Bøger af James Robert Parish

Part of the Encore Film Book Classics series, this is a reprint of the original text to The Great Movie Series by James Robert Parish. This comprehensive volume details 25 of the greatest sound film series even ever produced by Hollywood. It reveals the intriguing background behind such memorable movie series as: Andy Hardy, Blondie, Bomba, Boston Blackie, The Bowery Boys, Charlie Chan, Crime Doctor, Dr. Christian, Dr. Kildare, Ellery Queen, The Falcon, Francis the Talking Mule, Hopalong Cassidy, James Bond, Jungle Jim, The Lone Wolf, Ma and Pa Kettle, Maisie, Matt Helm, Mr. Moto, Philo Vance, The Saint, Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, and The Thin Man. Each chapter provides a history of the big-screen series from its literary origins, including versions utilized for television and radio as well as the cinema. There are also biographies of each series' leading players, with revealing career studies on such well-known Hollywood stars as Mickey Rooney, Myrna Loy, William Powell, Johnny Weissmuller, Warner Oland, Marjorie Main, George Sanders, Arthur (Dagwood) Lake, Donald O'Connor, Maureen O'Sullivan, Warren William, Ann Sothern, William (Hopalong Cassidy) Boyd, Warner Baxter, Peter Lorre, Lew Ayres, Dean Martin, and Sean Connery, Every chapter contains a detailed filmography for each episode of the series, giving cast and character names, technical credits, running time, name of the producing studio, and year of release. This entertaining book explains why the series film was such a staple of Hollywood studios and how moviegoers found it reassuring to have a recurring group of familiar screen performers whose exploits they could follow and with whom they could identify when going to the cinema. This then is the lively and wonderful world of The Great Movie Series.

Part of the Encore Film Book Classics series, this is a reprint of the original text to Prison Pictures From Hollywood by James Robert Parish. "Pile out, you tramps. It's the end of the line," began Caged, a remarkable onscreen study of women behind bars released by Warner Bros. in 1950. The well-defined conventions of this motion picture and almost 300 others in the prison film genre are examined in this in-depth volume. Four major subgenres emerge: biting sociological studies (e.g., I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, 1932), raucous comedies (e.g., Stir Crazy, 1980), rugged black action pictures (e.g., Riot, 1968), and titillating exploitation entries (e.g., Chained Heat, 1985). Comprehensive cast/character and technical listings and an essay blending synopsis, contemporary review quotes, and production details with costs and penetrating analysis are given for each feature film examined in this detailed volume. Coverage includes both silent and sound feature films from Hollywood as well as American-made TV movies. For anyone interested in how Hollywood has depicted life behind bars over the decades, Prison Pictures From Hollywood is a revelatory must read.

Part of the Encore Film Book Classics series, this is a reprint of the original text to The Jeanette MacDonald Story by James Robert Parish. Billed as "The girl with the red-gold hair and sea-green eyes" on Broadway, and known as the "Iron Butterfly" in Hollywood, legendary singer/actress Jeanette MacDonald (1903-1965) is revealed here as a warm, irrepressible person with a surprisingly whimsical sense of humor. Born in Philadelphia, her stage career began when she was a youngster; later she performed in vaudeville and left high school in order to appear in the Demi-Tasse Revue. An indefatigable worker, this world-famous soprano/actress never stopped performing unless she was too ill to go on. For those who wondered why she worked so hard she explained, "The minute you let yourself ride along on the wave just because people around you are telling you how wonderful you are, you're sunk." One of Hollywood's superstars of the 1930s, she worked oncamera with Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy (San Francisco), Maurice Chevalier (The Love Parade, One Hour with You, The Merry Widow), and Nelson Eddy, with whom she reached the pinnacle of movie success in such classic cinema vehicles as Naughty Mariette, Rose-Marie, Maytime, and Sweethearts. Here is the real Jeanette MacDonald, a supertalent who enjoyed a long marriage to screen star Gene Raymond. She emerges from behind the legend in anecdotes and stories retold by those who knew her, respected her, and loved her. This IS The Jeanette MacDonald Story.

