Hollywood B Movies A Treasury Of Spills Chills Thrills

By the mid-1930s, cinema patrons insisted on value-for-money. Double feature programs became mandatory at all neighborhood cinemas. Usually the "A" feature film figured as the main attraction, and the supporting movie, the "B." Sometimes that role was reversed. On many occasions picturegoers felt the unheralded "B" movie had actually proved more entertaining than the widely advertised "A" attraction. More than two hundred of these wonderful "B" film classics from Hollywood's golden age are described, reviewed and detailed in this book. It's a must-have for all film addicts, movie fans and nostalgia connoisseurs.

Gathered in this large volume paperback are some of Hollywood's best loved and most famous movies. In addition to the many film classics, however, the author has included a number of equally entertaining films that deserve to be better known. Many of these movies are now available on DVD. Full credits and detailed reviews are provided for over a hundred of these classic films. Over two hundred more movies are represented by short reviews. Many of the reviews contain DVD details. Of course, not all classic movies have surfaced on DVD to date, but they are being issued at the rate of around forty a month! If you love classic movies, this book will provide an invaluable guide to some of the enjoyable films that are now available (and also, of course, some of the disappointing films that you might wisely avoid).

Table of Contents: Abraham Lincoln, Adventures of Marco Polo, Affaire Nina B., All Quiet on the Western Front, Anastasia, Anna Boleyn, Assassination of Jesse James, Belle Starr, The Big Knife, Bonnie Prince Charlie, Boys Town, Brigham Young, Butch and Sundance: The Early Days, Captain Fly-By-Night, Carry On Dick, Charge of the Light Brigade, Children of Eve, Cleopatra, The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell, The Cruel Sea, Day of the Locust, Destination Unknown, Disraeli, Divine Lady, The Devil's Brigade, The Devil's Needle, Don't Lose Your Head, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, End of the Trail, The Enforcer, Excalibur, Fangs of Destiny, Great Gatsby, Great Dictator, Great Moment, Hawk of the Hills, Helen of Troy, Humanity and Paper Balloons, If I Were King, The Informer, In Old Arizona, In Old Chicago Is Paris Burning?, James Dean Story, The Jayhawkers, Joyeux Noel, King of Kings, The Lady of the Lake, The Law and Outlaw, Lives of a Bengal Lancer, The Lawless Breed, Man with the Green Carnation, Marco Polo, etc. etc.

John Howard Reid's books are not only noted for the wealth of essential information he provides on each film he discusses, but for the insight and clarity of his reviews. Reid has been reviewing films professionally since 1955, and has contributed an enormous amount of material to newspapers and magazines in England, France, Australia and the USA. In the course of his work, Reid has come into contact with many famous stars and directors, and is often able to provide quotes and information that no other sources can duplicate. As a reviewer for one of Reid's previous books rightly pointed out, "Nobody does it better than John Howard Reid." In fact, Reid often provides far more information than the titles of his books suggest. "140 All-Time Must-See Movies" is a typical case. The book actually provides full details and reviews for 160 feature films plus brief comments on over 30 shorts.

This selection of movies that won no Hollywood awards includes some that are famous like Garbo's "Queen Christina" and "A Woman of Affairs," William Wyler's "Carrie" and "Detective Story," Fritz Lang's "Metropolis," John Farrow's "California," Hitchcock's "Young and Innocent," John Ford's "Wee Willie Winkie," Albert Lewin's "Pandora and the Flying Dutchman," Mae West's "She Done Him Wrong," and DeMille's original version of "The Ten Commandments"; some that deserve to be famous like "Tonight and Every Night," "Sunnyside Up," "Ambassador Bill," "Diplomaniacs," "The Nitwits," "Fallen Angel" and "Rhythm on the Range"; and some that had no chance at all like "The Noose Hangs High," "Words and Music," "The Bohemian Girl," and 'Wagon Wheels Westward." Special added feature: a monograph on one of Hollywood's greatest directors, Henry Hathaway.

More than 50 of Hollywood's most famous movies are examined in detail in this book, which provides full cast and production credits, release dates, background information, DVD suppliers, plus up-to-date assessments and reviews. This information not only covers almost everything you would want to know about some of your favorite movies, but guides you towards further classic films you might enjoy! To name just twenty of the more than fifty titles, they include An American in Paris, The Apartment, The Caine Mutiny, Casablanca, China Seas, Duck Soup, From Here To Eternity, Gone With The Wind, The Greatest Show On Earth, If I Had a Million, In Old Chicago, It Happened One Night, Laura, Out of the Past, The Palm Beach Story, the Picture of Dorian Gray, A Place in the Sun, two versions of State Fair, The Wizard of Oz, Wonder Bar, and Yankee Doodle Dandy.

When most people think of movie musicals, films like "Singin' in the Rain", "Sound of Music", "The Red Shoes", "On the Town", "White Christmas", "Ziegfeld Follies", "Top Hat", "Funny Face" and "Funny Girl" immediately come to mind. Such films are included in this book, as are many of the works of major stars, including Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Gene Kelly, Betty Grable, Shirley Temple, Julie Andrews, Elvis Presley, Lucille Ball, Alice Faye, Jeanette MacDonald, Maurice Chevalier, Nelson Eddy, Doris Day, Dick Powell, Betty Hutton, Eleanor Powell, and Al Jolson. But attention is also drawn to less lavishly produced but very pleasant musical offerings from both major and minor studios (including perhaps the finest "B" musical ever made). In all, 125 pictures are reviewed and detailed with full cast and technical credits, plus songs and musical numbers, awards, release dates and other essential background information.

A round-up of favorite westerns from "Aces and Eights" to "River of No Return," from "Colorado Sundown" to "Under California Stars," from "Big Calibre" to "The Yodellin' Kid from Pine Ridge." Featured stars include Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Bill Boyd, Charles Starrett, Buck Jones, Hoot Gibson, Bob Steele, Rex Bell, Tex Ritter, Ken Maynard, Tim McCoy, Jack Perrin, Johnny Mack Brown, Robert Mitchum, Randolph Scott.