Arts and Entertainment Books

Jazz, America's music, is an improvisational art. In Bittersweet Blues Marsalis and Vigeland do a lot do educate the reader just how this works. Not just on the bandstand but also on the road and in the life of jazz' leading spokesman. The book helps you see how musicians must comminucate, must hold each other with respect, must listen with an ear for creativity and must withhold judgement.

The book alternates between Vigeland's discussion of the events in life of Marsalis' Septet and Wynton's discussions of what it means to be a jazz musician. This interplay is what gives the book it's beautiful tone and variety. In a sense, you see the two authors improvising around each other's styles. What amazed me the most was the pace of Marsalis' life and the breadth of his associations. I enjoyed learning more about the creative process behind some of my favorite music as well.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in road stories, jazz or how artists create the ir art.

Picked up Marsalis + Vigeland's work and just couldn't put it down! From descriptions of events, to understanding the personal struggles of band members, Jazz in the bittersweet blues of life fully expresses the goings on of the Wynton Marsalis Septet. Above all, I found Marsalis's commentaries on life, love, and music striking chords within my soul, and left me pleading for more.

Jazz in the Bittersweet Blues of Life is a chronicle of one artist's ten year journey as he shares his gift and talent with the world. Marsalis' words, which appear in italics throughout the book are both profound and poetic. As you read, you can hear him speak, but most of all you feel the passion he has for his craft. He poses the question early in the book when explaining that everyone is an artist, "...how do you want to make me feel with your art, and what insights do you have that distinguish your ideas from someone else's?" A rhetorical question for every artist.

You get a sense of the daily experiences of Wynton and the other musicians in the Septet, from composing on the road, to the daily pick-up basketball games, to the lectures in schools across the country to the musicians ironing their clothing before each performance. It is a demanding, yet rewarding life. Throughout the book (and his travels) Marsalis not only meets and encourages young musicians, but he keeps in contact with them through periodic phone calls, updating himself on their growth as musicians. Some of the young musicians he met early in his career became members of the septet.

Jazz in the Bittersweet Blues of Life, has shaped me as both an artist and author. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Marsalis at Book Expo America. He is as personable, down-to-earth and charming as he appears in this book.

You can't just say those words without putting music to the most famous road anthem by Willie Nelson. That's what this book is about: life on the road with jazz musicians.

Co-author Carl Vigeland was invited to travel the country and Europe with jazz superstar Wynton Marsalis and his band.

This is about the music of jazz, the blues and the road. Vigeland and Marsalis make numerous references to the book's title "Jazz In The Bittersweet Blues of Life. Vigeland covers personal observations of life with its rigors of the road, the overwhelming passion to produce quality performances. You don't get too much of the personal life of Marsalis, he shares little about his two older boys living in New York.

Brother Branford splits for a rock band
We also get very little info on tenor saxophone Branford Marsalis along with member Kenny Kirkland who left the band in the early 80's to play with rock superstar Sting. Branford also did a short stint as band leader for Jay Leno's "Tonight Show." In the book, we DON'T' get a clear understanding about the departure of his brother Branford and member Kenny Kirkland. Little is known here about Branford's departure, only mentioned here is "that others have thought that it may have been hurtful to have your brother leave for a rock musician." This book doesn't discuss that a rift was occurring and the finality was the departure. But I believe now, all is well with the brothers.

Marsalis, on the other hand, shares keen insight into the world of jazz, his composition style, and rhythm including his relationship with the trumpet. About the trumpet, he says "you can never force the trumpet, you got to baby it, treat it gently, coax it. It's always there when you need a high note, or something very loud. If you don't handle up on it, it won't respect you"

He teaches us about playing the songs and how the members produce an evening's show. We learn about his amiable personality and he exudes the passion to please his audience.

Observations from the Jazz man
Just from this book alone, we get the impression that Wynton Marsalis is cool and collected, caring of young children, family man and friend. His insights into life are fascinating. Of people who hang out at bars, discos, etc., he says are the unhappiest and lonliest blankety blanks in the whole world. He says, "If you want to be happy, go inside. Inside yourself, inside the people you love, inside your art. Inside seems much lonlier than outside, don't be fooled, you go far enough, it's always warm and good."

But most of all, Wynton gives us an idea how he works, how he composes; it's incredible. It may be no surprise that he is also an accredited author with his books by "Marsalis on Music" and "Sweet Swing Blues on the Road." Wonderful read....MzRizz

It's a superb book, very nice photos, most of them i have never seen before. The thing that i notice in the pictures, is that John never smiled in this book (apart from the cover and other two pictures, i think), he look's old, small, sad or maybe depresed. I have the Instamatic Karma too, and it's other John that appears on this book, he looks alive, happy and reflexive. In the end, it's a must buy for any Lennon fans.

