Movies Books

A book I read for review at work.

Sabrina ad Dreama have a bad time when Harvey and her school's Football team decided to stop cleaning themselves after they win a match, due to the silly superstition. Much to Sabrina's horror, Dreama had cast a dreadful spell that would turn any supertitions as real as possible and they no longer recognise the world they are in. They can't cast any spells cause any spells would have a reverse effect. Salem has it worse, since Black cats are pretty much bad luck to any supertitious being.

Great book. I've finished it all in one go. A page turner and fast pace. A book thta would pull you in as soon as you sit down and read it.

I loved this book, it was excelent, its almost like watching sabrina the teenage witch on TV, but you are reading the book. Especially that was my first sabrina the teenage witch book that i ever ready, and because i liked this book i want to try all the others. Its like the book gave me a passion for reading Sabrina the teenage witch books! Its great! i really recomend to order this book, because if i liked it, maybe you will too!!!

We Win! Thats whats happening in Westbridge High, the football team seems to be winning games all of a sudden. So Brad says that all the football players should not change underwear, take showers, or even change socks, and of course the football players do just that! But once Sabrina finds out she is determined to stop all this sill superstition and get the football players to take showers. Just then a spell is cast, superstitions start to really come true. So when someone walks under a lader or brakes a mirror they have bad luck! What will Sabrina do?

I loved this book, it was excelent, its almost like watching sabrina the teenage witch on TV, but you are reading the book. Especially that was my first sabrina the teenage witch book that i ever ready, and because i liked this book i want to try all the others. Its like the book gave me a passion for reading Sabrina the teenage witch books! Its great! i really recomend to order this book, because if i liked it, maybe you will too!!!

As an 8th grade teacher, I love any book that keeps my kids reading, and according to the girls in my class, this is a must read. So I tried it, and really enjoyed it, even though I'm a bit older than the target market. Very cute, and it reminds me of my kids at school!

Congratulations to Moonstone for bringing out a second anthology of our favorite underdog in a birdfeeder hat.

For those of you new, Kolchak was the X-Files before the X-Files. Get The Night Stalker/The Night Strangler (Double Feature), then the TV series (Kolchak - The Night StalkerS). And I must give kudos again to Moonstone: The Kolchak Papers: The Original Novels, the Holy Grail, is back in print

Each story deserves its own rating. The two best are "Stealing Fire" (Ch. 2) and "Call Me Sam." (Ch. 16). Coincidentally they are about mercy and justice respectively. Kolchak, when the writers are at their best, is not about chills or the fear of the unknown, but about the human condition. We all live below our potential, so we are all underdogs. We have all told our employer "See, I Told You So," so we are all Cassandras. And somehow, we still seem to come out on top, despite the dangers.

Chapter 17 "Cancellation" is a treat. It was written by Mark Dawidziak, the author of the The Night Stalker Companion: A 25th Anniversary Tribute. It is also a wonderful "In Your Face" for any Kolchak fan who was bothered, even scandalized by the not-short-enough revival series Night Stalker - The Complete Series. It has to be 2007's winner of the Tom Swift Award for Dead-On Satire. Again, Cassandra; again "See, I told You So."

The rest of the stories are ho-hum. This is not bad, because the series had it share of turkeys. Future Authors: Keep in mind that Kolchak has a very obvious pattern or format.

* The story being with a run of the mill crime, with some inexplicable details.
* There are Dragnet-esque time slugs, which gives the story a feeling of concrete and factual reality.
* Kolchak examines the odd details.
* Tony is skeptical, which he indicates at the top of his lungs.
* Kolchak interacts with quirky experts, oddball people, and mysterious contacts (The Monk of the lower orders is the best informant).
* Kolchak runs afoul of the Powers That Be who mastermind a cover-up in the public interest. (Claude Atkins is the best, with Mr. RING the creepiest)
* Kolchak takes matters into his own hands.
* There is collateral damage, for which Kolchak takes the blame.
* Justice is served to society, but not to Kolchak.

