Looking for books on the Golden Age of Hollywood (1927 - 1940)
December 4, 2013 8:34 PM Subscribe
I'm looking for some non-fiction, anecdote-filled book recommendations covering the first ten to fifteen years of the sound-era studio system. Particularly those which focus on the activities of the studio personnel themselves (the writers, producers, crew, moguls), rather than the stars. Anything interesting on the poverty row studios would also be great.
(Oops, just re-read that you don't want to focus on stars, but) Gloria Swanson's autobiography is amazing and interesting in so many ways. The best penny you'll ever spend.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 5:37 AM on December 5, 2013
posted by Sweetie Darling at 5:37 AM on December 5, 2013
Hortense Powdermaker's Hollywood: The Dream Factory (1950) is an ethnography of Hollywood film-making from the tail end of that time period by a well-known anthropologist.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 5:57 AM on December 5, 2013
posted by Monsieur Caution at 5:57 AM on December 5, 2013
Also, Neal Gabler's , ''An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood''
posted by Ideefixe at 6:16 AM on December 5, 2013
posted by Ideefixe at 6:16 AM on December 5, 2013
For the tail end of the period you're looking at City Of Nets is great. Really fascinating to see how Hollywood became a home for those artists fleeing fascism in Europe.
posted by Brian Lux at 8:05 AM on December 5, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Brian Lux at 8:05 AM on December 5, 2013 [2 favorites]
You might enjoy the book or film of the The Celluloid Closet.
posted by latkes at 6:37 PM on December 5, 2013
posted by latkes at 6:37 PM on December 5, 2013
Margaret Farrand Thorp's 1939 America at the Movies (which I've recommended here before) is a fascinating study of American moviegoing taste and its interrelation with marketing, exhibition, and exploitation practices.
posted by bubukaba at 9:35 PM on December 5, 2013
posted by bubukaba at 9:35 PM on December 5, 2013
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posted by Ideefixe at 8:56 PM on December 4, 2013