Television Books

Fun, fast page turner with entertaining and surprising twists throughout. What "Lucky Santangelo" is to Jackie Collins, "Maxi Poole" is to Kelly Lange: fiesty, fresh and up to her pretty neck in trouble of the most glamorous kind! Buy two copies, 'cause you'll want to share it with a friend. One of the nicest bonuses is discovering the creative and humorous side to one of Los Angeles' most respected newswomen, Lange. Glad this is to be one of a series...I have a feeling Maxi Poole has more trouble ahead of her!

Great combination of mystery and juicy behind the scenes Hollywood! Great summer beach reading! I was disappointed when it ended. Can't wait for next book.

THE REPORTER is an easy read, and a fun read as well.

Author Kelly Lange, herself a well-established news reporter in Los Angeles, has written a mystery featuring a well-established news reporter in Los Angeles. Not surprisingly, Ms. Lange offers wonderful background information for her story in addition to the actual plot.

THE REPORTER is frothy in content, but it also is plausible, and its setting is fascinating. The workings of the newsroom, as described by Ms. Lange, are particularly interesting.

Readers will come away with the sense of having been given a peek into the strange yet opulent lives of that group of people who, in Hollywood--and only in Hollywood--pass for the upper class.

Kelly Lange is poised to have a second career as a successful author.

Kelly Lange's new novel, featuring newswoman Maxie Poole, is great fun to read. Even if one does not enjoy the guessing game of "Who's the REAL Hollywood Figure" in the story, the mystery and the witty dialogue are engaging enough to make one eager for the next "Maxie Poole." (There is additional pleasure, of course, in putting REAL NAMES to the fictional characters, but this aspect of the novel is by no means vital to the reader's enjoyment.) Kelly Lange is a skillful storyteller, with a classic novelist's ability to make characters come alive on the page, combined with a journalist's gift for noticing the precise details which add richness and texture to the plot. "THE REPORTER" is a total pleasure for mystery fans. I recommend it without reservation.

When he lived Oscar winning actor Jack Nathanson was the poster boy for all that is bad about Hollywood. Now he lies murdered in a lurid coffin proving that he represented more than just bad taste. His two ex-wives and his widow attend the ostentatious funeral as only the movie industry could perform for one of their own.

The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department arrest Jack first wife, actress Debra Angelo. His second spouse, TV reporter Maxie Poole refuses to believe that Debra committed the crime. Unable to allow an injustice to occur, Maxie begins to investigate the death of her former husband. She knew much of Tinseltown hated Jack, but not how many would willingly go out of character to put a couple of bullets into him. However, soon Maxie is struggling to prove her own innocence as more homicides follow.

THE REPORTER takes a Jackie Collins type novel and places it inside a who-done-it. The story line is at its best when it shines a gossipy light on Hollywood through Maxie's engaging inquiries. However, the problem with the tale lies in the original arrest of Debra on evidence that the Inquisition would have rejected as too insubstantial. The tale is a fun to read throwaway, as the plot is not quite Collins or a solidly based La-La Land mystery.

Harriet Klausner

I am surprised and pleased with this book, covers all the current technologies in use and in development for RBB, in a technical way and also in a commercial and marketing way, that combination result in a very complete and good book, I strongly recommend it

George's writing style is excellent. He merges concepts from broadcast, telephony, data, and video with ease. Although the topic can be quite technical, George's focus is on the basic engineering challenges to solved. Business types will love his economic and market analysis.

I have to thank my friend Paul at Cisco who gave this book to me as a token of our friendship. I enjoy the book's content and author's style of presentation very much. To investors interested in the high tech industry, this book offers a comprehensive view on the latest technology and development which will have profound impact on the outcome of voice, data and vedio delivery infrastructure and market in the future.

This book is very clearly written and a very good reference for anyone in the broadband arena.

The author does a great job of condensing everything to do with broadband while staying on track and not straying from the subject.

Great book.

An excellent summary of the several broadband technologies that are currently searching for a marketplace. This book is notable for it's strong sense of organization and it's consistent level of detail. If you're interested in broadband network technology this book is a good stepping off point for something more technical. If you're trying to learn enough to make a buck by betting on a winning technology, this book will give you the basic understanding of broadband networks that you will need to decipher the steady stream of press releases that are coming from the companies that are betting millions on the broadband marketplace. I liked the book.

THIS BOOK IS THE BEST EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I ORDERED IT.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT IS I LIKE TO READ ABOUT ANAKIN SKYWALKER/DARTH VADER! I CAN NEVER STOP LOOKING AT IT! AUTHOR WINDHAM IS THE BEST BECAUSE THIS BOOK HE WROTE IS SO POPULAR!

They did it! Lucas actually allowed The Star Wars Holiday Special to be mentioned! That is the greatest variety show ever to be conceived!! And.. that's not saying much. But I love the holiday special, it rocks, and, oh, by the way, we here at x-play give it a five... out of five!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Greatings, to everyone!
What can i say! I am a big fun of STAR WARS and i was looking to buy anything that ivnoles IT.Luckily the book was very intresting about the world of star wars in everything.I learn about the characters,wipons,etc.That's why i bought another book:The movie storybook. So,that are you waiting for!BUY IT NOW!!!!!!

This brilliant glossy "Revenge of the Sith Scrapbook" is a fascinating sneak preview of the most anticipated movie of 2005. It's full of stunning teaser photos, colorful graphics and many titilating factoids & antidotes about Episode III, plus several Classic Trilogy insertions. This book was available at Toys 'R Us on April 1st 2005 and DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS - The planet section offers a brief, concise breakdown of Mustafar, Utapau and Kashyyyk (Chewbacca's homeworld), and there is also personal information about actors Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Christopher Lee, etc.

Instead of purchasing this book for $8, why don't you go to starwars.com, click on the link at the bottom of the page for the RotS souvenir guide and then...buy it?

It's a worthy cash exercise (the souvenir guide), if you're a fan of this movie. Granted that you do not know if you are already, but if no mental deficiencies, then you will be.

