Arts and Entertainment Books

What a fun book! Every chapter is thoroughly researched and provides juicy details about each actor's screen debut. Mr. Bona engages you at every turn. He should be at your next dinner party. A must-read for movie afficionados!

What a fun book! Every chapter is thoroughly researched and provides juicy details about each actor's screen debut. Mr. Bona engages you at every turn. He should be at your next dinner party. A must-read for movie afficionados!

James Dean as a boxer's corner man in a Martin-and-Lewis comedy film?
Gregory Peck as a Soviet partisan fighting Nazi invaders?
Sally Field as a Lolita-like teenager on a Westward bound wagon train?
Kevin Costner in a soft-core "T&A" film?
Michael Douglas as an antiwar activist who joins the Army?

Every career has to have a beginning, and acting in films isn't any different, as readers of Damien Bona's Opening Shots: The Unusual, Unexpected, Potentially Career-Threatening First Roles That Launched the Careers of 70 Hollywood Stars will discover when they explore this witty, informative, and even a bit biting tome by the author of Starring John Wayne as Genghis Khan and Inside Oscar: The Unofficial History of the Academy Awards.

Starting with Woody Allen's appearance in 1964's What's New, Pussycat? and concluding with Pia Zadora's debut in that same year's epic Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, Bona, a former lawyer who switched to entertainment reporting (he has contributed film-related articles to TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly, and Premiere), examines and sometimes skewers some of filmdom's greats (and not-so-greats) in their fledgling film appearances.

Of course, Bona points out the good "opening shots" as well as the weird or just-plain-bad ones. Take Robert Duvall's career-starting role of Boo Radley in the 1962 classic To Kill a Mockingbird, where he plays the oft-talked about but not-seen-till-almost-the-end of Robert Mulligan's adaptation of Harper Lee's best-selling novel. He is only onscreen for three and a half minutes (appearing 113 minutes into the film, at that!) and has no dialog, but he does save Jem and Scout from a vicious attack, revealing himself to be not a monstrous freak but just a mentally retarded man with the gentleness of a child trapped in an adult man's body.

Many of the 70 entries deal with short first roles that don't add or detract from a film's positive qualities, but the more fascinating ones involve such possible career-enders as Sally Field's appearance in 1966's The Way West "as one Mercy McBee, a teenager whose personality is entirely defined by her sex drive." Who would have thought that this future two-time Academy Award winner (and TV's cute Gidget) made her film debut as a 19th Century Lolita of the Oregon Trail?

Equally silly was Walter Matthau's villainous turn in Burt Lancaster's only directorial effort, 1955's The Kentuckian, a Western which starred Lancaster, Dianne Foster, Diana Lynn, and Donald McDonald, with Matthau earning fifth billing as a saloon keeper with a very cruel streak. He clashes with Lancaster for various reasons, not the least of which is the fact that they both want the attentions of the lovely Miss Lynn. Now, the idea of Matthau as a heavy is not ridiculous, since he could play cold and unendearing characters (as he did in 1964's Fail-Safe), but the idea of rumpled, New York City-born-and-bred Matthau as a villain in a Western is, sadly, rather ridiculous.

Another surprising first film appearance, considering his later appearances in The Big Chill, The Right Stuff, and Jurassic Park, was Jeff Goldblum as "Freak Number 1" in that Charles Bronson vigilante vehicle, Death Wish (1974). There, the guy Bona characterizes as "an expert interpreter of neurotic intellectualism" has what the author describes as "one of the most unpleasant screen debuts ever, Jeff Goldblum goes through his paces robbing ...and... murdering." (I'll take Bona's word for it; I've never seen this "classic" vendetta-driven flick that started a franchise, and judging by the obscene lines written for Goldblum by screenwriter Wendell Mayes, I don't plan to!)

