Video Books

If you are a dedicated hands-on woodworker, or simply of the armchair variety, this beautifully written and lavishly illustrated book on handplanes should be on your short list. I recenly met the author, Mr. Garrett Hack, at a woodworking conference in Williamsburg, Virginia. He speaks to a live audience in much the same way that he writes; with great organization, clarity, and enough anecdotal sidebars to really make the discussion lively. After reading the book through, cover to cover, I ordered my first handplane... a Lie-Nielsen No. 4 iron bench plane... and am now rereading the book to learn how to tune this beautiful tool, sharpen it, and commence making those paper-thin, elegant shavings..

I inherited a standard Stanley bench plane from my Dad. After I tried to sharpen it, I had know idea why it was chattering and gouging the wood I was trying to plane. From reading this book I got it properly sharpened and tuned. Now it works great. Also, I found out that I had placed the iron on backwards, and that I really did not need to buy a honing guide or expensive stones to sharpen the iron well enough to do the job.

Some years ago a purchased the book this author wrote on Handtools and have read it about ten times. In that book the author made mention of this book he wrote on handplanes but I was not all that interested. Then in the last few years I have purchased a number of handplanes and began using them and realizing what wonderful and almost sensual tools they are. It was then I ordered the author's book of Handplanes and realized why he wrote an enire book on this subject. I can only say if you have an interest in handplanes of any kind, or age, or conditon this is the book to have. It covers everything you would want to know, including how to tune, reconditon, buy, sharpen, use, and identify about any handplane made. The photos are sumptuous. I cannot say how much I appreciete this book. I just keep reading it over and over and putting the information to work in my shop.

I've been using hand planes for basic tasks for years but never got the performance I felt they were capable of. This book has given me the information I needed to really tune all my planes. It is a pleasure to run a plane down a board and get a perfect shaving thin enough to see through!

I'm now using planes for things other than fitting a drawer or easing an edge. And my shop is often a quieter place because of it!

Wow everybody loved this book!!?? I guess it depends on what you are looking for. I want to build my own planes. This book is not useful for that. The only illustrations, which are sparse, are pictures of planes. So if you love tools and want to read about planes this is probably as great as everybody says, but if you actually want to build a plane this book will not be any help. I did find the discussion of Stanley and other old planes very useful though when going to the flea markets to look for old hand tools. Thats why I gave it a 4. If you want to build a plane I would give it a 2.

Excellent pictures, interesting information. This is a must have for Disney fans of the Haunted Mansion! It even covers Disney's other haunted mansions around the world, and the Haunted Mansion movie. Everything you ever wanted to know!

THis book was great! A ton of information on the ride! I couldnt put it down! It was great.

This book is a must read for ALL ages and ANYONE interested in Disney theme park attractions around the globe. Any Disney fan knows that the Imagineers are very particular about what is revealed to the general public in terms of how they make their Disney 'magic' and I was pleasantly surprised (being an avid Disney fan myself) by the research that went into the making of this book and the amount of knowledge shared with the reader - it DOES in fact reveal some secrets of the mansion and never before seen history of the making of the attraction. (It confirms and dispels some rumors about the attraction once and for all too!) A pattern of discussion is followed throughout the book as you are verbally walked through the mansion's corridors and rooms. Surrell consistently covers the Haunted Mansion in a logical order (Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris) in every chapter. He takes the subject matter full circle by including information about how the attraction was translated to the big screen, and gives the reader insight to how decisions were made pertaining to set design, costume design, and casting for the movie of the same name. If you want an intelligent, thorough and enjoyable read about a classic Disney attraction, and especially an insight to the magic that is Imagineering, this is a MUST READ!

Lots o' great info on both the Ride @ the Disney Theme Parks + the Movie [which I loath - sorry but the Haunted Mansion wasn't meant to be made into a 2 hour episode of the Fresh Prince of Bellaire, mmmkay ?] + the Haunted Mansion Holiday ....

Future editions should drop all reference to the Movie, then spend more time on the Haunted Mansion Holiday [Nightmare Before Christmas Holiday makeover] + recent "changes" that occured in 2006 [I'd make it a 5 star if they did that] ....

If you don't want to read the book, please buy it for the artwork
[best priced Disney Merchandise vs. what you will pay @ the Theme Parks] ....

~(^)~

You buy this book thinking it's a great "behind-the-scenes" resource, but it's not. Yes, there is some background information, but the book skips confusingly from park to park, and offers very little technical information on the special effects. The photos are all standard Disney promotional stuff...this book tells you what Disney wants you to know, and nothing else.