Anyways, (back to) the scrapbook is alright, but it's nothing the die-hard or even casual adult fan won't know; it is great for a child, especially if a parent wants to forego the more graphic side of the movie. In fact, if you have more than 15 posts on a SW board, then you may have been able to make this book yourself (minus the photos, which aren't all that unique).

Although the book gave me a similar feeling that the storybook did (another RotS product you could go without), it is not arranged chronologically: so if you want an outline of the movie, you should remember that this is a scrapbook.

Want the nice spice? Get the Visual dictionary.
Want more coverage and interviews? Get the souvenir guide.
Want to just get through the story quickly on paper format? Get the comic book.

Want a better way to spend $8? Get the Anakin on Mustafar action figure when it comes out. You'll be glad that you did.

I have read everything there is to read about Ricky and I found this book the most interesting, inspiring, fun and cool. Get this one!

Please help me in obtaining a copy of Ricky's book coz i just LOOOOVE his music and him too. But I would like to know more about him. My name is Surie and I am from Lusaka, Zambia. in the Central part of Africa.

Ricky,

Why do you have only young women in you shows dancing with you. There are differnt type of women that buy your CD for their children. I think, personally that if you held a contest for a mother, as to why they allow or buy your CD for their child, you would have a larger audience. Why you ask because people would want to know! Anything that promotes you people will will listen to! I for example, am a 36 year old mother of three. Why would a person think that I would not like your music? You are a young person and if you would want your popularity to follow you then I personally think it would be wise to think not only of the young "teens" out there. I like your music, your voice, if I did not I would not let my CHILDREN buy your music. I know that this will not ever get to you personally befor your "agents" read it first, but you have to think of where the money is coming from for your success. WHAT CAN YOU DO TO PLEASE A FAN? HAVE YOUR AGENTS WRITE BACK AND SAY WHAT? THANK YOU FOR INPUT. WHICH I HAVE CC TO MY OWN EMAIL. GOOD LUCK. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. A BUYER AND A FAN FROM MY DAUGHTER.

With so many gorgeous photos, plus inside scoop on Ricky's off stage personality -- desires, activities, ideas, values, this is THE book to buy on Ricky (and I've seen 'em all).

Wow, what a hunk of an inspiration!

If you are a die hard fan of Ricky Martin this is one book you should definitely get your hands on. The book is filled with fabulous pictures of the singer from his hey days in the teen group Menudo through his years as the latin heart throb in General Hospital and all the way to the international mega star he is today. Besides the great pictures what I liked the most about his book was the way it was written, nice and simple and with a positive outlook all the way. A few things you should definitely look at when you buy this book are the trivia tid bits and the time line which are included. The quick information you learn here will make you seem like Ricky's number one fan. I truly recommend this book as a gift to anyone from the age of 10-100.

I found this book very interesting. I watch the Tv series every day, it is my most fave show. The books are great because they are the same as the show and keep me reading. I recomend this book to everyone 10 and over. One thing to say BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!!!

As a loyal watcher of the show 7th Heaven and a dedicated Christian; I only wish their were more books like this out there for young readers. The show 7th Heaven has always been about a real family dealing with real issues in the real world; this book which is part of the 7th Heaven Series of books based on the popular WB show shows all of the values and expands on many of the same situations as the show does. In this particular book Mary and Lucy Camden show how being "Sibling Rivals" who are constantly bickering can have an affect on the entire family, and on themselves. Again I say if only there were more series like this one out there, our world would be a better place.

I would recomend this book to anybody it teaches you some great family morals and you learn alot from it. I would not recomend this for little kids because there is a lot a talk about sex so don't give it to any young kid. but it is a very awesome book.

I think that it talked a lot about family and love.It was the best book I read on the subject. It was a great book that I say everyone should read it.

Rivals is based on a great episode of 7th Heaven, but the book goes into more detail than the show. I also recommend Mary's Story and Matt's Story!

My personal hero of the aforementioned European art-movie genre -- Robert Bresson -- is the subject of a new book edited by James Quandt. Robert Bresson includes interviews with the director by fellow filmmakers Jean-Luc Godard and Paul Schrader and French film critics Michael Delahaye and Michel Ciment. There are also homages from directors like Martin Scorsese and Rainier Werner Fassbinder, as well as essays by Roland Barthes and Alberto Moravia. One might wonder why such famous and accomplished people took the time to write about a French filmmaker whose movies are not known to the general moviegoing public. The answer is that the late Bresson actually was one of the great figures in cinema. His austere directing style relied on slow and beautiful imagery and much suffering on the part of his main characters, resulting in films that, once experienced, is never forgotten. One can describe Quandt's book the same way

Imagine a young film director making a somewhat controversial first film, with a script by someone on the order of Saul Bellow, followed by a more successful film with recognizable stars and a labyrinthine script by someone like Harold Pinter. Have him drop out of sight for four years, only to emerge from obscurity with a movie about a country priest, filmed (spectacularly) in rural (RURAL!) Massachusetts. Etcetera. There is really no way to imagine Robert Bresson otherwise. We owe it to the French film industry (if something so UNconsolidated could be called an industry) that Bresson was permitted to flourish at all. It wasn't simply as if he was waiting around, all his life, for a financier (14 films in forty years of activity). But where else on earth could this austerely Catholic artist have found work but in France, the most religiously cynical country in Europe? His films are a rebuke to anyone stupid enough to expect anything conventional. Bresson questioned everything in film - even the central point of the medium. His films deny the viewer the usual crutches en route to an idea. Bresson leads us silently, without promptings, toward a disbelief we had long since suspended but never seriously questioned. He makes the word 'master' clean again.