Thanks.

This book is simply wonderful. It has some of the most intimate and beautiful pictures of John and Yoko ever published. A must have for any Lennon fan!

John and Yoko: A New York Love Story contains a collection of photographs by photographer Allan Tannenbaum of the long lasting romance between John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Many of the photos may have been seen by the public, and several have not been published before. Tannenbaum shows John and Yoko in their most intimate moments, which were shot at New York's Sperone Westwater Gallery and Central Park; the concluding photographs do not need too much description and show fans paying tribute to John as well Yoko posing in the same spot where John and she had walked days before. And by looking at the photographs, one can see it was yet another end to an era.

The most interesting part about the book is its beautiful layout. With the turn of the first page one can see what they are in store for. The pages are comprised of a variety of size photos from proofs to blown-up portraits of John and Yoko in glorious b/w and color, which capture their candidness as a couple and individually; Tannenbaum and book designer Barbara Genetin do a great job displaying the images.

Overall, this is a highly recommended book for John and Yoko fans or photography aficionados. With its over-sized coffee table book format, this may make a nice addition to anyone's book collection.

Allen Tannenbaum's book "John And Yoko: A New York Love Story" is a candid photo album of John and Yoko at work and play in and around New York City. Tannenbaum is granted amazing access to the couples lives. The photos are beautiful and give one a sense of intimacy of John and Yoko's life together. The overall effect of the book is to remind us of the tragic lost of John Lennon for Yoko, Sean, and the rest of us.

Michael Morrison is THE Barrymore biographer who has done his homework: he spent nine years writing his book, compiled a host of new material and achieves a revival, nay, a resurrection! John Barrymore's RICHARDIII and HAMLET live! Not on celluloid, but they are among the most fully documented stage performances of the twentieth century. There are countless photos, reviews, promptbooks, letters, interviews. Morrison's reconstruction of RICHARDIII is based on Barrymore's recording, a film scene and a radio broadcast of the play. Barrymore made private recordings for nearly every scene of HAMLET. When he made his "streamlined Shakespeare" broadcasts in 1937 his technique had eroded, but he retained the patterns he had established while studying for the role. Even in 1933 when he made his HAMLET screen test his voice had a youthful timbre and his readings are subtle and powerful. Morrison put the puzzle together and is able to determine which syllables Barrymore stressed, when he spoke harsher, quicker, higher, colder, sarcastic or ironic, when he pauses, whispers, jumps up, fondles or slaps his leading lady - virtually every word and inflection is documented!

John Barrymore was the greatest American stage-actor of the twentieth century, His Shakespeare performances two of the most significant events in the history of the modern stage. They made formidable impact on the post-WWI generation, like Picasso's paintings and Strawinsky's music. He was the first to reinterpret time-honored roles in the light of Freud's psychological theory.

Before 1915 he was a clever comedian, a matinee-idol and a colorful figure in New York's high life. He tended to bohemianism and nocturnal adventures and lacked discipline. But he was ingratiating and his sparkling wit and physical attractiveness mollified even indignant producers. The failure of his first marriage and his friendship to playwright Edward Sheldon made him "reinvent" himself. His harrowing portrayal of a clerk who forges a check to rescue a woman from her abusive husband in Galsworthy's JUSTICE was hailed as epochal Broadway event. The audience found him "electrifying" in the jail-scene, where he was subjected to dehumanizing conditions. His "refined, sensitive, dreamy" PETER IBBETSON was a WWI hit, with its theme of love transcending separation and death. In Tolstoi's REDEMPTION Barrymore proved a "treasure mine" for producer Arthur Hopkins and THE JEST was a sensation: his character's sensuality was an irresistible lure to sexually liberated post-war audiences.

The idea to play RICHARDIII came when he observed a "sinister" red tarantula at the Bronx zoo. Barrymore, who admired the macabre & bizarre portrayed the wretched king with ironic humor and malevolent intensity. Margaret Carrington, his vocal coach, was impressed by his dedication and critics praised the ardent love-scene with Richard as "misunderstood saint" who sits on the throne "like an obscene condor meditating the death of the princes". They concluded that Barrymore had "jazzed up" Shakespeare to the point of real popularity, but Robert Edmond Jones commented: "It's abnormal. It isn't human to drive yourself like that". Sometimes his armor grew so hot that he was "grilled" and his affair with poetess "Michael Strange" was tempestous overwork. After less than 4 weeks the actor suffered a nervous breakdown and entered a sanitarium.