Debra Winger, she of the sexiest voice (at least to me) in movies and star of the somewhat mawkish but enjoyable An Officer and a Gentleman, made her film debut in a soft-core flick called Slumber Party '57, in which six nymphets gather for a, you guessed it, a slumber party while their boyfriends are out of town. Winger (who omits this film from her official resume) bares her assets and acts poorly in this "sex-ploitation" film that Bona says "is definitely in the running as the worst film in this book." Fortunately, not many people saw this film, much less read the few obscure reviews in the Hollywood trade publications, and Winger went on to other roles until finally catching the audience's imagination in Urban Cowboy.

Opening Shots is a light and entertaining read, and Bona mixes short star biographies, anecdotes (there is, for instance, a list of Hollywood stars who married co-stars they met on sets), and witty asides on the margins of pages. Each entry is presented in alphabetical order and introduced with a major credits box to the "first film," a still, and a Bona-ism (Meryl Streep's for 1976's Julia reads, "Already with the accent") which sets the tone for the short chapter.

If you've never read a Sandra Grabman biography, you're in for a real treat. This author is to biographies what Carl Sandburg is to poetry. She is able to make a biography read like a great literary classic. When you combine her writing skills in this book with the tons and tons of photos (not a center section, but spread throughout the book), you have a truly delightful read.

I recommend that you read not only the Pat Buttram biography, but this author's other biographies as well, especially "Plain Beautiful." You won't be disappointed!

This biography is a wonderful and loving tribute to actor Pat Buttram (1915-1994). While most fans just know him as Gene Autry's sidekick, and Mr. Haney on "Green Acres," author Sandra Grabman explores the personal life of this great man in much detail. This book reveals a side of Pat Buttram I never knew existed. Born in a shack to dirt-poor parents, Pat was the 7th of 8 children. But Pat found his way out of poverty by using his wits, keen sense of humor, and distinctive down-home country voice. Pat became a radio announcer, then movie and TV personality, and eventually the most sought-after Toastmaster in the country, mingling with the top celebrities of showbiz. Along the way, Pat got married twice (first to a stenographer and then to a movie star), had two wonderful daughters, and achieved national popularity. But life wasn't always good for Pat. Just wait until you read about the life-altering accident that happened on the set when he was 35. The way he reacted to it amazed me. Pat suffered other adversities, and felt grief whenever a loved one was ill or died. Yet through it all, Pat only thought of others, never his own hardships, and gave generously to family members and charities alike. Just before he died, Pat wrote a note to himself: "Life isn't fair. Quit whining and get on with it." Sandra Grabman's book takes you on a journey of Pat's life, and it is inspiring.

Sandy Grabman's book shows what a real gentleman Pat Buttram was and how much he was respected amongst his peers. He never had a bad word about anyone. He was more than just a sidekick of Gene Autry. The book does a great job in showing how much empathy he showed to others.

Very humble beginnings, never forgot his roots, interesting how he got his nickname, Pat. The explosion that happened on the set,while filming was a real challenge for Pat to recover from his injuries. Pat could test an audience by making three jokes to set a theme for the rest of the night.

I liked a lot of his sayings such as: Do away with income tax - mass unemployment, beauty shop gossip curls your hair, Disney World people trap built by a mouse, people from oil countries mostly ride camels and many more. The book shows a serious side of Pat in addition to be very entertaining with lots of laughs.