Imagine a young film director making a somewhat controversial first film, with a script by someone on the order of Saul Bellow, followed by a more successful film with recognizable stars and a labyrinthine script by someone like Harold Pinter. Have him drop out of sight for four years, only to emerge from obscurity with a movie about a country priest, filmed (spectacularly) in rural (RURAL!) Massachusetts. Etcetera. There is really no way to imagine Robert Bresson otherwise. We owe it to the French film industry (if something so UNconsolidated could be called an industry) that Bresson was permitted to flourish at all. It wasn't simply as if he was waiting around, all his life, for a financier (14 films in forty years of activity). But where else on earth could this austerely Catholic artist have found work but in France, the most religiously cynical country in Europe? His films are a rebuke to anyone stupid enough to expect anything conventional. Bresson questioned everything in film - even the central point of the medium. His films deny the viewer the usual crutches en route to an idea. Bresson leads us silently, without promptings, toward a disbelief we had long since suspended but never seriously questioned. He makes the word 'genius' clean again.

Editor James Quandt, an esteemed film curator at the Cinematheque Ontario, has assembled the best writings on Robert Bresson, intelligently balancing scholarly analysis (including that of Barthes and Moravia), filmmakers' homages (from Scorsese to Fassbinder, Cocteau to Duras), and accessible primers on the French director's work (by Susan Sontag and Andre Bazin, among others). Particularly noteworthy are the interviews Bresson conducted with Jean-Luc Godard, Paul Schrader, and the French critics Michael Delahaye and Michel Ciment. A MUST for anyone interested in film history and in one of the few directors worthy of the appellation "genius."

last year i recieved one of the best christmas presents i could ask for: this book. while i wouldnt recommend it to anyone that isnt a bresson fan it holds plenty to mull over for those that are. while a few of the articles are dull and/or pretentious more often than not they are highly illuminating as to the director's methods. there are one or two articles devoted to each of his films and a few that are just about his films in general. this first section of the book ends with bresson's cinematographer for "diary," through to "joan of arc" writing about his love/hate relationship with bresson and an interview with the young man who played the lead in "the devil, probably." the second part of the book contains three interviews with bresson: the paul schrader, which is fidgety and odd; the godard, which is exhaustive, rambling and very enlightening; and the final one whose author slips my mind which is great but unfortunately short (conducted after the completion of what would be bresson's last film, "l'argent"). the final section of the book is basically several directors talking about why they like bresson. this section ranges from short, humorous stories (the fassbinder and aki kaurismaki) to long essays on bresson's style(malle, etc.). other directors quoted in this final section include tarkovsky, bertollucci, wenders, hal hartley, and atom egoyan.

You're watching an old black and white B picture and about to change the channel to something less cheesy and low budget. You notice a lanky, whiny, oatmeal-faced guy with beady eyes, who looks menacing, especially when there is an attractive female nearby. This guy is trouble. He's no good. But you can't turn away. You're hooked.

He's wearing a bad costume: a 1950's leisure suit, a safari jacket, or more happily, a trench coat or a uniform. He looks awkward, slouching like he's embarrassed to be so tall.

He's ruggedly handsome. Energy flashes from his eyes, his tense almost hysterical voice, his powerful physique. He's like coiled steel, a simmering cauldron, a smouldering oil well. A valve that's about to blow sky high.

The ladies go to pieces around him. They do stuff they shouldn't do, things they'll regret in the morning.

You notice he contributes a lot to good and not so good films even when he's got everything going against him. He doesn't need to be a likeable character, or have good lines, or a good costume, or anything. He infuses engergy and raw power into the movie, he makes it personal. Maybe they used him sparingly because they didn't know what they were dealing with.

The Wild Bunch: Ryan turns up sporadically but his role is central to the plot. Best scenes: He and fellow outlaw William Holden are entertaining two scarlet women in their hotel room. Ryan, in a fancy waistcoat, is worrying that the law is in pursuit so he's not even paying attention to his female companion. Is that fair to the girl? Later, he is shown being flogged in prison -unfortunate, but an opportunity to see him with no shirt on.

On Dangerous Ground: as a tough cop, he questions a hooker. She practically begs him to mistreat her: 'are you gonna squeeze it out of me with those big, strong arms?' You betcha. In another scene, he tries to flirt with a girl, is rejected for being a cop, and the frozen pain of rejection on his face is raw, as if he got sucker punched with an ice berg.

Caught: he is a narcissistic neurotic millionaire who mentally torments a silly golddigger played lovably by Barbara Bel Geddes. Best line: 'What's wrong, don't you think I like you?' As usual he's in comically silly, Thurston Howell the Third type outfits, and as usual he rises above it all.

Crossfire: preachy stuff about the evils of bigotry but worth enduring for Ryan as the least laid back guy ever in a Hawaiian shirt.

The Naked Spur: not to be confused with The Naked Gun, in this Western he's an outlaw with a price on his head and cute little Janet Leigh as his girlfriend. Jimmy Stewart is taking him in for the reward money, and to get the girl as well. He puts Ryan on a burro, not only to hinder his escape but probably also to emasculate him in Leigh's eyes. Ryan is a rotten, dishonorable character, but Leigh seems mighty reluctant to part company with him. I wouldn't wonder...

The Set-up: Ryan is a has-been boxer who- don't sweat the plot, you see him in boxing trunks, that's all you need to know.

Beware My Lovely: Ryan is compellingly creepy but beware, my lovely, the plot is el bizarro.

Clash by Night: Ryan mixes it up with bad-girl Babs Stanwyck while also flirting around the edges with young Marilyn Monroe. The fact that you get to see him in a sleeveless undershirt has nothing to do with my endorsement of this movie.

About Mrs. Leslie: Shirley Booth in a dreary tale enlivened by brief glimpses of Ryan in flashbacks, including a romantic scene on the beach, he's either wearing a white robe or white swim trunks or I just added that detail out of wishful thinking.

Odds Against Tomorrow: silly heist movie overburdened with heavyhanded antiracism theme. Just watch for the scenes between Ryan and the irresistible Gloria Graham - talk about sadomastochistic overtones!

Bad Day at Black Rock: a good message movie starring Spencer Tracy, with Ryan as (of course) the detestable townie wearing an idiotic red baseball cap as the character's pathetic phallic symbol -still, Ryan almost steals the movie from Tracy.