He survived the flop of CLAIR DE LUNE, a pretentious play that his wife wrote especially for him and worked again with Carrington - who hired her fourteen years old niece as chaperone (he behaved well). The description of his epoch-making HAMLET is is the core of Morrison's book.

John Barrymore was the first Hamlet with an Oedipus complex. His biographers agree that his stepmother's sexual abuse may have been the source of his conception of Hamlet as incestuous prince. His Hamlet is "manly, more sexual and menacing than the "sweet prince" of Victorian tradition. His Hamlet's "frank sexuality" shocked his partners. When he took the production to London he demanded a "lecherous court", "drunken orgies" and "half-bare bosoms" (His language was always colorful). He broke Edwin Booth's record of 100 consecutive performances. Most critics were enthusiastic, few superlatives were spared. Shaw criticized his cuts, but Laurence Olivier found: "When he was on stage the sun came out".

Soon Barrymore relapsed into his old humdrum way: drinking champagne, playing pranks - and then he threw his role away because he wanted to join his wife in Paris...Morrison dedicates the last chapter to Barrymore's Hollywood career: His mythic intemperance, disregard for his own well-being, his efforts to honor his monumental debts with the play MY DEAR CHILDREN ("A peep-show! a spiritual striptease with Gypsy Rose John!") and his self-parody on the Rudy-Vallee-show. A title-card in THE BELOVED ROGUE (1927) says: "One must sorrow that a man of such genius should be a drunken clown".

This is one of the best books ever written on the performing arts. By focusing in on Barrymore's Shakespearean acting only, Morrison manages to show how a second-rate light comedian turned himself into a great artist by sheer hard work -- and then, horrifyingly, how an artist transformed himself into a clown through laziness and dissipation. Through the use of the actor's playbooks and impressive research, Morrison does the impossible and brings Barrymore's stage performances as Richard III and Hamlet so vividly alive you'll swear you're in the theater watching them (I was holding my breath at the end of "Hamlet"). Along the way there are vivid portraits of the idealistic, progressive theater in the 1920's and, a decade later, the ancestry of today's poisonous and envious celebrity culture. Once you read this book you'll never look at Barrymore the same way again.

Michael Morrison has provided us with a stirring portrait of one of America's greatest actors, John Barrymore. His book is a vivid account of Barrymore's innovative approach to Shakespearean acting and subsequent rise to fame. This book is required reading for Shakespearean scholars and Barrymore enthusiasts alike.

Michael Morrison's book fills a much needed gap in the large Barrymore biographical canon: it tells the story of Barrymore the artist. Many of the other great biographies of the man and family (Margot Peter's THE HOUSE OF BARRYMORE, anything by James Kotsilibas-Davis, to name only two of many excellent others) understandably short-shrift the details found here, in favor of the fabulous "bon mots" and the large tragic arc of his life. Morrison, if it's possible to believe, makes that tragedy all the more heartbreaking by detailing the hard work that Barrymore put himself through to transform himself from a light comedian into the greatest tragic actor of his generation - and arguably the last great tragic actor of the American theatre.

The detailed recreations of Barrymore's acting in RICHARD III and HAMLET are facinating. They provide all of us who have come after some small picture of what it must have been like to actually see him on stage. It helps, I suppose, to be familiar with his film work, to have heard at least some of his Shakespearean recordings, in order to fully visualize Barrymore's "flashing, rapier" genius at work - but it's probably not necessary. A must for all Barrymore fans, actors, and theatre lovers, this book is a treasure. But beware, its story could break your heart.

If Ernest Hemingway had made movies, they would have looked something like John Huston's. The passion, intelligence, and joie de vivre of Huston's films are reflected in this set of articulate interviews. Pour yourself a good drink, and listen as one of Hollywood's best raconteurs spins yarn after yarn in this splendid volume of a valuable series.

Ably edited by independent scholar and freelance writer Robert Long, John Huston: Interviews is an informative and insightful compilation of interviews with the late John Huston (which took place from 1952 to 1985) in which he personally comments on his life and projects as an acclaimed filmmaker. Among the movies that are surveyed within this context are The Maltese Falcon, Key Largo, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The African Queen, The Night of the Iguana, Prizzi's Honor, and The Dead. The observations range from his approach to directing; the influence of painting upon his camera work, and his association with stellar actors, to his beginnings in Hollywood as a screenwriter, and the influences of James Joyce and Ernest Hemingway upon his movies. Replete with numerous anecdotes about writers, directors, and actors with whom he collaborated, we are presented with a body of work and a filmmaker's life that will be immensely appreciated by students of his work and a man whose personal life was as prodigious as his professional career.

