), "In Old Monterey" (an unusual entry from Gene Autry with one of the most large-scale action climaxes ever lensed for a "B" western), and "Rough Rider...

Around 500 movies from the silent and early talkie era are now available on DVD. Of course this figure includes shorts as well as features, plus 40 or 50 films that are available in multiple versions. This handbook reviews 178 movies, dating from 1918 through 1934, that are now available to purchase in DVD format from reputable suppliers. Almost all these 178 films are full-length features that showcase stars like Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Clara Bow, Lon Chaney, Louise Brooks, Char...

In 1935 Sidney Kingsley's play about streetwise urban kids, Dead End, opened on Broadway featuring 14 adolescent actors. For two years on Broadway and then on tour, Kingsley's play delivered its social commentary contrasting affluent neighborhoods and tenement slums on New York City's East River. The film industry picked up the story and in 1937 released Dead End which spawned 23 more years of films and serials featuring the Dead End Kids and their offshoots, Little Tough...

Western films may have fallen from Hollywood's grace in the past few decades; however, a loyal following of obsessed fans and collectors remain. If you are just beginning a Western movie DVD collection or are a seasoned aficionado of all things Western, "Best Western Movies-Winning Pictures, Favorite Films and Hollywood 'B' Entries" by John Howard Reid is a must. This is the twentieth title in Reid's "Hollywood Classics" series. The research needed for a book of this nature is remarkable. ...