City Beneath the Sea: watch for the scene where he is really an s.o.b. to a dance hall girl, but somehow in a very provocative way. Hokum plot, awful outfits, such as a striped shirt, bandana and skipper's hat. The wardrobe mistress was surely hoping he'd get mad, storm the costume department, grab her in his arms, and...oh, sorry, I was daydreaming there.

There's one movie where he's a mob boss guy who, in the middle of buying off judges or having people bumped off or whatever mob bosses do, nags his younger brother about doing well in college, and chomps on an apple!

The Dirty Dozen: He's not one of the dozen, nor is he the lovable leader played by Lee Marvin. He's a martinet that no one likes, and he eats it up in the few scenes he has.

Fire and Ice! Two great, elusive movies featuring Ryan.

Inferno: Shows up on cable occasionally, he's a pain in the duff heir who has to survive on his own in the desert, it's just a great movie. He actually gets a good costume for once, he looks terrific in dusty white, loose-fitting khakis

The Iceman Cometh: One of Ryan's last performances, unavailable for years but came out on DVD not long ago. Depressing tale about barflies but powerful acting with Lee Marvin, Ryan, and a very young Jeff Bridges all making the most of their choice lines.

Comparing him with other great actors Ryan holds his own. His characters were multi-layered, intense, real, and somehow always likable - even the "bad guys". They were oddballs - harsh yet anxious, uncomfortable in their own skin.

I don't think Robert Ryan ever got an Oscar nod. Many wonderful actors and actresses never get nominated for an Oscar. After all, what really lasts are good performances.

Offscreen, Ryan was kind, reserved, quiet, and bookish. He wasn't into making the Hollywood party scene, preferring privacy for himself and his family. The most dramatic thing he seems to have done was when he and his wife, an unforgivably perfect partner for him since she was tall, gorgeous, and brainy - helped start a local grade school so their kids could get the best possible education. The school is still in existence today.

Nevertheless, he made quite an impression in person.

Somewhere in the book there is a description of him meeting a friend for lunch. When he enters the crowded restaurant, despite his unassuming demeanor, he draws awestruck stares from every woman in the room. Whether due to his height and rugged good looks - or also the hint of untold depths of passion that seemed to emanate from him?

You watch his B movie to the bitter end. The character Ryan created on screen had an inner life, something that reaches out to you. A man of passion, of mystery, wearing an ugly knit cap. Tormented by inner demons, he haunts a seedy waterfront bar where one foggy night you just happen to walk in wearing nothing but high heels and a trenchcoat, looking for trouble...

Robert Ryan, one of the most brilliant and versatile actors of his time, created a gallery of unforgettable characters during his thirty year career, yet never received the recognition he deserved. Franklin Jarlett's Robert Ryan: A Biography and Critical Filmography goes a long way towards filling this void; it is a fitting tribute to a great performer, who by all accounts was as good a man as he was an actor.

Jarlett's fascination with Robert Ryan began in childhood, as he watched Ryan's films on TV, and his "obsession" continued as he matured. Jarlett was especially mesmerized by Ryan's portrayal of Claggart, in Billy Budd, seeing it as "a chapter to an elusive text of which I did not know the title." Through college and graduate school, Jarlett continued his "quest" for the mysterious qualities which made Ryan so extraordinary. This book is the result, and the author's three years of extensive research, interviews with Ryan's children and many friends, and his in-depth study of the 77 film Ryan made during his prolific film career make this a fascinating and readable must for any Ryan fan's library. Written with an eloquence of which the very literate Ryan would surely approve, the book is loaded with photos as well; stills from nearly all of Ryan's films illustrate the book.

By an ironic twist of fate, Robert Ryan, a quiet, self-effacing man, who often graciously accepted second billing to far less talented co-stars, is suddenly "Hot," thanks to cable television, and to the proliferation of VCR and DVD players, which make older movies new again.. Turner Classic Movies' recent "Star of the Month" tribute to Ryan certainly had legions of his blissed-out fans manning their VCR's, and won him many new fans as well. Ryan's Westerns and his war films play endlessly on TV, and he is such a film noir icon that many of the excellent books on the subject devote entire sections to discussions of his artistry.

Jarlett's book is a perfect source for anyone who wants to know more about this complex and very private man who was such a compelling presence on screen. Ryan was a man of paradoxes. He graduated from Dartmouth with a degree in English Literature, but reigned as the undefeated heavyweight boxing champion throughout his four year college career. Though the product of a relatively prosperous family, Ryan sought out tough and demanding jobs: he worked as an engine room janitor on an African- bound freighter for two years, and as a cow puncher on a ranch in Montana, among other jobs, before finally finding his niche in acting. Ryan's World War II stint in the Marine Corps, though honorably served at Camp Pendleton where he was a drill instructor, sent him back into civilian life with distinctly pacifist leanings. Though Ryan could portray vicious, ignorant bigots with an almost frightening intensity, he himself was a tolerant, compassionate man, so dedicated to liberal causes that he was sometimes targeted and threatened by Right-wing fanatics. And unlike many in an ego-driven industry, Robert Ryan was a modest man. He was thrilled beyond words when he had an opportunity to work with such greats as Spencer Tracy and Frederic March, and never suspected how much younger actors, like Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine, valued the experience of working with him.

The biographical section of the book is arranged chronologically, with each section corresponding to an important period in Ryan's life. Jarlett's meticulous research uncovered many hitherto unknown or forgotten facts, and they make fascinating reading. He discusses the founding of the Oakwood School, a progressive educational establishment started by Ryan and his wife Jessica when their own children were small, and still flourishing today. In the l960's, Ryan spent some time in England, and with the support and encouragement of actors John Neville and Paul Rogers, his co-stars in Billy Budd, he appeared on provincial and London stages in works by Shakespeare and Eugene O'Neill. After moving his family to New York, Ryan appeared in many television dramas,and did a number of narrations and voice-overs for various projects. He played the lead in The Front Page and other plays, both on and off Broadway, co-starring with Katherine Hepburn, Helen Hayes, and other renowned leading ladies, to great critical acclaim. But films continued to be the primary outlet for his talent, and he worked steadily in them until his death.