This is a terrific book. It consists of interviews with John Huston from 1952-85. Not only does the reader find out about Huston's ideas on filmmaking and get some inside info on the making of classic films, but he will find out about the breadth of Huston's interests, which extended beyond filmmaking to art and philosophy. Here, truly, was an intelligent man.

The most interesting thing to me about Huston was that he started in the classic studio age and survived its downfall to make films that were fresh, interesting and important even in the Eighties. These interviews show Huston's mental flexibility. He admires "McCabe and Mrs. Miller," "Rocky," and "Taxi Driver." Huston is also quite frank about his own films. I will never be tempted to see "Roots of Heaven" or "Barbarian and the Geisha." I have to see "Moby Dick," which he considered one of his films that never got its due.

I was sorry when this book ended.

Ably edited by independent scholar and freelance writer Robert Long, John Huston: Interviews is an informative and insightful compilation of interviews with the late John Huston (which took place from 1952 to 1985) in which he personally comments on his life and projects as an acclaimed filmmaker. Among the movies that are surveyed within this context are The Maltese Falcon, Key Largo, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The African Queen, The Night of the Iguana, Prizzi's Honor, and The Dead. The observations range from his approach to directing; the influence of painting upon his camera work, and his association with stellar actors, to his beginnings in Hollywood as a screenwriter, and the influences of James Joyce and Ernest Hemingway upon his movies. Replete with numerous anecdotes about writers, directors, and actors with whom he collaborated, we are presented with a body of work and a filmmaker's life that will be immensely appreciated by students of his work and a man whose personal life was as prodigious as his professional career. John Huston: Interviews is also available in paperback ..., [price]

I only had the opportunity to see one play at the original Circle In The Square Theater in the Village but we were charter subscribers when they moved uptown. I remember seeing Irene Pappas in "Medea" and James Earl Jones in "The Iceman Cometh" to name just a few. Four times a year we'd take the train into Manhattan to be engaged by some of the best talent in the theater world performing classics we knew and others we didn't.

Like the prior reviewer, I found this book fascination but - to me - the real bonus was the DVD that is included in the back of the book. Taken from a series produced for use in schools in 1975 - for the 25th Anniversary of the CITS - the 90 minute presentation consists of five segments of both interviews with Ted Mann and some celebrated actors (Dustin Hoffman, George C. Scott, Colleen Dewhurst, Paul Rudd, James Earl Jones, and Vanessa Redgrave) as well as brief scenes from plays these artists performed on the CITS stage. The interviews ask about how each actor started and more specifically about their years on the stage. The print is acceptable and - during the interview with Mann there is an annoying red "bleed" beside his face.

Long before James Lipton started his "In Side The Actor's Studio" show this document was recorded. It is as fascinating as anything Lipton ever did (without the fawning over his guests). If you need further encouragement to get this book, let the DVD convince you.

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"

This book was well written and includes many significant and intimate stories about the start of the American theatre and Eugene O'Neill. There are many short and interesting stories about the acting giants in American theatre. Did you know that Director Jose Quintero met Ted Mann in Woodstock, and that is where the revival of O'Neill plays began?

This is such a wonderful book in the way it reviews a spectacular time in history. Some legendary actors got their start at the Circle in the Square such as Dustin Hoffman, George C. Scott, Al Pacino and many more. This theatre has been the behind the American theatre as we know it and this book tells the stories of the Circle in the Square and Theodore Mann, a driving force.

I haven't worked out yet exactly how old Theodore Mann must be, but he must be one of the oldest people I have ever read an autobiography by.

Nearly everyone he knows from the glory days of the Circle in the Square is dead, so he must feel pretty much free to give his own version of the events that changed American theater and the reputation of Eugene O'Neill. Teddy Mann (or as George C Scott habitually called him, "Teedy,") was there and laid the groundwork, right at a time when O'Neill was a drug on the market and his last Broadway play, THE ICEMAN COMETH, had been a notable flop. Mann and his friend Jose Quintero stepped up, met Carlotta Monterey, fielded all the flak from naysayers, and put on triumphant productions of ICEMAN (with Jason Robards) and other O'Neill plays. Eventually they talked Carlotta (the widow O'Neill) into giving them the rights to stage US premieres for several of O'Neill's then unpublished plays, including LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT, HUGHIE, and MORE STATELY MANSIONS.

