My Hollywood Stories

My Hollywood Stories is a collection of informative, historical, educational, funny, exciting, entertaining, sexy, shocking, and tragic stories and anecdotes about famous and not-so-famous Hollywood people--actors, directors, producers, writers, and studio moguls. While it is not a book about acting, it is written by an actor with contributions from various actors, all of whom are writing about other actors. Older readers will take a trip down memory lane, remembering many of the celebrities mentioned, while younger readers will discover Hollywood history from its earlier years to the present. They will learn about the people who were part of the building blocks of the film industry: the highs, the lows, the successes, the failures, and the tragedies.

Just when you thought you've heard everything about Hollywood comes a totally original new book - a special blend of biography, history and lore. Hollywood Stories is packed with wild, wonderful short tales about famous stars, movies, directors and many others who have been part of the world's most fascinating, unpredictable industry! Full of funny moments and twist endings, Hollywood Stories features an amazing, icons and will keep you totally entertained!

This is the definitive biography of the most powerful man in Hollywood during the 1930s, '40s and '50s, the man who founded the Hollywood Reporter and the most storied nightspots of the Sunset Strip, introduced Clark Gable and Lana Turner to the world, invented Las Vegas, brought the Mafia to Hollywood, engineered the shakedown of Hollywood studios by Willie Bioff and his mob-run unions, was possibly involved in the murder of Bugsy Siegel, started the Hollywood blacklist, and helped destroy the studio system. Perhaps nobody in Hollywood history has ever ruined so many careers and done so much damage to the industry as Billy Wilkerson. Yet there has never been a solid biography of the man. Billy's son, William R. Wilkerson III, has done tremendous research on his father, interviewing over decades everyone who knew him best, and portrays him beautifully (and damningly) in this book.

This collection of 23 new essays focuses on the lives of female screenwriters of Golden Age Hollywood, whose work helped create those unforgettable stories and characters beloved by audiences--but whose names have been left out of most film histories. The contributors trace the careers of such writers as Anita Loos, Adela Rogers St. Johns, Lillian Hellman, Gene Gauntier, Eve Unsell and Ida May Park, and explore themes of their writing in classics like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Ben Hur, and It's a Wonderful Life.

Publisher description

A NEW YORK TIMES Notable Book of the Year “In her book about her life, Miss Hepburn insists that that woman in the movies was not her at all. ‘I’m not going to hide behind you anymore,’ she says. ‘Who are you anyway? You're not me.’ Sure she is. The woman in the book is cocky, fearless, smart, capable, and human, on screen and off.”—Anna Quindlen, The New York Times Admired and beloved by movie audiences for more than sixty years, four-time Academy Award winner Katharine Hepburn is an American classic and an extraordinary, enduring presence on the international cultural scene. Yet her private life has been obscured by mystery. Now Miss Hepburn breaks her long-kept silence in this absorbing and provocative memoir. With characteristic gusto and candor, Katharine Hepburn reflects on the events, people, and places that have shaped her life—her childhood and family, her early days in New York, and her experiences with political activism. She talks about the ups and downs of her career, her long friendship with Spencer Tracy, and of course, her close collaborations with several of the leading actors, directors, and producers of the past half century. Me is an unforgettable portrait of Katharine Hepburn as we have not seen her before. “It is the understanding heart revealed just before the final curtain that makes us fall in love with Katharine Hepburn.”—The New York Times Book Review NOTE: This edition does not include photographs.

American silent film actress Mabel Normand (1892-1930) appeared in a string of popular movies opposite stars like Charlie Chaplin and Fatty Arbuckle before dying of tuberculosis at 37. Her brief but remarkable career--which included directorial and writing credits and heading her own studio and production company--was eclipsed by scandal when police connected her to the unsolved 1922 murder of director William Desmond Taylor.Tracing her life from humble beginnings on Staten Island to the heights of world superstardom, this book highlights Normand's substantial yet largely overlooked contributions to film history and popular culture.