The second half of Jarlett's book is a complete filmography covering all of Ryan's work, from his earliest "walk-on" days at Paramount through his last three movies in l973, the year of his death: The Iceman Cometh, Executive Action, and The Outfit. Jarlett reviews each film, and supplies a complete cast list, as well as notes on critical and audience reception and other pertinent data. The book also contains notes on Ryan's stage performances, television appearances, narrations and recordings, an essay on Ryan as a film noir figure, and a listing of his films available on videocassette. Chapter notes, an extensive bibliography and an index complete this terrific volume. Though this book was originally written as a library reference guide, it has been reincarnated in a very portable paper back form, complete with a fabulous cover photo of Ryan as Montgomery in Crossfire.

Jarlett's book is clearly a labor of love, and perhaps this is the dominant impression. Far from being undervalued or unappreciated, Robert Ryan seems to have been revered and deeply loved by most of the people he came in contact with, and his talents have always been held in high esteem by those who value excellent acting. And those of us who know him only through the many films made unforgettable by his presence, can only be glad that the man himself was as fine as we have always imagined him to be.

Although most Ryan devotees focus on his more famous "film noir" vehicles as evidence of his skill, Jarlett illuminates his performances in scores of less known films. In Horizons West, Ryan's interpretation of a disgruntled ex-Confederate major achieves more in his portrait than the sum of the film's parts.
Return of the Badmen also featured Ryan's grim portrait of a cold-blooded bank robber that elevates an otherwise pedestrian horse opera to something nearly sublime. Other choice Ryan vignettes can be found in such early Ryan enterprises like Marine Raiders. Made in 1944 when America was fighting the Japanese, Ryan gives a stout performance that achieves real range, again raising a programmer to cult status. The author provides detailed film critiques from major publications (Time, The New York Times, Variety, etc.), providing readers with a glimpse at what critics of those time periods said about Ryan. I was pleased to note upon reading critical reviews of Ryan's character in Marine Raiders that film critic Manny Farber of Nation magazine compared Ryan with Gary Cooper, though in all honesty, Ryan easily outclassed Cooper as an actor. Perhaps Farber was referring to Ryan's quiet magnetism.
Jarlett addresses the question of Ryan's status as the cinema's epitome of the "noir" protagonist, noting his contributions in such "noir" gems as The Racket, Act of Violence, The Woman on the Beach, Beware, My Lovely, Caught, On Dangerous Ground (John Houseman lauded his portrayal of a disillusioned cop as a "disturbing mixture of anger and sadness"). I cannot think of another actor who deserved a book devoted to his life and works besides Ryan. Kudos to Franklin Jarlett for giving us his gift.
Jarlett illuminates the off-screen actor's life, noting that the actor and his wife founded the Oakwood School in California, which stills remains viable today as a solid, academically oriented institution of higher learning.
Besides the fifty or so movie stills, Jarlett's book features interviews with those closest to Ryan, and a glowing preface by John Houseman, who worked closely with Ryan on various stage productions before they became a fad.

Having seen most of Ryan's films when I was a child, I was again drawn to seeing them after purchasing Franklin Jarlett's authorized biography. I saw the book at a local book store, attracted by the book cover featuring the familiar scowling features of Ryan from 1947's "Crossfire", which earned him an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor that year. Before purchasing the book, I perused the fifty or so stills from his films, and the detailed filmography, which convinced me that I had made a smart buy. I can happily report that the book is an inspired piece of writing: Jarlett's literary skills make one want to read more. He obviously has gotten to the quick of the man, drawing from scores of film critiques from Cahiers Du Cinema and other esteemed cinema circles.
I read Jarlett's book with fascination after many years of waiting for someone to write a book about Ryan, who was one of the most undervalued talents in Hollywood. I always found it curious that although Ryan came up through the ranks at RKO as one of its contract players from the forties, along with Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster and Robert Mitchum, he never garnered the stardom that they achieved, as least with mainstream audiences. Jarlett amply elucidated the reasons for this phenomenon: Ryan simply didn't care that much about fame; he would rather appear in a film for artistic merit instead of for box office success. I only needed to look at Ryan's films from the forties, which Jarlett reviews in detail, to see what an amazing list of films there were. He obviously spent long hours researching the book, which contains behind-the-scenes stories that Jarlett elicited from Ryan's close circle of friends (John Houseman, John Frankenheimer, Lamont Johnson, Robert Wallsten, Arvin Brown and Millard Lampell).
I noted one Amazon reviewer to remark that the author captured the actor's essence in such performances as the racketeer in The Racket. I was likewise mesmerized by Ryan's quirky interpretation of the psychopathic ex-G.I. in Crossfire. I especially liked Jarlett's analyses of Ryan's other unsung gems, such as in House of Bamboo when Ryan says to his friend after killing him, "Why did you tip the cops, Griff?", or Beware, My Lovely, Act of Violence, The Naked Spur, to name a few. Another interesting fact that Jarlett brought out was that Ryan was the "film noir" king, with fourteen trenchant portraits in that genre over the years. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to delve underneath the surface of Ryan's screen presence since in real life he was the opposite of what he portrayed on the screen.

When I saw this book at a local book store, I was ecstatic. I had long hoped that someone would write a biography on Ryan, and wondered why this amazingly talented actor never was recognized for his range, versatility, and talent. The picture on the book's cover grabbed my attention immediately: it was none other than Ryan's psychopathic Montgomery from the film noir gem, Crossfire. Oh great!!! I thought; someone finally decided to take on the task of researching material for a book about Ryan.