Go to doombuggies.com for a much better treatment of this classic ride.

A lot of info that a lot of people did not know about those little darlings. Very interesting, good reading, very well done. Thank You.

Excellent book....Leonard really digs deep to document and convey all things "Rascal". It's worth the purchase price.

Revised in 1992, Leonard Maltin and Richard W. Bann's "The Little Rascals" is a must for anyone who has enjoyed the antics of Spanky and the gang. The authors' exhaustive research and warm-hearted nostalgia is evident as they chronicle the history of these enduring comedy shorts. Along with biographies of the ever-changing cast and crew, the book offers a detailed critical analysis from the golden Hal Roach period (1922-38) to the sad decline at MGM (1938-44). It's the ultimate Our Gang celebration, with a treasure trove of rare photographs and publicity material.

I have been looking for this book for ages.Answers so many questions about all the Little Rascals.Some didn`t live long and very few are still with us.Being from Long Island I watched them on CH.11 on the Officer Joe Bolton Show every day after school.Kids today have nothing like them on TV.The facts in this book are fantastic and the pictures are great.If you love the Little Rascals buy this book.

The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang is the most comprehensive book available about the popular short series. Leonard Maltin, longtime fan of both Hal Roach comedies and the Our Gang series itself, writes both intelligently and lovingly about the series with the help of Richard W. Bann.

This book opens with a short history of the Hal Roach film company and the Our Gang series.

Then, it leads to a collection of all of the shorts made for the series including the cast, release date, and highly effective synopses and analyses of each short. These are listed chronologically and noted according to ownership and distributor and silent and sound. Some of the silent have been lost, but they are not neglected. Instead, Maltin has used reviews from the time period to give the reader a sense of the short and an idea of its quality. Opinions are used, but they are obviously separate from the factual information and are supported by facts. They add to the effectiveness of the synopses and paint a more vivid picture of the shorts that are unavailable. What is also unique about this book is the listing of the MGM shorts that are often regarded as the worst quality episodes of the series. Skipping these films, although understandable, would have made this book far less complete.

Next, the spin-offs and pop culture effects of the series are addressed, including the Saturday Night Live spoofs of Buckwheat and the cartoon versions of the show.

Last, the book includes a brief history of all of the major stars of the series and a few sentences about the more minor players. Sadly, this section needs to be updated because of the deaths of the cast members after this second publication. However, the information that is included is accurate and valuable, as much of it cannot be easily found anywhere else, especially interviews.

One must also comment on the abundant photographs utilized in the book including rare publicity stills.

Overall, this is a high quality history of The Little Rascals.

This Movie Is Great It Has The MG-42 Bullets Going Right Through The Water On The Beach.The Blood,Gore,Gun Realism Is Great.It Also Is A Heart Touching Movie.The Action Is Great,The Guns,The Cool Guys,And The Nazis....

This Movie Is Great It Has The MG-42 Bullets Going Right Through The Water On The Beach.The Blood,Gore,Gun Realism Is Great.It Also Is A Heart Touching Movie.The Action Is Great,The Guns,The Cool Guys,And The Nazis.If You Like SPR(Saving Private Ryan)Than Play The Game MoH:AA(Medal Of Honor:Allied Assault)For PC It Has The Same Weapons And The Same Missions Like The Real WWII.Good Luck

I think Spielberg's a genius. There, I've said it. He takes simple men, surely John Miller, Captain, 2nd Ranger Battalion is just that, a simple man, and paints a canvas of such detail of Armageddon, putting these simple men all over the painting. Hell. The end of the world. Good versus evil. Call it what you may. "I'm a history teacher," he says in the movie in one extraordinarily tense scene. "I teach history in a small high school in Pennsylvania. . . .when I'm done here I don't know if I can go back to it."

I'm reminded of another 'simple man' that came from Pennsylvania in novel lore. Lieutenant Harry Brubaker, the lawyer who flies F-9 Panther Jets in Michner's brief story about the carnage in Korea, 'Bridges at To Ko Ri.'

But the point is Spielberg tells us that they were all simple men and we don't believe him at first. We keep looking for Arnie Schwarznegger or Chuck Norris or The Rock. But they are and were normal guys, guys from Brooklyn New York and Brooklyn Michigan. Guys from towns you never heard of in Iowa, where Jimmy Ryan and his brothers came from. Just guys in the greatest carnage the world ever knew. And Spielberg shows us what they did. They changed the world.