This formula also explains why Kolchak lasted only one season. The concept was limited, and there was no room for growth. At the end of The Night Strangler, Tony gets convinced, but then later in the series he thinks Kolchak is crazy. The backtracking locked the series into a formula that would quickly becomes stale and repetitive. The Cassandra complex got old since it never went anywhere.

*

So if you like you horror in a lo-cal version, such as Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1) or Ghostbusters Double Feature Gift Set (Ghostbusters/ Ghostbusters 2 and Commerative Book), or just love Darren McGaven, get this book. It's not the over the top best, but the three stories are worth reading.

First off, my compliments to Moonstone Publishing. The list of authors for this second collection of Kolchak: The Night Stalker tales are some of the best in the science fiction, horror, fantasy and detective genres. Here are a few of my favorites.

The Introduction - Mark Dawidziak struck every single chord about why so many of us find Carl Kolchak such a compelling character. The excerpts from an earlier interview of his with Darren McGavin show why the actor is just as compelling. I'm not sure how selections to the Smithsonian are made, but if there is any "justice" to it, Carl Kolchak's straw hat will someday be there with Archie Bunker's chair and Fonzie's leather jacket.

Power Hungry - PN Elrod really enjoyed writing this and putting Carl though his paces. You can just tell. Her description of the monster made me think of the Matheson Script Book (from the original TV movies). I'd love to see Philipa again someday, although not without a grounding cable and a backup generator.

Stealing Fire - Kolchak and Dracula or Sherlock Holmes? All good, maybe even obvious team-ups. An adventure with Prometheus though? Rachel Caine is a genius. I think I was actually rooting for `Dean' to give up for a moment there, she wrote him with that much empathy.

The Day of Her Return - This one was my favorite! Tom DeFalco pretty much turned in a lost script from The Night Stalker TV Show. I could easily picture Darren McGavin racing down aisle five with a gallon jug of salt and an Aztec Priestess on his tail.

Digger - Whistling `...like it was his own personal theme song.' Nice touch right off the bat! When I was a kid watching Night Stalker in the 70s; that tune nearly creeped me out as much as the show itself. The frustration Carl felt with the authorities in every episode really came through here in every conversation with Capt. McClusky. Excellent work by Misters Golden and Hautala.

Blues, Sex and Bad Hot Mojo - Kolchak and the Blues make for a good combination. I definitely got a Memphis feel while reading it. Getting to know Nancy Havers was fun and I laughed out loud at the explanation for having to dress for running and throwing the quick right. Gary Phillip's introduction of the Blues singer Bailwire is a welcome addition to Carl's world and he should definitely make a return visit.

AND - I love a good werewolf story; so I was disappointed to see our furry antagonist disappear so quickly, although using a silver-plated dessert tray is genius! It turned out though that Dave Ulanski had something much stranger in store for us. A hulking monster that kills on the off-beat. This has got to be the strangest killer I think Carl has ever faced, sort of. Thanks Dave!

Pirate's Blood - A beautiful wench, a 200 year-old curse and a shanghaied Carl. Pierce Askegren laid out a nice tale for us and I thought it was rather smart to have Carl try to explain away how he got so brave all of a sudden. I have to wonder if he (Carl) believes that if he ever does accept his role in all of this madness, he will just simply be consumed by it; giving up that last, thin tie to even the hope of a normal life someday.

Call Me Sam - Carl and the ghost of Dashiell Hammett. I thought at first this was going to be a story about Bogie and then the author just ups the smooth quotient and makes the story twice as cool. The Night Stalker has pretty much been his own genre, but Mr. Randisi wrote a really nice noir tale here for Carl. I suggest sitting down to this story with a single malt whiskey, neat.

Cancellation - If any man (other than Jeff Rice) should be able to poke fun at Carl or the Night Stalker mythology and get away it, that guy is Mark Dawidziak. There were a few good shots at the X-Files of course and any appearance by Professor Kirsten Helms is always welcome. As with many episodes and comic books, defeating the monster comes down to Carl's chutzpah, not his martial skills. Comparing Falmont to Skorzeny and Malcolm (from the original TV movies) was a nice touch.

I'll finish up this review very simply. Buy this book, you won't be disappointed!