After purchasing the book, I rushed home to read it, along the way quickly perusing the scores of stills the author included. I was in my glory, since Ryan was my favorite actor growing up. The book is a fully researched tome that seems to have gotten to the heart of the matter. Yes, the book depicts a man whose performances seemed to exemplify the "art" of film-making, rather than the glitz of fame. Herein one can find definitive examples of Ryan's "art". Read Jarlett's reviews of early Ryan gem performances to understand just how great he was: Act of Violence, The Woman On The Beach, Caught, Beware, My Lovely were just a few examples of film as art, and the author seems to understand the ethos that drove Ryan.

I marveled at the author's ability to write with the same sort of artistic merit that Ryan endorsed: the book contains reviews culled from scores of cinema retrospectives on Ryan's films, including Cahiers Du Cinema, Films in Review, and so on. Jarlett's sources of information were first-rate. Who can deny the opinion of John Houseman, whose preface lauds Jarlett's acumen in discerning Ryan's talents?

I agree with one amazon reviewer who noticed Ryan's subtle touches of brilliance in The Racket, a film which portrayed him as a ruthless racketeer who nevertheless garners a degree of pity. The scene where Ryan's Nick Scanlon jauntily munches on an apple while trading words with Robert Mitchum's stalwart cop was a sublime melding of actor and prop.

But The Racket is just one of countless films in which Ryan lent his talents to make good films better. I wondered why Ryan never went after the blockbuster roles that contemporaries landed. Jarlett clarifies this point: Ryan simply didn't care about them, instead searching for artistic expression. The book discusses the great Hollywood directors with whom he worked, in classics such as House of Bamboo, The Naked Spur, On Dangerous Ground, Lonelyhearts, Odds Against Tomorrow, Billy Budd, The Wild Bunch, and his last most trenchant portrait in The Iceman Cometh. Who else but Ryan could have been better as Eugene O'Neill's anarchist Larry Slade?

The book is a one-of-a-kind, definitive exposition of Ryan's life and films, and I applaud Jarlett's commitment to finally bring the actor's life to the forefront. My only regret is that Ryan was not alive to have placed his imprimatur on Jarlett's superb biography.

Thank you for republishing the book I remember from my childhood (back in the Jurassic)! I read it out loud to my sons (12 1/2 and 8 1/2) and they love it!

this book is a true life story of Robin Hood and his sweetheart Marian in England. the author had investigated a true life story and not a legend.and how Handsome robin hood met the charming fair maid marian met??? This biography in precise and accurate in every history happened in England for both of them. This book of Robin Hood and Maid Marian seems to be a heaven corresponded that these two birds shall meet when the ripe and right time comes.

Gramercy! This is one of the best books I have read in quite some time. From the first page, the slightly archaic English prose lends an air of authenticity to the book (or at least makes it feel a little more old-fashioned). Nathless, I never had any difficulty keeping up with Robin's many adventures--and there are many of them in this book! For the most part, each short chapter contains an isolated episode, making this a great book to read anytime, anywhere. Occasionally, a lenghty episode may be split among two or three chapters. The Robin Hood of this book is a wonderfully believable character--well skilled at archery, but less so at some other activities. In sooth, while he seems to have good intentions, he can come off a bit arrogant at times.

From Robin's bold meeting with Little John on a narrow foot bridge to his humorous first encounter with Friar Tuck from the opposite bank of a stream, we learn how many members of Robin's Merry Men came to join the band. We see how Robin's men fall in and out of favor with authority, and we watch his growing interest in the lovely Maid Marian. Packed full with knights, castles, bows and arrows, daring rescues, odds bodikins, and a host of unforgettable characters clad in Lincoln Green, this book provides a much needed escape from the hectic world of today to the English countryside of eight centuries ago. Highly recommended!

McSpadden stays true to the Robin Hood legend and in my opinion this is the best portrayel of Robin Hood I have read and I recently read five other book about Robin Hood and find this one the best. If you are looking to buy Robin Hood then get this one you wont regret it, trust me on this one. I like how Robin Hood is the best archer in Sherwood bet is not as good in other forms of combat so it makes him seem more human, but not ordinary like many other book about him.

This is a delightful version of the classic Robin Hood. I especially love the illustrations by Greg Hildebrandt, and the timelessness of this leather bound edition. We see Robin hood as handsome and brave. The romance between him and Maid Marian is bitter-sweet. The book is divided in chapters, yet can be enjoyed by children and adults alike without being boring. I personally keep it on my bookshelf, away from little hands.

This is a great book! Very easy to read and an interesting story. Roone is so creative and you really get to know him in his memoir. I enjoyed all of the behind the scene stories about Monday Night Football, Wide World of Sports, boxing and World News Tonight. He had to deal with a lot of difficult people -- mostly in the news division -- but he knew what he was doing and always succeeded. This is a success story. The greatest story is how he got started when he was a waiter in a restaurant. It's too bad that the kids working in the restaurants, fast food places and retail stores don't read this and apply themselves to their jobs because you just never know who might be your customer! Roone was always a pro and that's why when fate intervened, he succeeded. I highly recommend this enjoyable and well-written book!

Every once in a while there is a book that you hate to see come to an end. Roone: A Memoir is one of those books.
The reader races through his busy days right along with him. The reader gets the inside jokes and snickers at the absurdity of many situations that were common place.
He does not allow you into his private life. He mentions the break up of his first marriage and casually introduces his second wife. So casually, that I missed it and had to go back and find the reference.
The stories about current TV personalities and those who have passed are captivating. His experiences during the Munich Olympics brought back memories of that horrific nightmare.
This is a book that will definitely be a gift to the sports minded people on my list this Christmas.

Every once in awhile you find someone who loves their work. They don't mind putting in 18 hours a day on the job, because it's their life and it's what brings them happiness. Such was the case with Roone Arledge. Roone not only brought happiness to his own life but he brought a lot of happiness to viewers too.
His recent death probably wasn't all that surprising because he had come to the end of a very long and productive career. The end of the career in many ways was the end of his life.

His work in building ABC Sports and News will live on for decades. Millions of people tune in every night to watch Peter Jennings' newscasts or to watch Monday Night Football or Nightline. All of it can be traced back to Arledge's innovation and this book details how it all happened.