When "The Prisoner" first aired in the States, I was in my last year of junior high school - and I hated school with a passion. Experiencing this angst-ridden, rebellion-driven series in its first run helped me get through the rest of the hell of school immensely. I saw the Principal as Number Two, the teachers as the minions of the mysterious forces running the Village, my fellow students as mostly "rotten cabbages" and the school itself was, of course, the Village. So - upon breaking free of High School in 1972 with a graduation - I made a beeline for guess where? Yes, Portmeirion, site of the actual Village used in the series. It was magical seeing the Green Dome and Number Six's cottage first-hand. And right on the balcony leading to my guest room...there was a black cat! I wondered if it were the one used in certain episodes when they were shot in the late sixties. I asked some of the staff about what it was like when the show was being filmed at the Welsh resort. I even saw Alastair Sym ("Scrooge") vacationing there - and he wouldn't give a poor American kid an autograph! Anyway - what I am getting round to here is immense gratitude for Roger Langley's incredible labor-of-love in giving the world, finally, a biography of the mysterious and magnificent Patrick McGoohan. The book is beautifully written, meticulously researched and filled with loads of pictures. I only wish that some of the pictures were in color and that the Peter Falk foreward didn't focus so blatantly on his own book and that he could have said a tad more about McGoohan. I love Falk - but he could have written more. Also, we never learn what happened to McGoohan's parents, although they are mentioned earlier in the story of his life. I also would have loved to known more about McGoohan's relationship with Angelo Muskat (the ubiquitous Butler in "The Prisoner") such as where they met or how deep a friendship did they have and what eventually happened to the man. The same with the vitally important Alexis Kanner: news of his sudden death and its reaction on Patrick McGoohan would have been touching to have conveyed to the readers. I also wish we could have learned what Clint Eastwood and McGoohan thought about one another when they worked on "Escape from Alcatraz" together. Apart from these few complaints, this book is MUST reading for McGoohan lovers and "Prisoner" lovers alike. Reading it made me start popping in the DVDs of the series - and what a great time travel device they are - for there I was, watching the shows in order, and I was no longer a matured man...but a high schooler again on a mission NOT to let the System break him. And largely because of that show, I am certain it has NOT. Not then - nor in the ensuing years. Apart from all of its philosophical complexities and conundrums, a big and simple part of the series' power (continuing to this day) was/is that - through McGoohan's dynamic Number Six - it edifies us into re-thinking societal dictates, standing up for one's own thoughts, braving the pressures of conformity, thinking for oneself and having the guts to protect one's privacy as best one can in a world that is now, alas, so very much like the Village envisioned 40 years ago. It conveyed to us the preciousness of being an Individual via an entertaining and at the same time thought-provoking TV series. Anyway - bravo all around!!! I hated to have the book end: and that's the surest sign you have a wonderful book in your hands. Same as the series: it had to end, as do all things, but I must admit I'd give anything for a few more episodes. It was a unique show; brainchild of a unique individual; and this book is a high tribute to the star and his life. Thank you!

Roger Langley's book is certainly a labor of love, being the founder of the appreciation society for THE PRISONER. When writing of it's ultra-private star and creator Patrick McGoohan, he strives to give the reader an insight into the complexities of a man that there is very little known about. Described by friends and colleagues as both a tyrant and a genius, McGoohan is a force of nature for sure.

Langley has written about his subject or idol really, in complete detail or about as much detail as any author will ever get. The fact that forty years later the most controversial TV series to ever come out of Britain is still causing viewers to rage or cheer, well you just have to commend McGoohan for being so different. Back in the mid-1960's when I myself saw the show on Britain's ITV channel, we all thought it was going to be some kind of follow-up to his previous hit spy show DANGER MAN. WRONG!!!

THE PRISONER was at least 25 years ahead of it's time really, although for many it offered a meaning that I don't think even McGoohan intended. Like most things it's all very subjective. A painter can throw a bottle of ketchup against a wall and there are those who will say what an inspired creation whilst you or I will say what a piece of s***! In this case Patrick McGoohan is the artist and although the fame he derived from it was both a blessing and a curse as Langley so well describes, he never made a single penny from it.

Anyway, whether for you McGoohan is DANGER MAN, THE PRISONER, Dr.SYN, the warden from ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ or any of the other numerous roles he has played, here is the ONLY book that will let you visit him!