Another collection of fine stories. This is the character we all grew to know and love back in the seventies, not the one in the aborted new show(shudder). It's worth the price to lovers of the oddball character Darrin McGavin brought us way back when. Moonstone has a new novel on the way as well. Anyone who likes good adventure should check out The Spider anthology and The forthcoming Phantom anthology as well.

A wonderful collection of new adventures for our beloved Night Stalker, Carl Kolchak. Spooky, unnerving, supernatural, fun, funny, and thought-provoking, these tales stay true to the quirky character we came to love on television in the 1970's. Includes two gorgeous interior illos by Cortney Skinner for the Chris Golden/Rick Hautala and the Pierce Askegren stories. Absolutely worth the cover price.

When Kolchak: The Nightstalker premiered in 1974, I was firmly convinced it was the greatest show ever. Unfortunately not enough people thought the same way I did and the show lasted a single season...just 20 episodes in all. Despite that, the show has continued to have a strong cult following and re-runs were still turning up on the Sci-Fi channel just a couple of years ago. ABC even did a remake, which failed miserably. While the remake had the same character names, the show had no character, at least none of the character that the original did. Carl Kolchak, reporter for the Independent News Service, each week encountered the strange and horrific: werewolves, vampires, swamp creatures, Native American spirits, mummies, etc...Each week Kolchak would find a way to destroy the creature and each week no one would believe him.

While the remake failed to capture the spirit of the original show, Moonstone Books has been doing a marvelous job keeping Kolchak alive through a series of graphic novels and prose books. The latest is Kolchak: The Nightstalker Casebook, featuring 17 original stories by Tom DeFalco, P.N. Elrod, Elizabeth Massie, Joe Gentile, Mike Baron, Christopher Golden, John Ostrander, and James Reasoner, to name just a few. What is immediately obvious is that these writers were all fans of the show and understand the Kolchak character very well. Kolchak was an average guy. Unlike most central characters of TV shows, Kolchak was older, middle-aged in fact. Not especially handsome, nor athletic, and not particularly brave. His courage grew out of his need to always be able to get the story.

One unique characteristic of the TV show was that Kolchak (played remarkably by the late Darren McGavin) often voiced over certain scenes in the show in a first person perspective, usually a scene where a pretty girl was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Many of the stories in this book, and frankly my favorite ones, are told in first person point of view and it made me feel like I was sitting around my parent's living room on a Friday night watching the show again. They've not only captured Kolchak's character but also that of his irascible editor Tony Vincenzo, and fellow INS reporter the squeamish Ron Updyke.

While the TV show was set in Chicago, the stories in this book are set in California as Kolchak and Vincenzo have moved on to the Hollywood Dispatch. Allowing the writers some poetic license, they acknowledge the Chicago period yet these stories are set firmly in the present with mention of modern day technology such as computers and cell phones. Kolchak will encounter the spirit of a bloodthirsty Aztec priestess, a lake-dwelling creature, an inhuman grave robber, a ghostly diner, spectral pirates, and other denizens of the night.

One of the most poignant tales, Alternate Endings by John Ostrander, finds Kolchak back in Chicago and visiting the boarded up local tavern he frequented with an old flame named Cassie who was murdered by a serial killer. Walking through the door of the long closed bar, Kolchak is transported back in time with a chance to save his one time love from her terrible fate.

The series may have ended over thirty years ago but Kolchak lives on thanks to Moonstone books.

REVIEWED BY TIM JANSON

It says 2nd ed dec 8th so how come this is not a pre order item?????which one do you get now??

This is a gold mine of information, much of which is not going to be found elsewhere easily, if at all. Glenn Mitchell has done a thorough job of researching his subjects, and it shows. Clearly, he enjoys The Boys as well, since a noticeable amount of wit and humor add to the fun of reading the book. Incidentally, it's virtually im possible ("I have just two words...") to read the book in sequence; the cross references just go on and on. All in all, it's a most worthy companion to Randy Skretvedt's "Laurel and Hardy: the Magic Behind the Movies".