What I liked best about his book is that he was able to delve into the personal curiosities of many television personalities but he does it without rancor. For example, Howard Cosell and Frank Reynolds were probably not the easiest people in the world to have working for you. This book delves into those challenges but still does it in a positive way and you come away with respect for everyone in the book.

It's a great read and also a great resource regarding the history of television.

This was a fascinating look at the life and times of one of the most innovative minds in television history. This man originated a lot of the things that modern viewers take for granted. There was also some great background on a lot of the network stars, past and present, that made the book even more interesting. It is very enlightening to look inside some of the ridiculous egos that dominate the profession. If Arledge had been alive to promote the book it would have been a bestseller, no question.
This book was a terrific, highly entertaining read because the reader gets the inside scoop on so many stars and how so many concepts, like instant replay, were invented. Definitely worth the time-highly recommended!

Roone Arledge wastes no time sharing the fun of producing sports, first at NBC and then to ABC. He proudly tells how he helped land groundbreaking contracts for NCAA football and then several Olympic games. It's a fun ride that gets faster as he takes on ABC News, known to the competition as "Almost Broadcasting Co."

The book is all about personalities: the executives, the on-air talent, the producers and directors -- Arledge seems to relish in the trials and triumphs of his dealings. Also, Arledge always mentions which restaurants in which negotiations occurred -- the food and the atmosphere rank as importantly as the people. His final scene in the book, a reunion of ABC teammates, is painted with details of a popular New York eatery.

As Arledge tells it, the process of people management and kicking the competition while doing it is the real fun. And when you get to hang out with Peter Jennings, Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyer and even Sam Donaldson, it's always going to be interesting.

The book's second half takes a darker tone as bean-counting executives from Capital Cities buy ABC in the 1980s. The high-rolling days at ABC and other nets came to a close as leveraged buyouts gave investors the chance to own chunks of the Fifth Estate, and the heritage of ABC's Leonard Goldenson and CBS's Bill Paley quickly faded. It wasn't about broadcasting anymore, it was just about money. Having worked in local television during this time, I found much of Arledge's account to be familiar with my own career experiences.

Arledge doesn't spend much time describing the mood after Disney bought ABC in the mid 1990s, but it's clear that Disney was an immediate improvement over the CapCities reign.

Of course, Arledge fought cancer and other ailments late in life, and he died in late 2002 before the book hit shelves. For me, the book lacked much substance about his personal life, his faith or outside interests or accomplishments. True, his work impacted important stories involving U.S. and USSR relations, race relations in South Africa and other milestones. But, if his life was consumed by the TV biz, to the exclusion of family, other causes and loves, this story reads a bit like a tragedy. Broadcasting is a very exciting but always changing product; Arledge's lifelong accomplishments are fading daily into the new visions of management at ABC.

To my abject shame, I confess that prior to reading this biography, I knew Ponselle only vaguely as a "name" from the Golden Age. (Since reading the book, I've acquired dozens of her recordings and viewed her screen test!) What great fun this book is! And what a life to chronicle. Miss Ponselle is shown to be a complex, fabulous, contradictory, and sometimes infuriating human being, a woman of enormous stamina and determination. Her struggles would seem trite and unbelievable in one of those Hollywood faux-bio movies once so popular, yet she did struggle and triumph in the best screen tradition. Without resorting to any phony sensationalism, the author skillfully kept me poised on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what was going to happen next. This may have been partly because I was unfamiliar with Ponselle's career, but I think it would be true for all readers. A rich and totally fulfilling book.

Biographies of the great opera singers are not plentiful. The truly good, well-written biographies are even more scarce. The biography of Rosa Ponselle by James Drake belongs in that handful of well-written and well-reseached biograhies that are not only readbale but are difficult to put down (to sleep). This is not a reprint of the earlier book written by Ponselle with Drake but is an entirely new volume drawing on interviews and documents that were either unavailable or suppressed by Ponselle in "A Singer's Life". Drake constructs his narrative judiciously and fairly giving us a complete (or, rather, as complete as possible) picture of one of the greatest sopranos of this century. In addition, it also provides fascinating glimpses of some of her colleagues such as Caruso (with whom she made her Met debut in 1918) and Martinelli as well as the rigors of making records during that era and the everyday workings of the Met. This is a fascinating volume that belongs in every opera lover's library. My only quibble is that Amadeus didn't include a CD with the book (as does Baskerville Publishers). No, not of Ponselle's recordings. Those who buy this book will find her complete recordings readily available on Romophone in superb sound. Rather, it would have been nice to have been able to listen to some of the interviews used throughout the book rather than just read them. Having met Ponselle, it was a delight talking to her and that comes through on the recorded interviews. Despite this small quibble, I can't recommend this book strongly enough. But, be forewarned, it's as hard to put down as a good Agatha Christie!

James Drake's previous biography of Rosa Ponselle (styled an "autobiography," but in fact written entirely by Drake), was an excellent book and, until this new offering, served as the only biogrqaphy of an artist many consider the greatest opera singer America has produced, and one of the greatest, of any nationality, of all time. Prof. Drake's new book on Ponselle is not merely a rehashing of his earlier effort, but in fact entirely supersedes it. Unorthodox in organization, it gives us a complete picture of Rosa Ponselle, both as artist and woman. Prof. Drake has given us one of the finest biographies of an opera singer ever written.

Each chapter in the book is divided into four sections. First, there is an introductory overview, by Drake, of the period of Ponselle's life covered in that chapter. Next comes "The Interview," which is a transcript of interviews Ponselle gave to various persons (including the author) in the later years of her life, again dealing with the period of her life covered by the chapter. Here, Ponselle herself speaks. Then follows an account by some other person closely associated with Ponselle, dealing with the same events - her manager, Libbie Miller; her secretary and longtime companion, Edith Prilik Sania; her husband, Carle Jackson; and a close friend, Lena Tambourini. Finally, there is "The Written Record," which looks at what was actually written about Ponselle at the time of the events in question - reviews, articles, interviews, etc.