Part of the Encore Film Book Classics series, this is a reprint of the original text to The Slapstick Queens by James Robert Parish. At one time or another, most every nostalgia-conscious film enthusiast has laughed heartily at the wild onscreen antics of gifted movie comediennes Marjorie Main, Joan Davis, Martha Raye, Judy Canova, and Phyllis Diller. The Slapstick Queens provides an in-depth study and appraisal of the professional work of these exceptionally noteworthy funsters. Each of these five talents has a lengthy, comprehensive chapter devoted to her oncamera and personal life, containing, as well, a detailed filmography of the subject's screen work. In addition, the book provides a full survey of each of these stars' stage, radio, television, nightclub, recording, and book-writing careers. Personal interviews with Phyllis Diller and Judy Canova give this volume an added dimension. The Slapstick Queens delves deeply into the lives and times of five major laugh makers, numbered among the cream of comediennes, particularly in motion pictures and television. Moreover, these antic talents-Marjorie Main, Joan Davis, Martha Raye, Judy Canova, and Phyllis Diller-were among the highest paid non-glamour actresses in the annals of Hollywood. This volume extols not only the film careers of these exceptionally skilled comics, but also the essence of their mirthful work in other media. The Slapstick Queens is a chronicle of, and a testament to, the fabulous careers of a quintet of Hollywood's most memorable comediennes!

Part of the Encore Film Book Classics series, this is a reprint of the original text to The Hollywood Book of Love: An Irreverent Guide to the Films That Raised Our Romantic Expectations by James Robert Parish. If you're still waiting for bells to ring and sparks to fly, for fireworks to explode, and waves to crash upon the shore every time you kiss that special someone, don't hold your breath: you've been bitten-and brainwashed-by the Hollywood love bug! From start-up to breakup, only on the big screen is romance so unreal, and in this expansive, cheery, and amusing study you'll find enough smooches and schmaltz to take you from here ... to eternity From Bonnie and Clyde to Harold and Maude and from The African Queen to Titanic, this detailed-filled volume gives you all the steam from the screen in its entertaining exploration of Tinseltown's obsession with love, romance, and heartbreak. Inside this unique volume you'll find: -A guide to Hollywood's top tales of romance from "Young Love" to "Marriages on the Rocks" -Funny, fact-filled plot scenarios of a slew of Hollywood's great love stories over the decades - Spirited sidebars that reveal the reality behind the reel -Behind-the-scenes peeks at the love lives of Hollywood's sexiest stars, from Gary Cooper, Charles Boyer, Don Johnson, and Josh Hartnett, to Lupe Velez, Lana Turner, and Madonna

Part of the Encore Film Book Classics series, this is a reprint of the original text to The Fox Girls by James Robert Parish. One of Hollywood's oldest major studios is Twentieth Century-Fox, which began as Fox Film Corporation in 1915 in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Two years later studio head William Fox inaugurated a West Coast movie lot in Los Angeles. By 1935, in the midst of the Great Depression, the then financially-plagued film company had merged with Twentieth Century Pictures. The new entity was Twentieth Century-Fox under the leadership of industry veteran Darryl F. Zanuck who was a genius star-maker. Through various corporate changes during the twentieth century, the studio relied heavily on a series of sparkling leading ladies to attract filmgoers to its pictures. These vibrant actresses gave the studio its own distinctive quality over the decades. The Fox Girls spotlights 16 of the most striking and celebrated of the studio's notable leading ladies over the many years. The stunning lineup includes-in alphabetical order: THEDA BARA-the celluloid vamp famous for her catchphrase 'Kiss Me, My Fool!"; ANNE BAXTER-the one-girl stock company; JEANNE CRAIN-the radiant girl next door; LINDA DARNELL-the china-doll beauty; ALICE FAYE-the singing-and-dancing belle of the ball; JANET GAYNOR-the spunky waif; BETTY GRABLE-the pinup queen with All-American apple pie looks; JUNE HAVER-the song-and-dance colleen; SONJA HENIE-the Norwegian ballerina on ice; CARMEN MIRANDA-the Brazilian bombshell; MARILYN MONROE-the world's most provocative dumb blonde; SHEREE NORTH-the brassy showgirl; SHIRLEY TEMPLE-the dimpled child wonder; GENE TIERNEY-the lady aristocrat; RAQUEL WELCH-the love goddess of the 1970s; and LORETTA YOUNG-the girl who knew what she wanted. Detailed filmographies and incisive biographies of these distinctive big-screen personalities make The Fox Girls a unique volume-actually 16 books in one. This study of an enduring Hollywood film studio is also a mirror of the changing styles and tastes in American film entertainment. This then is The Fox Girls!

