Mrs Parkington

Mrs. Parkington, born in Leaping Rock, Nevada, has ascended the social ladder and is now a lady of great wealth. But the children of the wealthy often lack the qualities of their forebears.

" In this first-ever biography of Greer Garson, Michael Troyan sweeps away the many myths that even today veil her life. The true origins of her birth, her fairy-tale discovery in Hollywood, and her career struggles at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer are revealed for the first time. Garson combined an everywoman quality with grace, charm, and refinement. She won the Academy Award in 1941 for her role in Mrs. Miniver , and for the next decade she reigned as the queen of MGM. Co-star Christopher Plummer remembered, ""Here was a siren who had depth, strength, dignity, and humor who could inspire great trust, suggest deep intellect and whose misty languorous eyes melted your heart away!"" Garson earned a total of seven Academy Award nominations for Best Actress, and fourteen of her films premiered at Radio City Music Hall, playing for a total of eighty-four weeks--a record never equaled by any other actress. She was a central figure in the golden age of the studios, working with legendary performers Clark Gable, Marlon Brando, Elizabeth Taylor, Errol Flynn, Joan Crawford, Robert Mitchum, Debbie Reynolds, and Walter Pidgeon. Garson's experiences offer a fascinating glimpse at the studio system in the years when stars were closely linked to a particular studio and moguls such as L.B. Mayer broke or made careers. With the benefit of exclusive access to studio production files, personal letters and diaries, and the cooperation of her family, Troyan explores the triumphs and tragedies of her personal life, a story more colorful than any role she played on screen.

Sir Edmund Leggett is flattered to be stalked by a young lady--who makes herself scarce after he's murdered in cold blood. The police hold the young woman to blame. But Inspector Witherspoon has other ideas and consults his housekeeper, Mrs. Jeffries--who always gets to the heart of the matter.

Before she achieved immortality on the long-running situation comedy Bewitched, Agnes Moorehead had established a distinguished career as a character actress. After her screen debut in Citizen Kane (1941), Moorehead became one of the most familiar female faces on the silver screen. For moviegoers of the 1940s and ‘50s, she was the quintessential character actress, earning four Academy Award nominations during a career that saw her gain the respect of her peers in all four major entertainment media: radio, film, theater, and television. In The Films of Agnes Moorehead, Axel Nissen looks at the actress’s sixty-three feature films between 1941 and 1973. Each film is profiled here, with particular emphasis placed on the films that merit closer attention: Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons, Mrs. Parkington, Dark Passage, All That Heaven Allows, The Left Hand of God, The Swan, Tempest, The Bat, and Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte. Arranged in chronological order, the discussion of these films highlights Moorehead’s contribution to each feature. In addition to analyzing her performances, the author discusses the development of Moorehead’s career as a whole, along with her relationship with various studios, directors, producers, and fellow actors. Based on extensive interviews with the actress’s surviving friends and co-workers, as well as detailed archival research into primary sources, this book brings to light new information not just about Moorehead’s work in film, but on her life and career in general. Though this book will certainly appeal to movie buffs, The Films of Agnes Moorehead will also be of interest to students and scholars of classic Hollywood films, including those interested in women and film, gender studies, and film history.

In the 1800s, the lives of persons in the entertaining industry, specifically theater, were often as dramatic as the characters lives in some plays by Samuel Beckett, Anton Chekhov, Henrik Ibsen, William Inge, Arthur Miller, Thornton Wilder and Tennessee Williams. If You Ever Meet a Weasel by Belinda MacGruder is one such dramatic story. Historical fiction, this novel details the lives of theatre people who travel from Europe to the New World. This novels main character must tolerate her fathers traditional attitudes toward marriage. She must accept the separation from her European friends when she moves to the New World. Of course, New World customs are different from European customs. As such, this novels female, main character must learn New World customs while retaining the Old World ones. Natural and manmade tragedies afflict most, if not all, of the characters in If You Ever Meet a Weasel. Highly unusual events occur. Personality conflicts vie with conflicts of interests. A famous American war disrupts the lives of some of the characters. Travel to and from the European continent stresses relationships and relatives. However, this novel contains more than tragedies, conflicts and turmoil. Tender moments occur between spouses. Understanding develops among friends. Between employers and employees, friendships emerge to last lifetimes. In dialogs and expositions, the author references historical dates and events. For the readers, these historical events emphasize characters personalities, create empathy, explain difficulties and inspire imagination. This novels timeline ends in the 21st century. From beginning to end, readers will read about various transportation methods: horse-drawn carriages; steam-powered, ocean liners; taxis and train travel. If You Ever Meet a Weasel is an insightful, but fictional, literary experience into theatrical lives.

She would never admit it, but Elizabeth (Lizzie) Rivers has always wanted a blond ponytail that sways when she walks. Instead, she winds up with a stringy brown clump of hair that can only end up in a messy braid. Shes always wanted a perfectly coordinated outfit, with cute accessories, but she always ends up a few steps behind the latest fashion. Shes not a wannabe, but Elizabeth just doesnt get this popularity business. One fateful day Lizzie, who is perfectly happy with her current friends, winds up palling with Mackenzie, a new student from L.A.! At first Lizzie gets suspicious, but then winds up doing things she would NEVER otherwise do. Such as skipping class, or changing her style. She starts liking it. But not stopping there, Mackenzie has other plans. Shes ready to go extreme- and wont hesitate to get others (including Lizzie) in trouble in the process. Will Lizzies reputation as a good student, and worse, a good friend, be ruined, all thanks to this one girl? Was this a big mistake? Is she still out to solve the mystery of popularity?

Horror descends on the small town of Ashley Springs, Arkansas, when the slaughter of some of its most respected business men begins. Amy Bordeaux, owner of an antique shop, discovers the body of the second victim. She has a precognitive flash of another murder not yet committed. Amy is unable to convince Sheriff Frank Morgan of the validity of her vision. Another man is murdered exactly as she "saw" it. Frank, who knew all three victims as young men, believes that past events in their lives have come back to haunt them. He secretly thinks that Amy's precognition is real, and is afraid she will identify the killer before he can make an arrest. Frank decides to confront the person he believes to be guilty. Later, his deputies report him missing. Amy, desperate to stop both the visions and the killings, has begun her own investigation. She is unaware that the killer is watching her every move. When she stumbles upon the sheriff's body in a most unexpected place, Amy is forced to accept the unacceptable when the killer stands before her. She literally runs for her life.