The five Sullivan brothers all went down with their ship in the middle of the war and after that the powers that be would not commit one brother in a theater of combat where another brother was also serving in harm's way. So here, one of Jimmy Ryan's brothers is killed in the Pacific and one brother is killed in Anzio Beach. And Sean Ryan is killed in the landing at Omaha Beach. And Captain John Miller and a squad of men he picks are asked to find him to send him home.

A wonderful book to compliment a movie that should be preserved forever about an ubelievable body of men and women. "Was I a good man," asks James Ryan 50 years later? My Dad asked me the same question a few years ago. Five stars is not enough. Larry Scantlebury.

I think this story is a very good story it really shows how the war really whent. my favrit character in this story was mellish well i'v seen the movie and i think he is the cutest i also like capazo he was really cool i think uhpum was a bit of a wimp but apart from that i think it was really cool.If i was to give this movie/book a raiting out of 100 i would give it 100 becaust it is so good.

Saving Private Ryan and The Triumph and the Glory have sparked an interest in me about WWII. The novel isn't quite as good as the movie but anyway this book is a great behind the scenes look at the making of a terrific movie.

Back in college, a devoted group of soap watchers gathered in the student center every day to keep up with life in Salem. None of us knew each other outside that TV room, but for one hour a day, five days a week, we were united in our running commentary of crazy plots, acting that ranged from barely there to over the top, fashion don'ts, and Alice's donuts. Anyone stumbling in might have thought we hated the show, but no demand of college could keep us away from it.

Screening Party reminds me of that, only better, because Hensley's (based on life?) movie viewers are friends. Their lives become little subplots to the movies they watch and comment on. It all makes for a greatly entertaining read. I've read it cover to cover once, and I keep it handy to dip into when I want a quick read during lunch or something. I can always count on it to make me laugh.

This book is GREAT. I had this book purchased for me in July 2003. I was out for drinks with my brother and his partner ( who bought it for me) and they casually asked had I read it yet...I lied and said "yeah of course. Good book." They looked at each other, then back at me and said simply. "Liar"

This provoked me to get the book out of the pile next to the bed labeled "mean to read" and skim through it. By page 2 I was in tears. Mr. hensley made me crack up REALLY LOL. Like before LOL existed, this is what I did..so much so that my husband asked me to READ TO HIM what was making me crack up to this extent. (Shoot me now. He NEVER has done that before) Well, we continued to laugh till well into the am. hours.

I highly recommend this book. Hillarious and the BEST if you are one of those who like to sit and "bag" on things. Bravo Mr Hensley! Great book!

Jodi Wallace

Dennis Hensley and his gaggle of five chums crack wise to earn your giggles in what is one of the more original and better written movie books I've read. Decidedly not a traditional film review or guide, Screening Party seamlessly integrates hilarious commentary from Hensley's peanut gallery with poignant, often surprisingly touching storytelling about the lives of those in said peanut gallery. The contemporary campfests you might expect are covered (e.g., Basic Instinct, The Bodyguard, Glitter, & Flashdance), but also included are some unexpected gems (e.g., The Sound of Music and Taxi Driver). While the banter is always funny but not always totally original, this is actually the point: you will find yourself laughing out loud at times, reliving the magic of Sharon Stone's infamous legs uncrossing scene and your reaction to it the first time you saw it. The gang's commentary is as witty as you wish yours had been, and, thanks to Hensley, retold faithfully and skillfully.

If you are looking for a collection of serious film reviews, then look elsewhere. If you are looking for a great way to spend an evening or a lazy afternoon (because you will not be able to put down this book), then make some baked goods a la one Partygoer and join the Party.

great fun. if you're not rolling on the floor with laughter when you read this your first name is ebenezer. several friends get together and critique movies. no one is spared when they carve up such cinematic masterpieces as st. elmo's fire, the bodyguard, glitter, basic instinct, pretty woman [ I don't understand julia roberts popularity, eric got the talent gene, imo ], my favorite is the chapter on the movie cruising.

Screening Party is a witty, saucy book that will get you laughing. Obviously, Hensley has distilled the most brilliant and effervescent remarks from his real-life screening parties for this story. These funny characters do more than just crack Sedarisque lines about movies; you see the changes in their lives as the story progresses.

This is a calculated mix of movie commentary and storyline, though more oriented for those who want the cultural analysis rather than the story. It's an especially vivid snapshot of mid-70s to early 80s pop culture. Even movies you thought were great get roasted via the sass-spatula from these wacky grillers.