Part of the Encore Film Book Classics series, this is a reprint of the original text to Katharine Hepburn: The Untold Story by James Robert Parish.An A-list star for over 60 years, Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003) headlined over 60 films and 10 Broadway plays. She was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won a record 4! She was admired by generations of filmgoers, not just for her outstanding performances in such movie classics as Stage Door, The Philadelphia Story, The African Queen, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, The Lion in Winter, and On Golden Pond, but also for being an icon of feminism and New England style candor. This rigorous examination of Hepburn's enigmatic life reveals the surprising truths behind the carefully constructed image. Discussed are her complex relationship with eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes, her life on/off camera with her frequent film costar Spencer Tracy, and the several women who had a strong impact on Hepburn. (These included socialite Laura Harding, film editor/assistant director Jane Loring, and international cinema star Elissa Landi.) This biography answers many of the lingering questions about Hepburn's unique life. It pays tribute to her remarkable performance in the role of Katharine Hepburn, one of the most enduring stars of the 20th century. Katharine Hepburn: The Untold Story is the engaging narrative of an amazing iconoclast who "wanted to paddle my own canoe, didn't want anyone to pay my way."

Part of the Encore Film Book Classics series, this is a reprint of the original text to Whitney Houston: 1963-2012: We Will Always Love You by James Robert Parish. When legendary singer Whitney Houston died suddenly on February 11, 2012 her fans around the world were shocked by her tragic passing. This comprehensive biography chronicles the full dramatic narrative of Houston's rollercoaster ride from her troubled childhood days in New Jersey to her emergence as an international singing sensation in her early twenties. While her adoring public placed the beautiful and amazingly talented songstress/actress on a lofty pedestal, lurid tabloid reports about Houston's increasingly frenzied partying lifestyle, her dysfunctional marriage to singer/bad boy Bobby Brown, and her escalating bizarre professional behavior ultimately overshadowed her astonishing talents and the once high regard of her vast fan base. In more recent times, the celebrated singing diva battled a magnitude of disturbing problems, including her mounting substance abuse, the finish to her out-of-control marriage to Bobby Brown, her tremendous financial difficulties, and her stalled show business career. Then in the new millennium the pop superstar returned full force to her singing profession, spearheaded by her first new studio album (2009's I Look to You) in several years, and by her starring in a new feature film (2012's Sparkle). On the surface, everything now appeared to be so promising for her future life and career, until her world came crashing down into a heartbreaking finale. All of Houston's high and low points in her complex personal and professional life are covered, in Whitney Houston: 1963-2012: We Will Always Love You.

Part of the Encore Film Book Classics series, this is a reprint of the original text to Let's Talk! America's Favorite Talk Show Hosts by James Robert Parish. Television talk shows have been a favorite genre of the medium since the early days of American commercial TV at the start of the 1950s. It has remained an enduring format (with numerous variations and offshoots) over many decades, highlighted by an amazing array of distinctive program hosts, every one of whom had his/her own unique personality that attracted a wide viewing public. Each of the twenty-three chapters is devoted to the professional and off camera life of a genre pioneer/favorite who played such a key role in the phenomenal history of American TV shows. Among the many colorful superstar personalities profiled in this volume are: Steve Allen, Johnny Carson, Joan Rivers, Sally Jessy Raphael, Jack Paar, Geraldo Rivera, Whoopi Goldberg, Virginia Graham, Oprah Winfrey, David Frost, Merv Griffin, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Regis Philbin, Mike Douglas, Larry King, Vicki Lawrence, Phil Donahue, Dinah Shore, Arsenio Hall, Dick Cavett, Kathie Lee Gifford, David Letterman, and Jay Leno. This then is the fascinating and compelling world of Let's Talk! America's Favorite Talk Show Hosts.