I've been a L&H fan since I was 6 and still am. The "boys" have been making us laugh in television re-runs, video and DVD but die hard fans are probably wondering what was the story behind the merriment? Here we have a GOLD MINE of trivia, facts and much more. Included are biographies of the pickle faced Jimmy Finlayson, Leo McCarey (who directed many of the later films) re-occuring themes, "the wives" music like "The Cuckoos" even comments on props like the bowler hats that Stan and Ollie wore. So sit back, relax and enjoy the world of two of the most talented comedians to grace the silver screen.

One of the best books,if not THE BEST book,on Laurel & Hardy.Everything you want to know is right here.Every single L&H film ever made so fully detailed.Plus details on every actor and actress the boys had worked with.Information on video and DVD releases and computer colourization.

A book I highly recommend.

This book is chock full of essential and not so essential minutae on the careers,lives,films,you-name-it of the worlds greatest film comedy duo of all time,Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.
That it is entitled an "encyclopedia" is no idle boast.There isn't too much that I can find that Mr.Mitchell didn't include.All is in alphabetical order and every topic you can think of from individual films,actors directly and indirectly associated with the Boys,explanations of for example reciprocal destruction,authors of other books,et al,are included in this unique volume.
At the end of each defined topic are cross references to other topics associated in some way with the one you just read which leads you hopping from one place to another.If you're not sure exactly what it is you're looking for you are eventually sure to run into something related to your field of interest as each topic is not exactly specific in nature such as "doors" or "locations" or "trains".
This is a book you don't read from cover to cover because it is like an encyclopedia but tons more fun!It's also full of illustrations and photos.
One entertaining and essential book on Laurel and Hardy that I recommend you add to your collection.

Is someone trying to break you and your boyfriend up? Or is there a miss understanding? Well in this book MK and Ashely are having major boy problems. Will they get back together? Find out by buying this book right now, all you have to do is order.

Mary-kate and Ashley are going to a dance and there dates are dumping them. A boy Mary-Kate likes is going to the dance with her bestfriend Campbell. Ashleys (so called) boyfriend is getting fed up with her and took a date with Dana, Ashleys worst enemy. What will they do? They'll live with it, that is what they will do. They have to. They are on a commity and they have to live with there X boyfriends forever. Ashley is partners with her X boyfriend Ross and is misserable to go set up for the for the dance. Maary-Kate has to actually live with her so called "friend" Campbell since they share a dorm room. If you want to here about the rest of the book, borrow or buy the book!

Mary-Kate and Ashley go to school at White Oak Academy. They both have major crushes on two boys at Harrington School for Boys, which is down the street. This also makes them excited when the boys of their dreams are assigned to work with the two on remodeling a new Student Union. The first day goes great, but when day two rolls around, things don't go too well. Both of the guys are completely ignoring the girls. What did the two do? Well.....Let's just say both of the guys have their reasons. I really like this book, and to find out what happens next, read Likes Me, Likes Me Not

This book was really good book. It's about Mary-Kate and Ashley both like a boy. And there trying to ask them to the Spring Fling. But before they can the boy of Mary-Kate's dream's is going out with her roomate. (old). And Ashley's crush is going out with somebody else too! Should they find new dates?? Or get revenge!

This book was another great Two Of a Kind book. When you read the back of the book it says that Mary-kate and Ashley are going to get revenge on the boys (Ross and Grant). Grant dumped Mary-Kate for her best friend Campbell, and Ross dumped Ashley for Dana, the most popular stuck-up girl in first form. Could things get any worse? Yes!

That O'Toole can write is no surprise to anyone who has seen him act, since--although he is saying others' lines on screen--a pulsing intelligence comes through in his performances. (Brando can't write in SONGS MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME, and neither could KATHERINE HEPBURN in her autobiography. As good as they are as actors, they don't suggest eloquence on the screen...despite the quality of the lines they say). But O'Toole is not one of the greatest writers alive. This volume shows that. His writing needs to be more linear. He IS one of the greatest actors alive, however. So I wish he would leave his desk and get in front of a movie camera or on stage instead. I don't believe there is such a thing as a genius actor. But if there is, O'Toole is it (and the only one). There has certainly never been an actor as charismatic (well, maybe Cary Grant. But could Grant have played serious drama as well as light comedy? He never played in a drama that I know of).