The book was interesting although I do have to admit I wish there were better photos and close-ups in the book. Seemed to focus too much on the negative, hear say of this wonderfully talented gentleman. I couldn't help but feel sympathy for the actor. It saddens me that his contributions have gone mostly unnoticed in the film industry. The proof is that there are hardly ANY DVD's or even VHS available of his best films? It would be fantastic if there were a film made today of this great actor, that is as long as it was as close to the real Mr Novarro as possible. I'm afraid it would focus too much on the negative, gossipy parts of his most private life.

This what saddens me when any person passes away, others can swoop in and destroy their reputations and if no living relatives are around to stop it. the story becomes gospel truth. Such an injustice.

The book is worth buying but lacks movie still, etc that most BIO's have.

Re: Krebsman comment:

In "Beyond Paradise," it is stated that Franklin was located just north of El Paso del Norte, not El Paso. (We're talking 19th century here.)

It says in the book that El Paso del Norte would be renamed "Ciudad Juarez" or "Juarez." Needless to say, Franklin would turn into (or become a part of) what is today known as "El Paso."

If silent movie star Ramon Novarro is remembered at all today, it is for two things: his starring role in the original film version of BEN-HUR and his brutal murder in 1968 by two alleged male hustlers. Andre Soares' biography of Novarro, BEYOND PARADISE, is intelligently written and sympathetic towards its subject. Novarro seems to have been a nice Mexican boy who was devoted to his family and his religion. He was also homosexual, which caused him a great deal of spiritual torment in a time when such things were not even mentioned among nice people. He had a rapid rise to stardom in the embryonic motion picture industry and was one of the few silent screen stars to survive the transition to talking pictures (despite his Spanish accent), when he played opposite Greta Garbo in the sound feature MATA HARI. But miscasting combined with a conflicting desire to become an opera singer brought about a slow decline and ultimate obscurity. He also became an alcoholic and, perhaps because of his homosexuality, a virtual recluse. This is a sad story.

There are some factual errors early in the book that made me doubt the accuracy of the other points in the book. For example, he says that Franklin, Texas is slightly north of El Paso when it is actually 300 miles to the East. However, he does set the record straight about the means of Novarro's death. In the 1975 book HOLLYWOOD BABYLON, Kenneth Anger states that Novarro choked to death when his art deco styled artificial phallus was stuffed into his mouth by his assailants. Soares gives the lie to this myth when he quotes official evidence that Novarro not only died from being bludgeoned to death, but that no such object was found among Novarro's possessions, nor did it ever exist.

The trouble I had with the book is that actor biographies are all fairly similar. After reading dozens of them over the years, I don't find most of them very interesting. The best parts of the book for me were the final chapters dealing with the murder and its aftermath. But for those who already have a keen interest in the silent movie era of Hollywood and are already familiar with the actors and directors of the period, BEYOND PARADISE could be compelling reading.

I bought this book at the behest of a friend and have since reread it twice. I am a severe critic of biographies, having read more than I can number. Happliy, Andre Soares' book is a well-written, intelligent and well-balanced account of the life of a man who was both complex and not always very smart in his choices. The book does what all good biographies SHOULD do: make you want to go out and find out more about the subject.

Among the many positive attributes to BEYOND PARADISE are:

* A balanced appraisal of Novarro's personal and professional strengths and weaknesses (this is a hopeless, gushing tome by a misguided fan)
* A willingness to analyze the facts without sensational exploitation of them
* Detailed research and substantive factual foundations
* A sincere (thought not always likeable) portrayal of Mr. Novarro
* A well researched documentation of the studio system that made and ultimately destroyed one of it's brightest stars who is, today, largely forgotten

I cannot recommend this book highly enough - it is one of the best biographies I have read in some years.

This is an incredibly riveting compelling read, and beyond being entertaining and informative, it's also a balanced thoughtful sensitive portrait of a fascinating human being and actor. Some celebrity biographies seem to have been written by people who can't stand their subject and some are written by people who are too in love with the subject to think clearly, but this one gives a nicely balanced account. We see here a man who was a very fine gifted talented actor, but who eventually became a has-been, for various reasons, who didn't always give his all to selecting the best projects because of his conflicting desire to have a career as an opera singer, and who was deeply torn over his genuine deep committment to his family, his Mexican roots, and his Catholic faith, and how he was also a gay man in a time and a society where that subject was strictly taboo. Even at the time of his murder by two young hustlers, gayness was still considered a psychiatric disorder. Because Ramon kept so much of his life private, this biography can't tell us everything about his personal life, but it is made clear he was:

A very talented actor (he was allowed more range and depth of roles than some of his other romantic leading man counterparts), a man who played to perfection a number of dream roles, most notably that of Judah Ben-Hur in the 1925 version of the screen adaptation of the General Lew Wallace novel, as well as starring with a number of great leading ladies;

