The Illustrated Encyclopedia Of The World S Great Movie Stars And Their Films

A marvelous actress, Gloria Grahame (1923-1981) was also an iconic figure of film noir. Her talents are showcased in several classic motion pictures of the 1940s and 1950s, including It's a Wonderful Life, Crossfire, In a Lonely Place, The Greatest Show on Earth, The Big Heat, Oklahoma!, and The Bad and the Beautiful, for which she earned an Academy Award. This comprehensive overview of Gloria Grahame's life and work examines each of her feature films in detail, as well as her made-for-television productions, her television-series appearances and her stage career. Also discussed are the varied ways in which Grahame's acting performances were affected by her tumultuous personal life--which included four marriages, the second to director Nicholas Ray and the fourth to Ray's stepson Anthony.

"The Careers of Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas as Referenced in Literature" is a study of the perception of these two Hollywood megastars and their work, as presented in the text and context of references and allusions found in world literature. This book also aims to establish the impact factor of the two actors and their major films, as well as to provide extensive data for further studies of the complex and bilateral relationships between film and literature. The pertinent quotations have been extracted from over 150 works—novels, short stories, plays, poems and some nonfiction biographies and memoirs (excluding those focused on film celebrities)—by more than 120 authors. The main body of the book consists of two parts, each devoted to one actor and each having five identical sections. In the first section, references to the actor’s films are discussed while the second section presents references to the actor himself. The third section shows the complete list of references found to the actor and his films, including references not mentioned in the first two sections—either because of their relative insignificance, the lack of an English translation in case of foreign-language works or repetitiveness and/or abundance in a given work. The fourth section offers the credits of the films referenced, and the fifth section presents the actor’s complete monographic bibliography. The third part of the book, ‘Epilogue: Final Remarks and Conclusions,’ provides an analysis and classification of all the references and allusions presented in the main body, and it elaborates on the friendship of the two actors. College professors and students interested in film studies, particularly film analysis and criticism, film perception and film genres, will find this book of great interest. It will also appeal to people interested in biographical books on movie personalities and movie fans, especially those interested in westerns, film noir and the careers of Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas.

This book focuses on the perception of the names, personae, performances and films of three Hollywood megastars, Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum and William Holden, as presented in the references and allusions encountered in American and foreign literature. Its secondary aim is to establish the ‘impact factor’ of the three actors and their major films and provide extensive data for further studies on the complex and bilateral relationships between film and literature. The pertinent quotations in ‘Three Hollywood Stalwarts in Literature: A Study in Film Perception Through References to Peck, Mitchum and Holden’ have been extracted from nearly 220 works by about 140 authors. The majority of the works were written by acclaimed authors; amongst them are some well-known American mainstream writers such as John Updike, John Irving, Fannie Flagg and Anne Tyler; some leaders of the mystery genre include Martha Grimes, Stuart Kaminsky, Elmore Leonard, Sara Paretsky; and a few masters of other popular genres, such as Stephen King and Dean Koontz. The global flavor of the citations is provided by international authors (e.g., Julio Cortázar, Elizabeth Hay, Henri Charrière, Sebastien Japrisot) and authors born to first-generation U.S. immigrants (e.g., Oscar Hijuelos). Almost seventy films referenced in world literature are discussed in the book, and those mentioned in the biggest number of works include ‘Sunset Boulevard’, ‘The Wild Bunch’, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, ‘Roman Holiday’, ‘Spellbound’, ‘The Guns of Navarone’, and ‘Duel in the Sun’, among others. This book will appeal to college professors and students interested in film studies, specifically film analysis and criticism, film perception, and film genres. It will also hold interest for the general reader interested in biographies of movie personalities and the careers of the three actors, movie and stage actors, and fans of the western, film noir, and war genres.

Florence Lawrence's film career began just as the cinema was being born. She recognized the wonder and appeal of the fledgling industry, and her early work with the Vitagraph company gained her a legion of fans and a reputation as a willing and hard working actress. In 1908 she appeared in Romeo and Juliet--America's very first screen Juliet. By 1909, she was working steadily for the Biograph studio-she was dubbed "the Biograph girl"--and was being praised for her "personal attractions" and "very fine dramatic ability." But just as Lawrence was the first movie star in the industry, she was also one of the first to be undone by it. Hindered by setbacks, grueling work schedules, self-imposed retirements, three marriages, repeatedly unsuccessful comeback attempts, Lawrence finally committed suicide in 1938. This impressively researched piece of film history represents the first full-length biography of Florence Lawrence, also called "The Girl of a Thousand Faces." Among the photographs are some never before published. A complete filmography of Lawrence's entire career is provided. A summary chapter includes comments from various critics and historians, addressing how Lawrence is important to film history.

"This biography details Fischer's life and career, examining not only her work in front of the camera but also the broader issues which informed her personal and professional decisions. It follows her sometimes difficult marriage to fellow performer Harry Pollard and examines her work with Pollard Picture Plays, a production company founded by the couple"--Provided by publisher.