I want Peter O'Toole to scrible my life story. One of our grandest actors turns out to be a remarkable writer. If he was writing about any other person than himself, this would be a great book; a most enjoyable reading experience; and a primer in how to tell the story of a larger than life person. As it happens, Peter O'Toole, the exceptional writer, is writing about Peter O'Toole, the peerless actor.

And this is Volume Two! Do grab the first book, "Loitering With Intent: The Child." It is not only a fascinating story of the very early years of O'Toole's boyhood in Ireland, it is also a personal account of the world plunging into the chaos of the 1930s that became World War II.

Read them both...preferasbly in order. And pray Mr O'Toole is with us long enough to craft volume three!

Peter O'Toole continues recounting his early years in the second volume of his biography. It has a slightly different style than the first volume (The Child), but is still extremely enjoyable. Highly recommended.

Who says a great actor has to be a self-absorbed boor with no life or thoughts of his own offstage or off-camera? This second installment of noted actor O'Toole's autobiography brims over with vitality, quirky charm, and loving reminiscences of fellow drama school students, teachers, and a host of other fascinating souls. O'Toole is clearly one of those people who makes his own fun, and naturally finds kindred spirits wherever he goes in life. He doesn't choose his friends based on their status or what they can do for him, he just enjoys their company. And how! The myriad, unorthodox ways O'Toole and his pals devise to obtain lodgings, food, semi-clean laundry and other of life's necessities will have you laughing out loud. One of many highlights concerns the delightful, party given to celebrate the final hours of leaky old houseboat, where guests take turns pumping the sea back out even as it sloshes at their ankles. A rip-roaring good time was had by the artist as a young apprentice, and his mates!

O'Toole has a gift for the English language -- you just want to read whole chapters aloud, to enjoy the sound of the words. There are also scores of laugh-out-loud funny anecdotes sprinkled throughout, all told with wry joy. This isn't a typical actor's memoir -- this is way more fun.

I say so far becouse i dont doubt the Dawsons Creek authors one bit to bring out better and better books, but this is my favorite i loved it so much i stayed up in to the night to finnish it the story line to this book is exallent about a skiing trip and it is wonderfully written it makes you feel happy, sorry and annoyed for the charectors as it makes you feel so there i would recomend this book foe everyone not just Dawsons Creek fans.

I've read all the Dawsons Creek books, and this one is my 2nd favorite! They get a break from Capeside! And its snow! Joey gets the guys, which makes Jen jealous. Even though things heat up with Jen & Dawson. Plus Pacey meets someone special! Very good! RECOMEND!

I've read all the Dawsons Creek books, and this one is my 2nd favorite! They get a break from Capeside! And its snow! Joeu gets the guys, which makes Jen jealous. Even though things heat up with Jen & Dawson. Plus PAcey meets someone special! Very good! RECOMEND!

This book is the best book that i have ever read and the only book i can read over and over which is unusaul for me.Please make more books on Dawsons Creek and I will keep reading them.

I love Dawson's Creek! The books are just as good!! I wish that in "Major Meltdown" Dawson and Joey got back together! I saw the title and thought, wow this looks so cool, I have to add it to my collection! I'm a Dawson's Creek fanatic! The book was my favorite out of the other ones I own which are the following: Long Hot Summer, Calm Before The Storm, and Shifting Into Overdrive. I keep reading it over and over again! I wrote my own story about Dawson's Creek, but I can't think of a good title. I think that a good title interests the reader!! Thank you so very much for letting me voice my opinion! Yours Truly, A devoted fan!!

In my opinion 3d Movie Maker is possibly the best thing to come out of Microsoft since Windows 98. This game is alot of fun to play with, its also super easy to use. Orginally, this program, was designed for children...But if you google search "3dmm" many things will come up...Including films, props, actors, and other expansions...ALL downloadable for FREE!

This game could keep anyone entertained for hours. And if I where you I'd grab a copy quick, the game is getting harder to find even across the internet.

Have fun filming!