A talented singer (even though his acting and singing careers conflicted multiple times and mutually hindered one another);

A devoted family man, deeply religious (he seriously wanted to enter a religious order at several points in his life), becoming the head of the household after his family immigrated to America, as the oldest surviving son in a family of originally twelve children, stepping into the shoes of his father, who had once been a successful dentist but became too ill to support his family during much of his life;

A good human being in spite of natural human flaws (such as his problems with drinking in his later years and several car accidents caused by his heavy drinking);

Someone who sometimes wasn't always the most agreeable person, as evidenced by when he was touring a play in England in the Thirties and getting catcalled by the audience who couldn't hear him, since Ramon had never learnt how to project his voice, being a screen and not stage actor, and actually stepped out of the play to catcall back, "Now, *I* can't hear *you*!"

Even though he is most remembered today for playing the title role in 'Ben-Hur' and for being murdered in his home on Halloween Eve 1968 by two young hustlers, which finally exposed to the public that which he had worked so hard to keep hidden and private (i.e., the fact that he was gay), he was so much more than either of those things, a deeply talented and flawed man. This biography truly does his life and character justice.

I bought three books to teach myself how to produce DVDs. The Erica Sadun book is for advanced users and was not helpful to me. The Bob LeVitus "Little iDVD Book" is probably one of the most poorly organized and edited books I've ever come across on any subject.

Pogue's "Missing Manual", on the other hand, is comprehensive, clear and well-organized. I've produced about half a dozen DVDs since reading (and re-reading) Pogue's book and it clearly made a huge difference in what I was able to construct using iDVD.

In my opinion, this is the only book you need to read to learn how to produce movies using iDVD.

Beyond teaching readers to work with iDVD, Pogue also offers loads of helpful suggestions about editing in general. This book is outstanding.

I love this book! I was ready to give up trying to use iMovie because of a small glitch that was incurring. After browsing thru the book the very first time I opened it, I came across the trouble I was having with iMovie. Mr. Pogue directed me to the correct settings and I am now having a great time editing my DV movies.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone attempting to use iMovie. There is so much more to this program than Apple addresses in the help file. Mr. Pogue's writing is concise but not out of reach for the average Mac user.

I have many books by Mr. Pogue and I would recommend any of them if you are stumped and need a well explained how-to-manuel.

Can it get any simpler !! ha ha ha ha ha
I found this book to be extremely informative and easy to understand (especially since i am yet to purchace a mac and digital video cammera ).. I will have no hesitation now to go out and purchase a Mac and a Digital cammera .. and feel confident making my first feature film or "Home Movie " LOL

It's OK. It has about the same amount of material as the "iMovie 2 for Macintosh Visual Quickstart Guide" - The missing manual is fatter because it contains additional stories and things that a reader might find amusing, but that are not particular relevant to the topic. The section on movie making basics is very good. For an expanded view see "The Five C's of Cinematography". I thought I would find more information in this book since it is fatter than in the VQG, but it ended up that they are about even in content.

First I have to give props to David Pogue and his Missing Manual series. As a bookseller and computer geek I've long favored the Dummies books as the best entry-level source for third-party information on software. However, O'Reilly made a smart move when they turned their attention on that market and grabbed Dummies standby Pogue to headline the new series. The Missing Manuals (and their mutant-dogcow mascot) are a credit to O'Reilly and a must-have... assuming, that is, that they cover the program you need. The series is still too small, but I'm sure it won't stay that way.

Now, to the book itself. If you need to do something with iMovie, it's in there. That pretty much covers what I need to say in this review, but it doesn't cover everything the book has to offer. Remember back in the 80s when the Mac made desktop publishing a reality, only to unleash a torrent of wretchedly amateurish graphic design? Well, Pogue spends much of the first couple of chapters attempting to prevent that from happening. This book starts off with a very basic primer on video production and how to use your equipment -- assumed to be a typical consumer-grade MiniDV camcorder, but it covers other options as well, particularly video bridges and the like.

The meat of the book discusses iMovie 2's capabilities, including discussions of its weaknesses and how to work around them. Effects, titles, and transitions are discussed in detail, including some useful information on crossfades (never fade straight to black -- instead, you want a black stillframe). Conversion to other formats is also an issue, and a significant part of the book discusses postproduction using QuickTime Pro. Directions are given for converting your work for DVD or VCD as well.