Any fan of Patrick McGoohan will enjoy this book, the first biography about this very private individual. The author painstakingly researched this book that details the career of the man famous as "John Drake" and "Number 6". McGoohan is one of the most underrated actors and probably could have been much more famous and a household name. I recently finished watching all 80-odd episodes of Danger Man/Secret Agent, have seen The Prisoner and the Columbo episodes he appeared in, and now I am reading this behind-the-scenes story of the man who practically made these series.

Everything you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask about the freaky Dutch filmmaker.

This is a fantastic biography of the director of The Fourth Man, Robocop, Basic Instinct, Showgirls and Starship Troopers. The first half of the book extensively details Verhoeven's childhood, education and early film career in the Netherlands, then switches to chapter-long "making of" stories on each of his American films up through Showgirls (Starship Troopers was still in production at the time this book was published).

Verhoeven is a VERY smart man and has led an intriguing life. If all you know of him is that he's "the pervert who made Showgirls," you'd do well to read this book. Good job, Rob Van Scheers!

Whether you're a Verhoeven fan, or just want to read an interesting account of a director's relationship with the film industry, this book will satisfy you. The author interviewed past Verhoven associates from the stars of his Dutch films to Michael Douglas, as well as longtime friends like cinematographer Jost Vacano (who has worked with Paul for 25 years). He also spoke at length with Verhoeven himself, getting some great quotes--not to mention insight--in the process. The translator has done an excellent job of making this book engaging and readable, unlike some biographies where the recitation of facts can get boring.

The book covers Verhoeven's childhood, early student days, his time in the military making documentaries, and his entire film career in detail from his first major Dutch production through the making of Showgirls. For the length of the book (only 300 pages) there is A LOT covered. If you are hoping to learn more about this rather infamous director you will not be disappointed.
There is a new chapter for each of his major Dutch and American films.

Besides the biographical text, there are some black and white photos before and after each major section and a complete filmography (through Starship Troopers). The book also has an index that is actually useful in finding the info you need.

I recommend this highly for anyone interested in Verhoeven--you might even find yourself surprised at how personable, intelligent, and funny he is.

This is the kind of bio that should be written about every important film director. Simmons is just detached enough to be objective, but not cold and removed so as to miss the color and flavor of this remarkable man. Highly reccommended for all interested in films - not just Peckinpah geeks.

Someone should get this guy to do a series of books on directors.

This is one of the first and best Peckinpah's biographies. Written a few years before his death but with a new preface and postscript it is a superb account about the life and films of Sam Peckinpah. Garner Simmons talked to many friends, family, actors and producers to make this a wonderful readable experience.If you are in the films of Sam Peckinpah get this book!

Peckinpah, written by Garner Simmons and published by the Universtity of Texas Press in 1982,is a no-nonsense, non-opinionated look at the life and work of director Sam Peckinpah. The first few chapters are devoted to his early life: parents, childhood, growing up, early TV work, etc. The rest of the book is presented in a movie-by-movie format, with one chapter being devoted to each film. The chronological discussion of each film pays great attention to detail form pre to post production. Lots of good insight from cast and crew members help make this book really special! There is little info on Peckinpah's final film, "The Osterman Weekend", as it had not been released at the time of this book's publication. The book is dedicated to the memory of Jerry Fielding, the extremely talented composer who worked with Peckinpah on several films.

Without Noah Greenberg, there probably would not have been a widespread early-music revival, either here or elsewhere. His New York Pro Musica group influenced everyone on two continents, and his influence is still felt today.

In this excellently-written biography, James Gollin makes us feel as if we know Greenberg....or, at least, as well as his colleagues knew him. An enigmatic, enthusiastic, yet contradictory personality, Greenberg was part egalitarian and part dictator, running the Pro Musica with an increasingly strong hand as the years progressed, essentially burning himself out at age 46 (he died shortly before his 47th birthday) by a combination of overwork and overcontrol of his organization. But make no mistake, there is quite a bit in here to satisfy the musicologists as well, covering the immense amount of research and thought that went into each and every performance of early music the Pro Musica did, particularly in regards to their "smash hit," The Play of Daniel. This was a combined effort between Greenberg, British scholars William Smolden and Thurston Dart, and American musicologist Rembert Weakland. All of them approved of Greenberg's colorful orchestration, lately contested as "inauthentic," because they were convinced that the music not only called for it but was probably performed in this manner. Also of interest is Greenberg's growing conflict with his star countertenor, Russell Oberlin, and his willingness to replace anyone who would not give him complete control over their careers.

