AKA Lucy The Dynamic and Determined Life of Lucille Ball by Sarah Royal Foreword by Amy Poehler Running Press Hardcover ISBN: 9780762484263 240 pages October 2023 Amazon — Barnes and Noble — Powell's “Lucy is one of America’s greatest works of art.” — Amy Poehler Lucille Ball was a force of nature. Her\ chaotic energy combined with her feminine aura created her unique brand of charisma that made her a legend. What impresses me most about Lucille Ball was her tenacity. She was a hard worker, incredibly driven in both her professional and personal life and always had the dogged dete ..read more

  Raymond Griffith: The Silk Hat Comedian Blu-ray from Undercrank Productions presents a double-feature of newly restored 7-reel comedies starring silent film comedian Raymond Griffith.  A little background on Raymond Griffith. He was born in 1895 in Boston, Massachusetts and was raised by a theatrical family. Bby the time he was a toddler he was already performing on stage. Griffith unfortunately lost his voice at a young age—the result of a childhood bout of respiratory diphtheria and overworking his vocal chords. From then on he spoke in a hoarse whisper (think Jack Klugman post ..read more

Jameson Thomas and Anna May Wong in Piccadilly (1929) Directed by E.A. Dupont, Piccadilly (1929) stars Anna May Wong as Sosho, a beautiful young woman who works as a dishwasher at the Piccadilly nightclub in London. Piccadilly is run by Valentine Wilmot (Jameson Thomas), a man as keen on making his business a success as he is seducing his leading lady. He's fallen for his star talent Mabel (Gilda Gray), a dancer who, along with her dancing partner Vic (Cyril Ritchard), entertains Valentine's eager crowd. Mabel is caught in a love triangle between Valentine and Vic. Valentine gets rid ..read more

George Hurrell's Hollywood Glamour Portraits 1925-1992 Revised Edition by Mark A. Vieira Foreword by Sharon Stone Running Press September 2023 Paperback ISBN: 9780762484607 406 pages Amazon — Barnes and Noble — Larry Edmunds — Powell's "The dreamlike world of silent pictures had created a stary system based on personalities who were bigger than life. The naturalism of talking pictures diminished them. If the star system was to survive, the studios would have to enlarge them again. Along came Hurrell, who adapted his technique to this purpose…. In the process, Hurrell perfected a photo ..read more

Kitty Feral and the Case of the Marshmallow Monkey TCM Kid Noir by Eddie Muller and Jessica Schmidt illustrated by Forrest Burdett Running Press Kids and TCM Hardcover ISBN: 9780762481682 32 pages 4 years and up September 2023 Amazon — Barnes and Noble — Powell's "My name is Kitty Feral. I was a gumshoe with no shoes, but I quit that racket. But when I overheard Cora talking about the missing Marshmallow Monkey, it was too sweet to ignore." In his first picture book for children, Eddie Muller—along with writer Jessica Schmidt and illustrator Forrest Burdett—offers budding classic mo ..read more

Kitty Feral and the Case of the Marshmallow Monkey TCM Kid Noir by Eddie Muller and Jessica Schmidt illustrated by Forrest Burdett Running Press Kids and TCM Hardcover ISBN: 9780762481682 32 pages 4 years and up September 2023 Amazon — Barnes and Noble — Powell's "My name is Kitty Feral. I was a gumshoe with no shoes, but I quit that racket. But when I overheard Cora talking about the missing Marshmallow Monkey, it was too sweet to ignore." In his first picture book for children, Eddie Muller—along with writer Jessica Schmidt and illustrator Forrest Burdett—offers budding classic mo ..read more

  And that's a wrap on the 2023 Classic Film Reading Challenge! Congratulations to all of the participants who read books and submitted reviews. I'm very proud of you all. Please know that I read/watched and shared every single review. It's always a joy to see what you all are reading. If you're interested in participating next year, please see the note at the bottom of this post as the challenge will be changing moving forward. The following participants completed the 2023 Classic Film Reading Challenge: Alejandro V. — Andy W. — Angela P. — Bailee W. — Chuck P. — Chris M. Jess I. — J ..read more

Designing Hollywood Studio Wardrobe in the Golden Ageby Christian Esquevin Hardcover ISBN: 9780813197913 August 2023 University Press of Kentucky  256 pages Amazon — Barnes and Noble — Powell's "Modern glamour was born in Hollywood, where the combination of beautiful stars dressed in glimmering gowns traveled in movies and photos around the world." — Christian Esquevin Author and researcher Christian Esquevin transports readers to the world of studio-era fashion in his new book Designing Hollywood: Studio Wardrobe in the Golden Age. The book is organized into several chapte ..read more

Ida Lupino: A Biography by William Donati Paperback ISBN: 9780813196480 January 2023 University Press of Kentucky 360 pages Amazon — Barnes and Noble — Powell's “Emotionally, Ida was a jumble of contradictions, infused with the polarity often present in intensely creative individuals.” — William Donati Ida Lupino is one of the great outliers of the film industry. In a time when there were limited roles for women except for being an actress or writer, Lupino managed not only take on both roles but to also add director, producer and businesswoman to her list. To modern age audien ..read more

  For anyone who loves the 1940s music, dance and overall style, discovering Soundies is an absolute treat. What is a Soundie you may be asking? The Soundie was a precursor to the music video. These bite-sized musical short films were the length of a song and featured performers singing, dancing and even acting out skits. Soundies were produced specifically to be played in a Panoram, a coin-operated jukebox with a small screen. These short musicals made on low budgets with up-and-coming talent and highlighted contemporary trends in pop culture. They gained momentum especially during WWI ..read more