The overall effect of this sequence is to give a full, well-rounded and sometimes conflicting account of Ponselle's life. Not infrequently, Ponselle's own spoken recollections will be contradicted either by the recollections of others or by the written record. Perhaps the most important contribution of this book is to scrutinize - and in part, explode - the "Cinderella" myth surrounding Ponselle's "discovery" by Caruso and her subsequent engagement by the Met. Edith Prilik Sania's account gives a fascinatingly different perspective on these events. (She was there when they happened.) Another example of a fresh and varied perspective is the account of Ponselle's relationship with her manager early in her operatic career, William Thorner. Ponselle always maintained that Thorner never gave her any voice lessons ("I wouldn't have let him touch my voice!"), contrary to his own claims, and she downplayed Thorner's role in her engagement by the Met. Ponselle's recollections were no doubt colored by her personal antipathy to Thorner. (She later sued him, and one gets the impression that she never forgave him for steering her to Columbia records, rather than to Victor, where she would have been able to record with Caruso). What the written record and Edith Prilik's recollections show, is that Thorner may in fact have given Ponselle some voice lessons (he was a well-known vocal instructor at the time), and he had a lot more to do with Ponselle's "discovery" than she later let on.

Perhaps the major difference between Prof. Drake's old book and the new one, is the extent to which this new book gives us an unblinking look at Ponselle's personal defects, only hinted at in the "autobiography." Ponselle was apparently a very high-strung, almost neurotic individual. She could be petty, mean, greedy, and very difficult to live with. (Admittedly, not uncommon caracter traits among opera singers generally.) She also had many positive qualities, including loyalty to her family (she supported most of them), and she obviously inspired considerable devotion in her friends.

What there is no dispute about by anyone in this book is Ponselle's greatness as a singer. Her magnificent voice, unique in its dark, voluptuous timbre, apparently conquered all who heard it, and her recordings, technically primitive though they are (and which Ponselle herself disliked), are her passport to operatic immortality. Prof. Drake's excellent new book gives us a good look at the life and career behind the indescribably beautiful sounds one hears from a Ponselle recording. "Rosa Ponselle: A Centenary Biography" is fully worthy of its glorious subject.

If Flaubert was in love with Emma Bovary, surely James Drake must be in love with Rosa Ponselle. He has made her live for us, just as Flaubert made Emma flesh and blood. For me, opera singers are made of glass; they shine, and they may even seem transparent, but rarely do they seem human. Through the clear, admiring eyes of James Drake, Rosa could be our next-door neighbor. The dignity of Drake's writing, his clear love and respect for his subject makes her life shimmer like crystal. This book one of the best of the summer

James Drake's previous biography of Rosa Ponselle (styled an "autobiography," but in fact written entirely by Drake), was an excellent book and, until this new offering, served as the only biogrqaphy of an artist many consider the greatest opera singer America has produced, and one of the greatest, of any nationality, of all time. Prof. Drake's new book on Ponselle is not merely a rehashing of his earlier effort, but in fact entirely supersedes it. Unorthodox in organization, it gives us a complete picture of Rosa Ponselle, both as artist and woman. Prof. Drake has given us one of the finest biographies of an opera singer ever written.

Each chapter in the book is divided into four sections. First, there is an introductory overview, by Drake, of the period of Ponselle's life covered in that chapter. Next comes "The Interview," which is a transcript of interviews Ponselle gave to various persons (including the author) in the later years of her life, again dealing with the period of her life covered by the chapter. Here, Ponselle herself speaks. Then follows an account by some other person closely associated with Ponselle, dealing with the same events - her manager, Libbie Miller; her secretary and longtime companion, Edith Prilik Sania; her husband, Carle Jackson; and a close friend, Lena Tambourini. Finally, there is "The Written Record," which looks at what was actually written about Ponselle at the time of the events in question - reviews, articles, interviews, etc.

The overall effect of this sequence is to give a full, well-rounded and sometimes conflicting account of Ponselle's life. Not infrequently, Ponselle's own spoken recollections will be contradicted either by the recollections of others or by the written record. Perhaps the most important contribution of this book is to scrutinize - and in part, explode - the "Cinderella" myth surrounding Ponselle's "discovery" by Caruso and her subsequent engagement by the Met. Edith Prilik Sania's account gives a fascinatingly different perspective on these events. (She was there when they happened.) Another example of a fresh and varied perspective is the account of Ponselle's relationship with her manager early in her operatic career, William Thorner. Ponselle always maintained that Thorner never gave her any voice lessons ("I wouldn't have let him touch my voice!"), contrary to his own claims, and she downplayed Thorner's role in her engagement by the Met. Ponselle's recollections were no doubt colored by her personal antipathy to Thorner. (She later sued him, and one gets the impression that she never forgave him for steering her to Columbia records, rather than to Victor, where she would have been able to record with Caruso). What the written record and Edith Prilik's recollections show, is that Thorner may in fact have given Ponselle some voice lessons (he was a well-known vocal instructor at the time), and he had a lot more to do with Ponselle's "discovery" than she later let on.

Perhaps the major difference between Prof. Drake's old book and the new one, is the extent to which this new book gives us an unblinking look at Ponselle's personal defects, only hinted at in the "autobiography." Ponselle was apparently a very high-strung, almost neurotic individual. She could be petty, mean, greedy, and very difficult to live with. (Admittedly, not uncommon caracter traits among opera singers generally.) She also had many positive qualities, including loyalty to her family (she supported most of them), and she obviously inspired considerable devotion in her friends.

What there is no dispute about by anyone in this book is Ponselle's greatness as a singer. Her magnificent voice, unique in its dark, voluptuous timbre, apparently conquered all who heard it, and her recordings, technically primitive though they are (and which Ponselle herself disliked), are her passport to operatic immortality. Prof. Drake's excellent new book gives us a good look at the life and career behind the indescribably beautiful sounds one hears from a Ponselle recording. "Rosa Ponselle: A Centenary Biography" is fully worthy of its glorious subject.