In short, a must-read for anyone interested in this repertoire and its origins as a musical "movement" in our lifetime.

Pied Piper: The Many Lives Of Noah Greenberg is a superb, 427 page biography, and the latest entry in the outstanding Pendragon Press "Lives in Music" series. Biographer James Gollin combines meticulous research with a natural flair for storytelling as he relates the life and accomplishments of Noah Greenberg's short (he died at the age of 47), colorful (his early years reads with all the drama a pulp fiction novel), and influential career (culminating in his having co-founded and directed the New York Pro Musica -- a driving force for the American early music revival). Highly recommended reading for students of 20th Century American music history , Pied Piper is a testament to a life of tremendous accomplishment by a man driven with talent and energy to accomplish in a few short post-war years what others could not hope to achieve in multiple lifetimes.

Noah Greenberg, as the director of the New York Pro Musica, is one of the first pioneer of Early Music in North America. James Gollin not only wrote a biography but brillantly captured both the intensity of Noah's character and the socio-political context of New York from 1930 to mid 60's. A must for anyone interested in the history of musical performance and american history of music in general.

After I finished the first couple of chapters I was amazed at what I read. I never thought that could happen to anybody. You have to find out for yourself. Just read it, and you will see!

I was recommended this book by a very good friend and even though I can honestly say that I cannot stand Brosnan as Bond, I thought at least I'd do a little background reading on the man. What a delightful surprise. A witty, urbane, wonderfully researched book on a greatly misunderstood character actor. I thought York Membery's painfully funny description of the death of Brosnan's dog in chapter 2 was the highight for me. I'll look more kindly on Brosnan's future roles in future. I thought some of the photographs were particularly good. I just wish the book could have been longer. I didn't want it to end.

I can vividly remember how Pierce Brosnan grew up as a child and can only imagine how hard it must have been. The death of his wife Cassandra Harris and all her determination, fight, and powerful quotes about beating cancer really touched me. Also, he is such a great actor and the best James Bond. It is very detailed, and well done. I remember clearly how he felt when he met Cassandra, and how much he meant to her, and how depressed he must have been when she died. He sure had a beautiful heart for what he did. His "long and winding" road to fame, was hard, I can tell by his words. He seems to have a nice family- beautiful people, who are also frequently mentioned (Charlotte, Sean, Christopher, girlfriend Keely, Dylan Thomas (son with Keely.) This is definetly a must read, must see. It is for any Pierce fan!

I used to follow Carol's writing in The Voice and other venues, and I was very glad to find this book. As was said in another review, she offers a fine and (thankfully) opinionated snapshot of two fascinating decades and their music/films/entertainment. I strongly recommend it.

Carol Cooper's articles over the years have either opened my eyes to things I never knew existed in my own and others' cultures, but also provide a snapshot of the moment in which they were written, without being dated. I am so glad her work is now being collected!

This collection of essays and reviews from various periodicals provides
an absorbing critical trip back in time to musicians and other cultural entities from the 80s and 90s that were important to most anyone who was listening an watching back then.

Miss Cooper has re-stirred the excitement I experienced when I first heard music from Kid Creole & The Coconuts, Sade, Prince, et al. She has made me to want to hear and learn about Gospel and Brazilian music. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

And Miss Cooper's writing provides an unusual, welcome, and impressive combination of fact, social commentary, cultural context, and humor.

This is an absorbing collection by an important observer of an underappreciated period in our and some nearby cultures.