This is a very addicting way to make movies. It's limited, but if they ever come out with a second version, it will be probably no better or worse than this. Making movies has never been so easy, or inexpensive!

YOU WILL STAY ON THE COMPUTER FOR HOURS! IT'S FUN AND ENTERTAINING. THE ONLY COMPLAINT I HAVE IS THAT... J/K I HAVE NO COMPLAINTS. YOU CAN TURN REAL LIFE EXPERIENCES INTO MOVIES. EVEN RECORD YOUR OWN VOICE. MAKE THEM DANCE, YELL, RUN, AND SO MUCH MORE. YOU HAVE TO LOVE THIS GAME!!!!! 3DMM ROCKS!!!!!

I know many people that have purchased this game, with only one complaint: Too hard. It's not too hard if you spend a little time figuring things out, and it is much more fun than the vast majority of games out there. It is also a very popular game online; you can find over 1,000 sites dedicated to 3DMM. Rumors of a second version are quickly spreading... I CANT WAIT!!! I wouldn't recommend this game for anyone under the age of 13 however.

This is a cool game. Making movies is thrilling! You can make short films or long action-packed movies! The actors are funny, and you can use props to make almost anything. But be sure to find the pages for the talent book! 3-D Movie Maker=Fun!

I bought this book for my 2 year old to get her familiar with Halloween. We've read it one time. It is cute, but I think it scares her a little bit because every night I put it out amongst the books she gets to choose from before bed time and she hasn't picked it one time.

If your child loves the Backyardigan's, and is interested in books at all, this is perfect for them. The flaps are so cute, and pretty durable. I would recommend this for your little one.

My daughter is 20 months old and she loves this book also. She is even learning the names of the other characters besides Pablo now by finding them under the flaps. It is a very good quality book. She usually tears the flaps off of books like this but this one is still in one piece and we've had it over a month now.

"Monster Halloween Party" is a "Backyardigans" flap book based on the TV episode "Scared of You." The main difference between this story and that on TV is that on the TV show, Austin was asked to gather three monsters, which took part in his surprise birthday party. In the book, however, it's a Halloween party. It still works, well, though.

Mad Scientist Tasha sends out her assistant Austin with envelopes for three different monsters. Austin does his best to deliver them, but has to contend with them not only being scared of him, but also with each other.

The main fun comes in the flaps and bright foil. There are a total of eighteen flaps and they're all reasonably easy to lift. (Parents with young kids, however, may want to consider lifting them beforehand. Oh, and if you have any trouble lifting, one trick is to push from the back of the page.)

"Monster Halloween Party" is good, not-too-scary Halloween fun for all Backyardigans fans. It comes with a decent story and the illustrations are top-notch.

both my 6 y/o daughter and my 4 y/o son love this book. they love that you have to lift the flaps and see what's hiding there. and I don't mind reading it to them over and over.

anna is confused. she meets this movie star called bette. she wants to ride acorn. she wants him for keeps, too.

This book is the best Pony Pals bok ever! I have read it 5 times and I still love it! Bette Fleming is filming a movie in the town and she wants to use Acorn in it. Anna wants everyone to know that Acorn is special, but this time it means losing her pony for a few weeks. She finally agrees, knowing that it will only be a few weeks until he is her pony. But when Anna sees Acorn performing perfectly for Bette, she begins to think that Acorn belongs with Bette instead. Will Anna give up Acorn? READ THIS BOOK!!!

Hi!I love this book because I know how Anna feels.Everyone loves my Pony.In this book Anna is stumped.She knows Acorn is a special pony but was being in the circus enough?Then a movie star called Bette is in town.She sees Acorn and wants to ride him in her movie.But Anna and her Pony Pals Pam and Lulu find out that Bette is snobby.And Bette wants Acorn for her birthday!Anna,her Pony Pals,Snowhite and Lightning must use all there Pony Pal Power.And Anna comes up with a plan to get Acorn back.Will it work?Find out in this great book.

bete fleming is doing her movie in town. she dosn't wont to ride the horse shes soposed to ride instead she wont's to ride acorn. anna agrees but unforunetly for anna, bete wonts acorn for her birthday. will anna loose acorn to this snoby girl?????

