• Book Reviews

    Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin (2016) | Book Review

    Shirley Jackson biography book cover

    Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin Genres: Biography, Non-Fiction Original Publication Date: 2016 Source: I purchased this book Goodreads Find the Author: Website, Twitter, Goodreads, Amazon Still known to millions primarily as the author of “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson (1916–1965) has been curiously absent from the mainstream American literary canon. A genius of literary suspense and psychological horror, Jackson plumbed the cultural anxiety of postwar America more deeply than anyone. Now, biographer Ruth Franklin reveals the tumultuous life and inner darkness of the author of such classics as The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I am honoring Shirley Jackson’s 100th…

  • Book Reviews,  Film & Television

    Ann Harding: Cinema’s Gallant Lady by Scott O’Brien | Book Review

    Ann Harding biography book cover

    Ann Harding - Cinema's Gallant Lady by Scott O'Brien Genres: Biography Original Publication Date: 2010 Source: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Goodreads Find the Author: Website, Goodreads, Amazon Laurence Oliver referred to her as an “angel.” Director Henry Hathaway claimed she was a “bitch.” Critics hailed Ann Harding as the finest actress to venture from Broadway to Hollywood. Her unique, natural screen presence in Holiday (1930) earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. From 1929 to 1936, Harding reigned as cinema’s “Gallant Lady.” Several years ago I read Scott O’Brien’s excellent biography of Kay Francis, so I couldn’t wait to read…

  • Book Reviews,  Film & Television

    Dangerous Curves Atop Hollywood Heels: The Lives, Careers, and Misfortunes of 14 Hard-Luck Girls of the Silent Screen by Michael G. Ankerich | Book Review

    Dangerous Curves book cover

    Dangerous Curves Atop Hollywood Heels: The Lives, Careers, and Misfortunes of 14 Hard-Luck Girls of the Silent Screen by Michael G. Ankerich Genres: Biography Original Publication Date: 2010 Source: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Goodreads Find the Author: Twitter, Goodreads, Amazon, Tumblr In Dangerous Curves Atop Hollywood Heels, author Michael G. Ankerich examines the lives, careers, and disappointments of 14 silent film actresses, who, despite the odds against them and warnings to stay in their hometowns, came to Hollywood to make names for themselves in the movies. Dangerous Curves Atop Hollywood Heels: The Lives, Careers, and Misfortunes of 14 Hard-Luck Girls of…

  • Book Reviews,  Film & Television

    Don Ameche: The Kenosha Comeback Kid by Ben Ohmart | Book Review

    Don Ameche book cover

    Don Ameche: The Kenosha Comeback Kid by Ben Ohmart Genres: Biography, Non-Fiction Original Publication Date: 2010 Source: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Goodreads Find the Author: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon The official biography of the Oscar-winning actor of Cocoon, and the great radio actor, Don Ameche. Written with the aid of the Ameche family, this first book features over 100 rare photos and many interviews with family and friends. Foreword by John Landis, director of Trading Places. Don Ameche was a star of Hollywood’s Golden Age. He starred or co-starred in several movies with Alice Faye and Tyrone Power. He made…

  • Book Reviews,  Film & Television

    Foxy Lady: The Authorized Biography of Lynn Bari by Jeff Gordon (2010) | Book Review

    Foxy Lady Lynn Bari book cover

    Foxy Lady: The Authorized Biography of Lynn Bari by Jeff Gordon Genres: Biography, Non-Fiction Original Publication Date: 2010 Source: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Goodreads Find the Author: Website, Goodreads, Amazon Foxy Lady:The Authorized Biography of Lynn Bari is based on author Jeff Gordon’s extensive conversations with Bari, a warm and highly intelligent woman with a delicious sense of humor and the gift of total recall. Gordon’s research also involved interviews with dozens of Lynn’s friends, family members and professional associates, including Anthony Quinn, Alice Faye, Claire Trevor, Roddy McDowall, and George Montgomery. Foxy Lady: The Authorized Biography of Lynn Bari tells…