Theodore Mann saved the day when Florence Eldridge, creating the important role of Mary Tyrone, fell sick on the eve of the opening. He enlisted the famous Dr. Feelgood, Max Jacobson, to step in with an enormous suitcase filled with syringes and soon brought her up to fighting speed. He's filled with great stories like that about half-forgotten people. Why, there was even another Paul Rudd, not the actor of today, but another one back in the 1970s, whom Mann discovered. What's up with that? The two Paul Rudds look crazy different from another, and I have to say, the present day one is far better looking. He also describes the love affair between Amy Irving and Rex Harrison in piquant terms, I'd like to see a whole docudrama about the interaction between ingenue and old man.

Despite continual rumors, Teedy and Quintero were never lovers, just friends from Woodstock. Indeed Theodore Mann's theater is pretty much a straight theater, with plenty of couples and lots of children. He discovered both Rip Torn and Geraldine Page and gave early work to trailblazers like Dustin Hoffman and Vanessa Redgrave. The Circle in the Square had a long history of reviving forgotten plays and renewing interest in dormant careers, like George C. Scott's 1983 production of Noel Coward's PRESENT LAUGHTER, which showed the world that the man who played General Patton could also play Garry Essendine.

Richard Hayes's book on Kate Smith is a must read for anyone who remembers the great lady, one of the finest entertainers of the 20th Century.
The book is a mixture of chronological events, anecdotes, and a retrospect, all told lovingly by someone who had the distinct privilege of personally knowing her.

This book should grace the shelves of all theater and music school libraries. Students of today's music field could profit by Kate's wisdom, as someone who continually captivated audiences from radio through television.

It's amazing how many years after her passing Kate Smith remains an American icon, with her voice still daily heard on radio, her recordings still available in the stores. This wonderful book, which deserves major-league publishing, tells the whole story of this strong, determined and extremely bright woman. Besides being a totally natural and exemplary singer she was an executive, a producer and a sports team owner. She also was a prominent national commentator. Kate sang elegantly and beautifully but she was never a sentimental type who cooed sweet nothings. She was incredibly well-informed, distinctly verbal and spoke her mind. No wonder America loved her. She stood for common sense, independence and strong ethics and morality. She lived life to the fullest. Her weight, always an issue with the critics but never an issue with her, never kept her from doing anything, including dressing gorgeously (especially in the later years). When rock and roll came in she didn't run but joined in and forged a whole new career on T.V. shows like Cher's (where she did a Beatles medley with Cher and Tina Turner) and Tony Orlando's. Her later concerts gathered her numerous hits into a medley and otherwise addressed new music--the Beatles, Michel LeGrande and so on. Kate was kind to her fans beyond what most artists are willing to do--friendly and accessible but, true to form, clearheaded. She didn't need adulation; she knew just who she was. This is a splendid book, well worth the price, and oh how it recreates an inimitable era in American entertainment right on the mark!

If you love show-business, this is a definitive and highly readable book about one of the greatest stars of the twentieth century--Miss Kate Smith. Nostalgic, historical, exciting, and wonderful, Richard Hayes has really captured the essence of "The Songbird of the South."

Hayes, a longtime personal friend of Miss Smith, has tapped into a mother-lode of personal recollections from hundreds of celebrities, friends, co-workers and fans to create a full picture of this important American. A veritable joy-ride through the world of entertainment as we now know it, Hayes chronicles Miss Smith's fifty year career from vaudeville to radio (where she was the medium's greatest star) through recordings and concerts and then television (where Kate was a female pioneer). Nostalgia buffs will tear through the pages of this book in a delicious frenzy!

Hayes exhaustively produces a discography that is archival in every sense. He captures Kate's spirit with a confidant familiarity and paints an honest picture of this well-proportioned country girl who reigned supreme as "America's First Lady of Song" throughout most of this century. This book is a real treat!

I approached this book with the purpose of obtaining enough information to facilitate a performance characterization of Miss Smith for a theatrical endeavor. I was to portray her in a concert setting, imitating her vocally and physically. What I found, to my delight, was a fond but honest look into the life of one of our most cherished national treasures. A look beyond the stage and into the heart, Mr.Hayes painstakingly entices us with detailed program dialogue, amusing anecdotes, personal moments shared with Kate, and private moments of personal pain she endured. I came away surprised, delighted, and absorbed in the life and career of Miss Kate Smith. It is a "must read" for any fan.

This book is well researched and considering the enigmatic subject, has quite a lot of information. It will take you from childhood to 1997 and "The Devil's Advocate", and it has many wonderful photos. It also has a very detailed filmography which I have found useful, and for Keanu fans, the face on the cover will be reason enough to own this book !

