Bøger af Larry Swindell

Gary Cooper was the foremost American screen hero-a major film actor for over thirty years, beginning with the silents. His stardom eclipsed even such successors as Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Humphrey Bogart, and John Wayne. This first major biography of the hero of High Noon captures the enigmatic essence of filmland's favorite cowboy. The contrast of his public reticence and private sophistication made "Coop" a paradox not even the press could unravel. It surprised many that this cowpoke could dazzle moviegoers with his blue eyes and quiet intensity. Nevertheless, he epitomized both innocence and rakishness in a combination that was irresistible both on and off the screen. It made him one of the wealthiest and most sought-after stars in the Hollywood firmament.In his startling transformation from Montana cowboy to international playboy, Cooper attracted such vampish lovers as Clara Bow and Lupe Velez, and such savant acquaintances as Hemingway and Picasso. Yet he was the most humble and sincere cosmopolitan who ever raced through Beverly Hills in a Dusenberg. His life was like one of the movies in which he invariably "played himself"-warmly and winningly.The Last Hero is an in-depth portrait of one of America's best-loved "good guys," a close-up look at Gary Cooper, both man and myth.Readers interested in related titles from Larry Swindell will also want to see: Body and Soul (ISBN: 1626546150), Charles Boyer (ISBN: 162654610X), Screwball (ISBN: 1626546258), Spencer Tracy; a biography (ISBN: 1626548072 ).

Charles Boyer, the "great lover" was the definition of polished European virility in the thirties and forties, and mesmerized his costars wit the same masterful ease that wooed his fans into theaters. Larry Swindell shows here that although this consummate actor, son of French bourgeoisie, always retained a balanced perspective in the face of his worldwide celebrity, the public did not. The Boyer myth grew to such proportion that it achieved a life of its own. Much like Bogart's "Play it again, Sam," Boyer's "Come wiz me to zee casbah," was never spoken by him except in the popular imagination.In this richly detailed biography, Larry Swindell dispels the myths and reveals the professional and personal contrasts of a man whose career began in ways more fabulous than the imaginings of any studio publicity department: he rose from obscurity to become the overnight sensation of Parisian theater when, on twenty-four hours' notice, he replaced the ailing lead in a major production. A dazzling survivor in an industry of notorious failures, he was passionately devoted to his art, his country, and his wife.With the Golden Age of Hollywood as a backdrop, Boyer's private and professional lives are explored: His reputation as the "great louvair," (enhanced as much by his real-life romance with his wife as by the casting with such leading ladies as Dietrich, Garbo, and Hepburn), his involvement with the French Resistance movement, and his friendships with such Hollywood greats as Henry Fonda, David Niven, and Ingrid Bergman.Readers interested in related titles from Larry Swindell will also want to see: Body and Soul (ISBN: 1626546150), Screwball (ISBN: 1626546258), Spencer Tracy; a biography (ISBN: 1626548072), The Last Hero (ISBN: 1626545642).