Part of the Encore Film Book Classics series, this is a reprint of the original text to Jet Li: A Biography by James Robert Parish. Jet Li: A Biography is noteworthy as the first English-language biography of the martial arts superstar. Known as the "Gene Kelly of the action film," Jet Li was part of the wave of new Asian stars taking Hollywood by storm in the 1990s and early 2000s. Along with Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Jackie Chan, and Maggie Cheung, Jet Li kicked and punched his way out of the cult film underground and into global mainstream movie superstardom. This expansive narrative traces the star's engrossing journey from his humble birth in Beijing, his later life and career in Hong Kong and on to Hollywood moviemaking. It takes the reader from Jet Li's early days in Hong Kong as a fledgling actor to becoming the successful superstar who appeared in such classics as Once Upon a Time in China. Special attention is given to his Hollywood debut alongside Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon 4; his later star turns in the gangland fable Romeo Must Die, and the sci-fi hit The One-proving his power as a top-billed box-office attraction. Jet Li: A Biography examines the actor's fiercely protected private life and explains the broad appeal of Hollywood's new Bruce Lee to fans of all ages-from Hong Kong chop-socky cultists to the new Hollywood that eagerly embraced him. This revealing volume includes a detailed filmography of his screen work in Hollywood and Hong Kong.

Part of the Encore Film Book Classics series, this is a reprint of the original text to Whoopi Goldberg: Her Journey From Poverty to Megastardom by James Robert Parish. This insightful biography of Whoopi Goldberg traces the remarkable life and times of the internationally famous African-American actress, comedian, television personality, and author. This detailed volume goes behind the scenes to document Goldberg's humble beginnings in New York City to her later show business success. This success includes her winning of multiple industry awards, including an Oscar nomination for her touching performance in The Color Purple (1985) and an Academy Award for her vibrant role in Ghost (1990). In shedding light on the star's event-filled personal life (including her several marriages) it is easier to appreciate the myriad factors which made this outspoken, one-of-a-kind celebrity the unique personality she has become. This is the astonishing story of the talented actress who twice hosted the Oscarcasts, won a Tony Award for her on-Broadway one-woman show, and played a recurring role on Star Trek: The Next Generation, which she reprised in two Star Trek feature films. This is a revealing and informed account of the iconic Whoopi Goldberg who once observed of her becoming a major celebrity: "I haven't changed from being me. A little older, a little quieter. But I haven't shut up."

Part of the Encore Film Book Classics series, this is a reprint of the original text to Rosie: Rosie O'Donnell's Biography by James Robert Parish. Rosie presents in detail the captivating story of how a young woman from Commack, Long Island became a first-class jokester. Following Rosie's path on the highly competitive comedy club and television circuit, this dimensional biography also looks at O'Donnell's Hollywood films (e.g., League of Their Own, Sleepless in Seattle, The Flintstones). From the death of her mother when Rosie was age ten to her troubled relationship with her Irish-born father, here is the story of well-earned professional triumphs and the price of fame. This book provides a behind-the-scenes account of the talented and driven comic who won the hearts of so many just by making them laugh. It also focuses on how this outspoken celebrity became a dynamic national figure as the hostess of her highly-rated TV talk show. This is an illuminating and informed account of iconic funster Rosie O'Donnell who observed once of her journey to show business fame, "I never had something to fall back on because I was never going to allow myself to fall back.... You have to know in your heart of heart, 100% sure, that you're going to succeed in order to do it."