What can you say about a man who is so enigmatic and shuns any attempts to have his private live revealed...

Well, Mr Robb does a good job of revealing the Reevester as best he can, but asking those around him...

I like this book ~ it's accurate [yeah, what do I know about Keanu ~ A LOT!!] and shows him in a favourable light.

Us fans ain't got a lot to go on and I am pleased that someone has made an effort to get to know The One.

It is up to date as well, with revisions made to co-incide with Keanu's up and coming movies.

AND HAS LOTS AND LOTS OF DROOL WORTHY PIX OF KEANU so it's a must for the fans...

And....

If ya want to get a sense of what Keanu is all about ~ BUY THIS BOOK!!

Brian Robb's fan-oriented book, "Keanu Reeves: An Excellent Adventure", admirably fulfills its purpose. It supplies Keanu's numerous fans with his life's story, and pics galore. There is a pic of this excellent dudestud in black leather pants and boots which will take your breath away, whether you're gay or straight!

I highly recommend this book to all fans of the Ke-Master. He rules!

All one ever needs or wants to know about Keanu Reeves, one of Hollywood's most intriguing actors, can be found in this book by Brian J. Robb. Originally published in 1997, it was updated two years ago and contains a section on "The Matrix" as well as entailing his (then) upcoming movies such as "Thumbsucker", a newly-released film I saw recently.

Keanu is "sui generis". There is no other actor quite like him and I mean that in a good way. Like other actors he's had his moments of triumph and suffered from films that didn't do well, but Keanu seems to emerge from all of this stronger and with a larger range of roles each time. There have always been critics who find Keanu less than convincing as an actor, but in the many films in which I've seen him, Keanu is always compelling and often displays real talent. (If I had to pick a favorite, I most liked Keanu in "Speed")

It's hard to imagine a biography about someone who is just in his early forties, but author Robb has combed his subject's life and found much to relate. Besides the complete list of Keanu's films, about which Robb goes into great detail, the actor's life apart from the screen is covered as well. It is a good thing to know that most of the actors and actresses who have worked with Keanu find him to be a very nice guy who tends to prefer a quieter life off-camera...that is, when he's not bike riding or performing with his band, Dogstar.

This book is replete with photographs which make a wonderful addition. The writing is crisp and although Robb's book is largely informational, he steers clear of a "kiss and tell" biography. For those of us who enjoy Keanu Reeves, I highly recommend this book.

THIS BOOK IS OK NOT AS GOOD AS THE COWBOY AND THE SENORITA. I WANT A BIO ON ROY ONLY. HE IS AMERICAN MUSIC AND MOVIES, RADIO AND TV AS WELL AS THE SONS OF PIONEERS. HE IS AMERICAN ENTERTAINMENT HISTORYONLY ECLIPSED BY CROSBY AND AUTRY. I LOVE HIS STORY WITH EVANS THEY HAD A GREAT MARRIAGE AND LOVE. BUT A GRAT BIO WRITER HAS TO DO ROY ONLY.

TRUE FACTS- DONT LISTEN TO DUMMY DUSTY WHO GIVES FALSE INFO. TRIGGER WAS HALF QUATER HORSE AND HALF THOROUGHBRED! ALSO TRIGGER WAS NOT THE FATHER OF TRIGGER JR. AND IN FACT HAD NO BLOOD TIES TO HIM AT ALL. THAT WAS CALLED HOLLYWOOD PR DUSTY!

THIS BOOK IS OK HAS LESS MISINFO THAN THE COWBOY AND THE SENORITA BECAUSE THEY USED DOPEY DUSTY AS THEIR MAINE SOURCE.

Professor Raymond E. White, author of numerous published articles concerning Roy Rogers and cowboys in film, presents King of the Cowboys, Queen of the West, an in-depth biography of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, two of twentieth-century America's most celebrated personifications of the American West mythos in popular culture and entertainment. King of the Cowboys, Queen of the West naturally focuses on both actors' careers in film, recordings, television, and even comic books, but also covers their meticulous maintenance of their public image and how their Christian faith was incorporated into their performances. Vintage black-and-white photographs intersperse this solid and highly readable reference for fans and media scholars alike.