The Pony Pals books including the above title, "Movie Star Pony", are wonderful books for beginning readers. If you have a child who loves horses and ponies we highly recomend this series.

The late writer-director Edward Bernds has become a familiar name to movie comedy fans, through his association with The Three Stooges, The Bowery Boys, the Blondie series, and a host of other comedy stars. But Mr. Bernds made his reputation as a recording engineer during the early-talkie years, and was the number-one sound man at Columbia Pictures until he took on more creative duties.

This book chronicles Bernds's early years, from his first radio jobs through his successful association with director Frank Capra. Bernds was a stickler for accuracy, and drew upon his old diaries to confirm his excellent memory for facts and faces. He was just as careful to spell things out for the reader, explaining a technical process or a business practice to amplify the point he was making. Bernds's attention to detail makes for good, solid reading.

This writer was disappointed that the book stops when the author stopped working as a soundman. But it's understandable because Bernds, in his thoroughness, would have written a mammoth volume if his entire career were to be discussed. Joseph McBride recognizes the "missing" material by appending a more general interview with Bernds, conducted by McBride and Leonard Maltin.

Film buffs and historians will enjoy "Mr. Bernds." For those who want Bernds's observations and recollections of his Three Stooges years, read "The Columbia Comedy Shorts" by Ted Okuda and Edward Watz.

Have you ever dreamed you could make it big in Hollywood? Countless dreams have been shattered in this town, but one young man made it, and this is his story. Rarely will one encounter a more modest telling of a life's story. Yet Ed's tale rings so true and so right that you can't help but be drawn in. From making a crystal radio set as a teen, to snaring the top sound position with Frank Capra, Mr. Bernds entertains, informs, and delights us in the telling.

One of the reasons why this book is so fresh is that its author works not just from memory, but from detailed diaries. The tale of his trip west to Hollywood in a broken down jalopy fairly crackles. Genuinely good story telling accents this lively account of the early talkie era. Recommended to anyone who would enjoy a stroll through the inside of Hollywood, spoken by a real movie sound pioneer.

Edward Bernd's autobiography is a wonderful insight into the life and career of a Hollywood talent whose career lay behind the camera.

The book only covers the first half of his life, from his childhood in Chicago to his career as a top sound engineer at Columbia Studios. Bernds' engineering career encompassed the films of Frank Capra (Capra always requested Ed for his team), the many classics of Moe, Larry and Curly, and many major Columbia feature productions through 1945.

The reader is left wanting more, particularly the details of Bernds' new post-1945 career of writer and director for the Three Stooges, the Blondie series, the Bowery Boys and Elvis Presley. But, that's another book. Right, Ed?

Have you ever dreamed you could make it big in Hollywood? Countless dreams have been shattered in this town, but one young man made it, and this is his story. Rarely will one encounter a more modest telling of a life's story. Yet Ed's tale rings so true and so right that you can't help but be drawn in. From making a crystal radio set as a teen, to snaring the top sound position with Frank Capra, Mr. Bernds entertains, informs, and delights us in the telling.

One of the reasons why this book is so fresh is that its author works not just from memory, but from detailed diaries. The tale of his trip west to Hollywood in a broken down jalopy fairly crackles. Genuinely good story telling accents this lively account of the early talkie era. Recommended to anyone who would enjoy a stroll through the inside of Hollywood, spoken by a real movie sound pioneer.

When Hollywood first started to shine golden, Ed Bernds was there. He knew and worked with the stars, the directors and the writers, and contributed no little himself to Hollywood's Golden Age. In "Mr. Bernds Goes To Hollywood," Ed tells -- with near total recall -- of his journey to the movie capital in the earliest days of sound (which was his speciality) and of his career at Columbia Studios, the King of "Poverty Row," with the likes of Frank Capra, Clark Gable and the feared studio head Harry Cohn. In telling his story, Bernds invokes a bygone era of Hollywood glamor with an inside knowledge that few today possess. Necessary books on Hollywood are few and far between, but "Mr. Bernds Goes To Hollywood" fills the bill.