The issue I have with the book is largely its focus on iMovie in MacOS Classic, and the bugs that are present in that version that might not be in the OS X version. Screenshots all come from 9.x, with the only Aqua material being the interface of iMovie itself. I don't mark down for this since the program operates more or less the same, but an inexperienced user may have trouble. (I might note as well that the book works just as well for iMovie 3, which has a superficially different interface but handles more or less identically.)

So, yeah. If you're doing video production on iMovie, this is the book to get, hands down.

Enjoyed reading about the life of Clayton Moore, The Lone Ranger. Since receiving it I am now in my 3rd reading of it. It seems everytime I find someting new and interesting.

I wish he was alive so I could personally talk with him about his adventure doing The Lone Ranger. May his spirit always remain in the hearts of all Americans...

You can find out more information about Clayton Moore and The Lone Ranger fan club at www.lonerangerfanclub.com/jr

This man, Clayton Moore WAS the Lone Ranger. I can say no more.

Taylor Trade Publishing presents "I WAS THAT MASKED MAN" (Paperback) - by Clayton Moore and Frank Thompson --- Clayton Moore was an American actor best known for playing the fictional western character The Lone Ranger --- Moore was a circus acrobat as a boy, then later enjoyed a successful career as a John Robert Powers model. Moving to Hollywood in the late 1930s, he began working as a stunt man and bit player between modeling jobs --- He was an occasional player in B-Westerns and Republic Studio cliffhangers, ultimately starring in more such films than serial hero Buster Crabbe --- His big break came in 1949, when George Trendle spotted him in "Ghost of Zorro" --- As producer of the radio show and creator of "The Lone Ranger" character along with writer Fran Striker, Trendle was about to launch the masked man in the new medium of television --- Moore was cast on sight.

In keeping with the nature of the Ranger character, Moore chose to protect the Ranger's identity at all times and is perhaps the only actor whose full face is largely unknown to the public. It was never shown in the TV series, although occasionally he would don a disguise and affect an accent, revealing the upper half of his face in the process. However, there is no shortage of photos of Moore unmasked, including many in his autobiography. His many fans, however, could easily recognize him by his distinctive voice --- (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

TABLE OF CONTENTS: (Title and Page Numbers)
Foreword by Leonard Maltin - ix
Preface by Frank Thompson - xi
Introduction by Frank Thompson - 1
1. Birth of a Ranger - 13
2. A Cowboy Actor in the Big Apple- 35
3. Hollywood - 43
4. Republic Pictures - 61
5. In the Army Now - 71
6. King of the B's - 79
7. Hi Yo Silver, Awayy! - 111
8. Back to the Big Screen - 131
9. Jay Silverheels - 143
10.The Lone Ranger Rides Again! - 151
11.England and a New Daughter - 185
12.Adventures on Television - 195
13.You Don't Pull the Mask Off the Ol' Lone Ranger - 203
14.The Adventures of Clayton Moore - 221
15.Who is That Masked Man? - 231
appendix - 243
Index - 257

BIOS:
1. Clayton Moore
Date of Birth: 14 September 1914 - Chicago, Illinois
Date of Death: 28 December 1999 - Los Angeles, California

Moore often was quoted as saying he had "fallen in love with the Lone Ranger character" and strove in his personal life to take The Lone Ranger Creed to heart. This, coupled with his public fight to retain the right to wear the mask, ultimately elevated him in the public's eyes to an American folk icon --- In this regard, he was much like another cowboy star, William Boyd, who nurtured the Hopalong Cassidy character --- Moore was so identified with the masked man that he is the only person on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as of 2006, to have his character's name along with his on the star, which reads, "Clayton Moore -- The Lone Ranger" --- He was inducted into the Stuntman's Hall of Fame in 1982 and in 1990 was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

THE LONE RANGER CREED - I Believe that to have a friend, a man must be one --- That all men are created equal and that everyone has within himself the power to make this a better world -- That God put the firewood there but that every man must gather and light it himself in being prepared physically, mentally and morally to fight when necessary for that which is right --- That a man should make the most of what equipment he has --- That `This government of the people, by the people and for the people' shall live always --- That men should live by the rule of what is best for the greatest number --- That sooner or later .. somewhere .. somehow .. we must settle with the world and make payment for what we have taken --- That all things change but truth, and that truth alone, lives on forever --- In my Creator, my country, my fellow man.