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans' fans and students of popular culture will appreciate especially the voluminous and what must be virtually definitive references and documentation on the more than sixty-year career of the cowboy couple. Although some of the material goes back to before they met and became married. The eleven appendices begin on page 117 and run through the start of the notes on page 485. In addition to the filmography and discography of each noted in the review's heading, the appendices contain material on each's radio and television appearances, song compositions, appearances in comic books, inspirational books by either one or both (many written with a coauthor), and a "log" of more than 275 "A Date with Dale" radio programs between 1984 and 2000 noting location, topic, song, and guest; these were 30-minute "spiritual talk shows" hosted by Dale Evans. The biography preceding the appendices goes over the success of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans in the different areas of popular entertainment while also devoting chapters on them as symbols of the mythic American West while being at the same time exemplars of the wholesome family life which was a prime social ideal in the post-WWII years from the late 1940s to the early '60s when they were at the height of their popularity.

Popular Press 3 presents "KING OF THE COWBOYS, QUEEN OF THE WEST: ROY ROGERS & DALE EVANS", definitive source on two American icons for more than sixty years of Roy Rogers (birth name: Leonard Franklin Slye)...birth date November 5, 1911 in Cincinnati Ohio...left us July 6, 1998 in Apple Valley, California...Dale Evans (birth name: Frances Octavia Smith), birth date October 31, 1912 in Uvalde, Texas...left us February 7, 2001 also in Apple Valley, California...written by Raymond E. White a professor emeritus of history at Ball State University, White has published numerous articles on Roy Rogers and on cowboys in film... whose accounts of thrilling adventures of B-Western heroes during the Saturday matinees of yesteryear takes us back to our childhood, family and friends...in dual biography shows how Rogers and Evans through their Christian faith into their performances, each testifying the longevity of their careers, inclusive radio logs, discographics, filmographics and comicgraphics for historians, collectors and fans, this is a wish come true, reliving those wonderful years from the past through the pen of Raymond E. White..

Roy was a top box office draw for Republic Pictures...when you went to see him on the big screen, you got exactly what the marquee said...plenty of thrills, action and hard riding with a song or two thrown in for good measure...Roy was a member of several music groups named the Hollywood Hillbillies, Rocky Mountaineers, Texas Outlaws, and his own group, the International Cowboys...then came 1934 he formed a group with Bob Nolan and Tim Spencer called the 'Sons of the Pioneers'...he was known as Leonard Slye, then Dick Weston, and finally Roy Rogers...in 1937 Roy went solo and made his first starring film in "Under Western Stars" (1938), featuring Smiley Burnette (Gene Autry's old sidekick), Earle Dwire, Jack Rockwell, Earle Hodgins, Jack Ingram and of course Trigger the smartest horse in the movies...Roy appeared in almost 100 films...then came television with "The Roy Rogers Show"(1951) ran on CBS television network from October 1951 through September 1964.

TABLE OF CONTENTS: (Chapter, Title and Page Numbers)
Illustrations - IX
Preface - XIII
Chapter 1 - Roy Rogers and Dale Evans: Symbols of the Mythie American West - 3
Chapter 2 - Radio Roundup: Roy Rogers and Dale Evans on the Air - 24
Chapter 3 - Waxing the West: The Recording Careers of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans - 45
Chapter 4 - Quick Draw: The Comics of Roy Rogers, Dales Evans and Trigger - 67
Chapter 5 - Adventures in Paradise Valley: The television Careers of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans - 86
Chapter 6 - The Bible Tells Me So: Christianity in the Careers of Roy Rogers and Dales Evans - 104
Epilogue - 113
Appendix A ~ Roy Roger's Filmography - 117
Appendix B ~ Dale Evan's Filmography - 166
Appendix C ~ Log of Roy Rogers' Radio Appearnces - 174
Appendix D ~ Log of Dale Evans' Radio Appeances - 213
Appendix E ~ Roy Roger's Discography - 230
Appendix F ~ Dale Evan's Discography - 300
Appendix G ~ Roy and Dale's song Compositions - 340
Appendix H ~ Roy and Dale's Comics - 345
Appendix I ~ Roy and Dale's Television Appearances - 400
Appendix J ~ Log of A Date with Dale - 459
Appendix K ~ Dale Evans Roger's Inspiration Books - 479
Notes - 485
Bibliographical Essay: In Their Own Words - 505
Index - 517

SPECIAL FEATURE BIOS:
1. Roy Rogers (aka: Leonard Franklin Slye)
Birth Date: 11/05/1911 - Cincinnati, Ohio
Died: 7/06/1998 - Apple Valley, California
2. Dale Evans (aka: Frances Octavia Smith)
Birth Date: 10/31/1912 - Uvalde, Texas
Died: 2/07/2001 - Apple Valley, California

Elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1980 as a member of the "Sons of the Pioneers" and elected again in 1988 as Roy Rogers "King of the Cowboys"...Roy got his horse "Trigger" in 1938 and rode him in every one of his films and TV shows after that... "Trigger" died in 1965 aged thirty-three...Roy's dog's name was "Bullet" and appeared in almost as many of his films as "Trigger" did...Roy's theme song, "Happy Trails", was written by Queen of the West and his wife Dale Evans...inducted (with his wife Dale Evans) into the "Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum" in 1976...inducted as a member of the "Sons of the Pioneers into the "Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum" in 1995 just three years before his death...Dale Evans married Roy Rogers on New Year's Eve, 1946. Rogers ended the deception regarding Tommy. Rogers and Evans were a team on- and off-screen from 1946 until Rogers' death in 1998. Together they had one child, Robin Elizabeth, who died of complications of Down's Syndrome shortly before her second birthday. Her life inspired Evans to write her bestseller "Angel Unaware"...Evans went on to write a number of religious and inspirational books...For her contribution to radio, Dale Evans has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6638 Hollywood Blvd. She received a second star at 1737 Vine St. for her contribution to the television industry..From 1951 to 1957, Dale Evans and her husband starred in the highly successful television series "The Roy Rogers Show", in which they continued their cowboy/cowgirl roles, with her riding her trusty buckskin horse, Buttermilk. In addition to her successful TV shows, over 30 movies, and 200 songs, Evans wrote the well known songs "Happy Trails" and "The Bible Tells Me So"...Roy and Dale personified the romantic mythic West that all America believed in when they saw the couple on the big screen and small tube every week.

Great job by Raymond E. White and Popular Press 3 Publishing, everything you wanted to know about "The King of the Cowboys and Queen of the West"...little-known facts about a well-known cowboy and cowgirl...Don't miss this one...now appearing on Amazon and Popular Press 3 Publishing ...get your copy today. Great reading in the days and weeks to come...I guarantee it!

Total Pages: 550 Pages ~ Popular Press 3 ISBN 978-0-299-21004-5 ~ (7/17/2006)

If you are wanting more information on the James Bond movies (background stories on how they got made, info on how various actors came to be Bond, ratings of the movies, etc.) then this is the book for you. At over 200 pages, the tome certainly isn't short on information.

The authors definitely have their favorite, and there is room for argument with some of their ratings, which makes the book even more interesting. They rate each Bond movie in a variety of areas (Villains, Women, Plot, Action, Bond, Gadgets, Dialogue, etc.)

I've found this to be a book I go back to quite often. It's great to read right before or after I've watched a Bond DVD. It illuminates some of the background on actors, producers, directors, locations, etc.

Highly recommended for the Bond movie fan.

"Kiss Kiss Bang! Bang!: The Unofficial James Bond Film Companion" by Alan Barnes and Marcus Hearn is a very good book on James Bond info. Even though unofficial it has good information. I like it.

Alan Barnes and Marcus Hearn's KISS KISS BANG! BANG! is an essential companion book on the cinematic world of James Bond. I like the way the authors choose to take 10 essential elements film by film and critique them. KISS KISS BANG! BANG! is quite insightful and interesting reading. I also enjoy the very handsome layout of the book, which only enhances the reader's interest. The book is also profusely illustrated with very unique photographs not associate with other official books on the cinematic James Bond. This is a well thought out and well-intentioned book. I highly recommend it. If you are a James Bond fan it is quite essential.

Unlike the "official" James Bond compendiums written before it, "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" offers a broader, more objective view of the history of the James Bond film franchise. While the finished product could have used a polish from a real editor (there are typos everywhere,) the raw material contained here is worth the read alone. Everything from Fleming's early failed attempts to bring his hero to film, to Saltzman and Broccoli's instrumental casting of Sean Connery as the first James Bond is documented and seemingly well researched. Each film production receives it's own chapter, From "Dr. No" to "Tomorrow Never Dies" including the non-Eon produced "Casino Royale" and "Never Say Never Again." All chapters open with production stories as recollected by the cast and crew and includes initial reviews by film critics (a real plus here) who reflect on the sexual and moral perversion that audiences succumb to when viewing a James Bond film. The authors close each chapter with a 10 point fan-boy rating system, grading everything from the opening sequence and titles to the girls and gadgets. Overall the book is a quite refreshing and insightful companion. There aren't a lot of photos in the book, but the ones that are included aren't ones we've seen before. As a fan it left me thankful that Burt Reynolds was never cast as 007, upset that "Casino Royale" was wasted as a spoof and imagining what the franchise would be today if George Lazenby and Timothy Dalton did more films and if Roger Moore did less.

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.

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.

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.

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".