Part of the Encore Film Book Classics series, this is a reprint of the original text to The Great Combat Pictures by James Robert Parish. Early in the twentieth century, filmmakers realized that soldiers on the front lines of battle made a powerful subject for motion picture drama. How individuals endure the stress of wartime, while haunted by danger and the grisly sights of death all around them, has been the subject of many memorable films. This book examines some 300 American and British feature films and made-for-TV movies from the 1910s onward. The author focuses on major twentieth-century conflicts, each of which produced a stream of gripping pictures, several of which became Oscar-winners, including: All Quiet on the Western Front, Sergeant York, What Price Glory, Wings, Twelve O'Clock High, Battleground, They Were Expendable, The Dirty Dozen, Paths of Glory, Above and Beyond, A Walk in the Sun, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Platoon, The Green Berets, Full Metal Jacket, The Bridges of Toko-Ri, The Dawn Patrol, Objective, Burma!, Apocalypse Now . . . and many more. This valuable sourcebook provides extensive cast and credits, plot synopsis, contemporary review quotes, and thorough analysis of each film covered. The Great Combat Pictures also includes TV listings for genre series.

Savor the inside scoop on over-the-top superstars"I'm not a paranoid, deranged millionaire. . . . I'm a billionaire!""Acting is an empty and useless profession.""Good girls go to heaven. Bad girls go everywhere else.""I'm interested in being provocative and pushing people's buttons."Which screen icons gave us the quotes above? How do stars get away with self-indulgent, unrestrained behaviors-or do they? In The Hollywood Book of Extravagance, longtime industry insider and Hollywood historian James Robert Parish gives you a provocative look behind the scenes at the lavish indulgences and larger-than-life egos of Tinseltown's rich and famous. The featured celebrities range from heartthrobs to industry tycoons, and from yesterday's matinee idols to today's hottest celebs. The stars are grouped according to their excesses: ego, neurosis, partying, power, rich living, and romancing. You'll devour little-known details on the excesses and exploits of notables ranging from Mae West to Madonna, Greta Garbo to Marilyn Monroe and Marlon Brando, Bela Lugosi to John Belushi, Zsa Zsa Gabor to Paris Hilton, Errol Flynn to Jude Law, and many more.

This book traces the extraordinary life and career of Mel Brooks, who has ridden a wave of show business success perhaps unsurpassed by anyone of his generation. Offering many insights into the wacky world of Brooks and his many collaborators, as well as an intimate look into his successful marriage to the brilliant and beautiful actress Anne Bancroft, It's Good to Be the King might just be the most delightful, engaging, and entertaining biography you'll ever read.

Half of all marriages end in divorce--and then there are the really unhappy ones.--Joan RiversDo you suppose that the person who first said ""Life is stranger than fiction"" might have had Hollywood marriages in mind? Why watch a romantic film starring a leading man and a leading lady when their real-life romances are so much more interesting? It seems that a celebrity's latest film can have a considerably longer life span in the theater than his or her marriage du jour.One would almost think that Tinseltown has come to embrace divorce as an accepted pastime. Some celebrities have seemingly collected spouses over the years, systematically adding notches in their belts of divorces. Cases in point: Zsa Zsa Gabor (nine), Lana Turner (eight), Elizabeth Taylor (nine), and Mickey Rooney (eight). This list appears to make Jennifer Lopez a mere novice with only three marriages, two divorces, and one terminated engagement to date.In The Hollywood Book of Breakups, James Robert Parish looks at scores of hot Hollywood romances that eventually fell apart. From the decade-long union of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman to the ""just-for-show"" nuptials of Rock Hudson and Phyllis Gates to the four-and-a-half-year marriage of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston to the ""other woman"" divorce of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, Parish covers it all--from the burning embers to the fizzling fires of Hollywood breakups. You couldn't make this stuff up--and James Robert Parish doesn't need to. Hollywood writes its own drama when it comes to scandalous breakups.

Providing a detailed look at one of the world's most famous choreographers. Tharp developed a signature style that is now a cornerstone of modern dance. Ages 12+.

As the development of the Internet has progressed, so too have the digital worlds of video games and media giants, creating many highly profitable careers in the process. This title details more than 90 jobs in these industries and features appendixes of resources and other useful information.

A biography of Steven Spielberg, the Academy Award-winning producer and director of films in a variety of genres, such as E.T., Jaws, Saving Private Ryan, and Schindler's List.

Profiles one of today's most widely known and respected actors. From his humble beginnings on a television sitcom to his back-to-back Oscar wins for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump, Tom Hanks has also turned to producing.