Check out a new book from Empire Publishing - "GENE AUTRY WESTERNS" (Hardcover) - by author Boyd Magers, like no other book on Gene Autry --- all of Gene's Mascot, Republic and Columbia westerns included, as well as his half-hour TV Episodes --- each segment contains the release date on each film ... major production credits ... complete cast (including character played) ... all songs included, songwriter and who performed them in the film ... running time of each film ... dates of the filming ... bios on the cast and major players (Smiley, Pat Buttram, Cass County Boys, Herbert J. Yates, directors, leading ladies, songwriters and various heavies, etc.) ... locations that were used ... budgets and negative cost ... stunt people involved ... analysis and synopsis on each film ... notes and comments (including film and cast background info, salaries paid, working titles, etc) ... comments from Gene and many other cast members on each film ... theater exhibitors comments at the time of the films release ...this tribute was written from the heart and it shows.

Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc) and Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele") as they have rekindled my interest once again for B-Westerns and Serials --- More than just a tribute to the role Clayton Moore made famous, this book is Moore's personal memoir, told with condor and sincerity -- the engaging story of the life he strove to live according to the ideals he represented to millions of Americans, please stand up and take a bow --- all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Pages: 280 ~ Taylor Trade Publishing ~ (4/25/1998)

I was a bigger fan of the Lone Ranger on radio than TV, but only because I was away in school most of the years it was on the tube and missed a great deal. That is something I am trying to make up as I collect DVDs and is why I bought this book. I have also known personally two who worked with Clayton Moore in the past, serial queen Kay Aldridge and former rodeo star Beverly McDermott. Everything they said about this man is echoed in the book. A very honest upright straight shooter. I am also impressed by his arguments as to why a star should set an example. So different in Hollyweird today. We need actors and actresses today who have the high moral standards this man has shown. May God bless him always, here and in Heaven.

An in depth history of Clayton Moore. A very informative perpective of a bye-gone age in Hollywood. I really enjoyed this book. A must read for Lone Ranger and TV western fans.

At 43 years old I too was wondering if this was just for kids, but it definitely is not. It opens your mind to move beyond the following the step by step instructions in most all the other books out there. One must remember the kit was called Mindstorms for a reason, so you can develop your own ingenious creations. This book helps you do just that. As for the story, it is written in a mature fashion and is integrated perfectly to hold your interest, adult or child. My mind drifts back to those old movies with the Mummy, and pyramids and tombs. Hootloads of fun!

did you really write this book have not read it yet but it's being shipped to my house.

I bought this to introduce my grandchildren to science projects. Their ages are 7 and 10. We have no special contest or competition to enter. Not sure exactly what I expected but I was not disappointed. This has awesome potential for learning. Actually, my grandkids were impressively advanced in what they could accomplish. The suggested robot to build was fairly complicated. My 10 yo took charge, with the 7 yo taking his turn. When completed I could not get close to the control computer. They took over!!! The kit could use some better instructions. I recommend one of several additional books to get a better feel for it. Next we will try the programming. Good way to spend lots of quality time with your kids. Just make sure you have big blocks set aside! Love it!

This book is a wonderful introduction into program and design with the NXT, and yes, we've been using the RCX as well. The book is well laid out. The story is engaging and gives the tasks purpose.

I really like the templates provided in the book. It gives anyone a method of organizing their thoughts, so they can go ahead with the building and programming and know they're headed down the right path.

I bought this for my children because I have no interest in robotics or programming, and I've enjoyed it as much as they have.

The value of this book is not in the number of documented designs, but how it teaches you the process to come up with your own designs. It even does it in a much more entertaining way then my engineering classes did. Understanding the design process allows you to create any number of robots that do what you want them to do and this is an invaluable life skill. That is what this book teaches you. It allows you to try to come up with the solutions on your own, or build the solutions the author came up with. My son and I plan on going through the book a second time and using the processes taught come up with our own solutions. This book is definitely worth having.

Besides the complete script and some wonderful production photos, what makes this edition so special are Mel Brooks' "hand written" notes off to the side. Inserted throughout the text, they tell great behind-the-scenes anecdotes about lines that were cut or revised out-of-town, things that happened in rehearsal, and the show's evolution from film to stage musical.

This is a soundtrack of the original 1968 movie "The Producers." It is not a soundtrack of the movie that was made from the musical that was adapted from the original movie "The Producers" (whew). That may be good or bad, depending on your point of view.

The original movie wasn't really a musical, altho it was about a musical and had some music. Therefore, this CD is mostly dialog. The 3 main pieces of music of interest are "Springtime For Hitler," "Love Power," and "Prisoners Of Love." These are all great works of musical comedy, but, considering the price, that's not much for the money.

I decided to buy this because: 1> for some strange reason, digitally transferring the audio of these songs from my DVD didn't work quite right; 2> I absolutely loved the (original) movie and these songs, and 3> I thought it might have a snippet or two extra that I might want (such as when Dick Shawn sings "1+1 is 2, 2+2 is 4, I feel so bad 'cause I'm losing the war") - it doesn't.