Just as James Agee (deceased) and Pauline Kael (alive, but retired) remain the best writers on the Art of Film, so Kenneth Tynan (again, deceased) is still the best writer on the Art of Theatre. Tynan wrote so beautifully and wittily and lovingly about the stage and the people who inhabit it and he was also responsible in a major way for the success of the National Theatre of Great Britain along with his friend and professional partner, Laurence Olivier. (an essay on Olivier is one of the high-points of this book.) It was Tynan who "discovered" Harold Pinter, who "made the career" of John Osbourne and was a major factor in reviving the career of Noel Coward, after years of neglect: as Literary Manager of the National, it was Tynan who urged a revival of Coward's classic "Hay Fever."

This collection of 50 essays is absolutely essential reading for anyone who has a love of theatre or simply of celebrity and star power. No one writing today writes as well as Tynan did nor consistently shows his affection for Show Business. If you regularly read today's so-called critics, you come away with the feeling that they become INSULTED that plays they dislike were actually produced!

I highly recommend this book. It is passionate, charming and, at times, really funny stuff. But, please, do yourself a favor and haunt every used book shop you know to find a copy of Tynan's out-of-print collected theatre reviews from the U.S. (he wrote for "The New Yorker") and England called CURTAINS. It is absolutely the best book of criticism you'll ever read.

Enormously entertaining and the writing is to die for. Epstein regards Tynan as a lightweight and in a way I guess he is, but a skilled lightweight is still a thing of beauty and Tynan IS skilled. I stared underlining favorite passages but had to stop because I was underlining almost everything.

Tynan was one of the century's great journalists, capable of capturing a performer in two paragraphs, yet equally adept at longer essays, several of which are collected here. The pieces on Stoppard and Louise Brooks are particularly fine. The reviewer below is right: the writing is to die for; but, compared to Epstein, Tynan is a super-hevyweight, with ten times the force and prose-potency.

"Promising Skies" is awesome and needs to be seen on a big screen to vie for the Oscar! If Clint Eastwood made a movie out of "The Bridges of Madison County" which I read, there is absolutely no reason why he wouldn't be interested in "Promising Skies". I had so much fun reading it. It had everything in it. The author knew how to mix all of life's ingredients in creating this book. It's a book any fiction reader in this genre would crave for. My message to the author: Please write more!

Go behind the scenes in the extraordinary life of a brilliant singer in Amapola's semi-autobiographical novel, Promising Skies. Janeera Vivioni grew up in a violent home. Beaten by her father and unprotected by her mother, her only refuge lies in her singing. As soon as she is old enough, she escapes with a man named Tony to launch her singing career. But her plans of making beautiful music with the man she adores quickly sour
when Tony proves as brutal as her father was. Now Janeera must find a way to escape him, but can she ever really escape her troubled past?

In moving prose, Amapola takes us from Mexico to Hawaii to the foggy shores of San Francisco as Janeera Vivioni's star begins to rise. Managers seek to make her the most sought after star in the firmament, but while Janeera is lucky at singing, she continues to be unlucky at love-so much so that she eventually attempts to take her own life. Despite the glamour and the satisfaction of her successful career, she is plagued by a deep
yearning she can't seem to fill, not until a final terrible secret is revealed.

Amapola writes like a dream, showing us the high notes and the low points in a beautiful young singer's life. Richly atmospheric and full of intriguing insider information, Promising Skies is a smart and moving portrait of a young woman struggling to find her own happiness. The truth might be shattering, but in this brave and endearing novel, it eventually serves to set her free.

(Ellen Tanner Marsh is a New York Times best selling author.)

An excellent love story about oneself. I think that this story was well-written and very interesting. There was enough suspense to hold my attention. The other characters unfolded through the plot effectively. While I was reading, I found myself getting personally involved with the main character, Janeera Vivioni. By the time I was finished with the book, I half expected her to call me and ask me out to lunch.