Well, I got the songs I needed - at a pretty exorbitant price - maybe it'll be worth more someday as a collector's item. I do like that they included Zero's "That's our Hitler!" at the end of Love Power.

Also, just for the record, if you only know "The Producers" from the stage or the 2nd movie, you really should watch the original The Producers (Deluxe Edition). In my humble opinion, it is much, much, better (in fact, one of the finest movies ever made), albeit less musical. Unfortunately, many people are only interested in something new or "hot," so that's how you can make money today - by perversely reworking something sublime into an inferior product.

On my C.D. list for Christmas is this HILLAROUS C.D. I've always been a weird producer fan thinking that the movie is actually better than the stage show- despite the lack of 1968 songs. This C.D. is annoyingly funny.

"Love Power"has always been my favorite song in the movie- I laugh each time I see it in the movie. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed this Christmas for this wonderful C.D. I'm still a little disappointed that Mel Brooks cut the character and the song from the show.

Although there are only two songs with complete lyrics. This is still a soundtrack that any "Producer" fanatic will enjoy and I personally like the "Springtime For Hitler" song in the movie more than the actual one put into the show. You also catch a glimpse of Mel Brooks voice as the Nazi "Come and be a smartie and join the Nazi party."

By all means hit that buy now button and laugh yourself silly with these two songs!

... KITCHY fodder for the limp-wristed masses.

(PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE CD OF THE ORIGINAL FILM, SO IF YOU HAVE TO RATE ME, BASE IT ON THAT!)

I loved this movie. I watched it at a time when the Vietnam War was waning in in 1975 here in Chicago, as it was playing on WGN TV on the late late late show. Apparently, even the censors were asleep at the time, but God bless em, this was the perfect time to see him. Mel's brand of humor reminds me of a time when they used to use brown paper bags to wrap up the porn in.

It always has been a guilty pleasure to watch this film, laugh at the humor, and sing along with the actors. This CD captures the essence of the film, the heart of his message - it was as if the lyrics, the tone, and the actor's very intonations were possessed by the vision Mel tossed out after looking into himself and at the world when he penned these tunes, and think about it - in the late 60's! Who was confronting racism, gay sexism, and the Jewish question? Secondly, who could do it with such brave humor and didn't fear the reprocussions?

This CD contains over a dozen tracks of spoken lines from the film, and to listen to Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder's interaction witrh the wonderful diologue is to listen to the genius of Mel Brooks' zenith of comedy. In this CD is also included the true ability Mel had in making his special brand of comedy work - it was simply to make it as campy as hell by including MUSICAL NUMBERS ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST! Yes, I was laughing about Hitler, and Goebbels ( "I loves my little joe") and yes, I was shocked at first, but who wasn't?

This CD of the movie is giving us some of the greatest parody tunes of ALL TIME - "Springtime For Hitler," "Prisoners Of Love," "Love Power," and the spoken word of Zero Mostel - ULLLLLLLLLLLLLLLA! ('I met her at the public library.') I can listen to this CD in the car, at home, ANYWHERE.

(I can also watch this film on DVD - a bit dated, yes, but it represents a time when this was still edgy - but I will stand by this and gladly watch this over and over til it cracks.)

(On a personal note: I am saddened at what Mel Brooks did by making this film about a failed play into a musical about a failed play!!!

I consider it to be one of his all-time masterpieces and part of his holy trilogy of his genius -

"The Producers" is followed by "Young Frankenstein" and of course the gem on his cap, "Blazing Saddles." He will NEVER be able to top himself, because once you've been to the mountaintop, how can you go any higher?)

PLEASE! Buy this CD and LISTEN to it and remember a time when anyone could go out and try to be daring, try and amaze, listen to every second of this CD - I own a copy, and heartily endorse it!

A play based on a film based on a play? Only in New York.

Sad.

IF you LOVE Mel Brooks. IF you LOVE the stage show " The Producers" . IF you LOVE the music, BUY BUY BUY THIS BOOK. This is a MUST have for ALL "The Producers " fans. This book is the Guide to what is the most stimulating show I have EVER seen.
Based on the process of turning the original " The Producers " ( Gene Wilder ) movie into a Stage show, along with cast selection and music ( The entire score and lyrics By MEL BROOKS . HIMSELF ).
JUST BUY BUY BUY THIS BOOK.

It even tells you how to spell Ullas' 1st name correctly, wow wow wow wow. Got to go , Its almost 11.