The world famous landmark Hollywood Sign in LA's Griffith Park, Sept 29, 2010. Photo: trekandshoot / Getty Images
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Holiday Gift List: Tinseltown
10 books about the glamour and intrigue of Hollywood to delight the Turner Classic Movie devotee / BY Nathalie Atkinson / December 8th, 2021
A slew of new must-reads have come out since we published Zed’s Hollywood Confidential list, and our new roundup of books about screen classics, golden-age Hollywood stars and La-La Land stardust are surefire pleasers.
Obsessive Book Buyers: Zoomer editors have carefully curated our book coverage to ensure you find the perfect read. We may earn a commission on books you buy by clicking on the cover image.
120th Century Fox: Darryl F. Zanuck and the Creation of the Modern Studio When the Walt Disney Co. rebranded 20th Century Fox – one of the best-known names in the entertainment industry – and changed its name to 20th Century Studios in 2020, it marked the end of an era. Film historian and bestselling author Eyman knows his subject inside and out (read Zed’s interview with him about Cary Grant) and delivers a fascinating history of the 85-year-old film company.
When the Walt Disney Co. rebranded 20th Century Fox – one of the best-known names in the entertainment industry – and changed its name to 20th Century Studios in 2020, it marked the end of an era. Film historian and bestselling author Eyman knows his subject inside and out (read Zed’s interview with him about Cary Grant) and delivers a fascinating history of the 85-year-old film company.
2All About Me!: My Remarkable Life in Show Business The comedian and filmmaker, now 95, shares memories of his early days on the Catskills entertainment circuit; how he got his start in the writers room of Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows alongside Neil Simon, Larry Gelbart and Carl Reiner; the inspiration for and process of making movies like The Producers and Young Frankenstein; and takes us inside partnerships and friendships with the likes of Reiner, Madeline Kahn, and his late wife, Anne Bancroft.
The comedian and filmmaker, now 95, shares memories of his early days on the Catskills entertainment circuit; how he got his start in the writers room of Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows alongside Neil Simon, Larry Gelbart and Carl Reiner; the inspiration for and process of making movies like The Producers and Young Frankenstein; and takes us inside partnerships and friendships with the likes of Reiner, Madeline Kahn, and his late wife, Anne Bancroft.
3Billy Wilder: Dancing on the Edge A scholarly look at how the director, producer and screenwriter’s early life in Austria and Germany – and personal experiences as a Jewish refugee – shaped a fresh perspective on America in his art, like the penchant for romance, a sense of humour, social satire and compassion in classics like Sunset Boulevard, Some Like it Hot and The Apartment.
A scholarly look at how the director, producer and screenwriter’s early life in Austria and Germany – and personal experiences as a Jewish refugee – shaped a fresh perspective on America in his art, like the penchant for romance, a sense of humour, social satire and compassion in classics like Sunset Boulevard, Some Like it Hot and The Apartment.
4Fun City Cinema: New York City and the Movies That Made It This visual history of a century of filmmaking includes original interviews with Oliver Stone, Greta Gerwig, Walter Hill and Martin Scorsese as it spotlights one movie per decade (with a few others highlighted in each) to unpack how the city has been portrayed, from The Jazz Singer to Uncut Gems and, unexpectedly, Vanilla Sky.
This visual history of a century of filmmaking includes original interviews with Oliver Stone, Greta Gerwig, Walter Hill and Martin Scorsese as it spotlights one movie per decade (with a few others highlighted in each) to unpack how the city has been portrayed, from The Jazz Singer to Uncut Gems and, unexpectedly, Vanilla Sky.
5Garbo As past editor-in-chief of Simon & Schuster, Knopf and the New Yorker magazine, Robert Gottlieb, 90, helped shape the work of writers like Robert Caro, John le Carré and Toni Morrison. He turns his considerable talents to writing about the enigmatic, Swedish-born movie star, Greta Garbo. As he did with biographies of George Balanchine and Sarah Bernhardt, Garbo’s flaws (like childish self-absorption), talent and charisma come to life in equal measure.
As past editor-in-chief of Simon & Schuster, Knopf and the New Yorker magazine, Robert Gottlieb, 90, helped shape the work of writers like Robert Caro, John le Carré and Toni Morrison. He turns his considerable talents to writing about the enigmatic, Swedish-born movie star, Greta Garbo. As he did with biographies of George Balanchine and Sarah Bernhardt, Garbo’s flaws (like childish self-absorption), talent and charisma come to life in equal measure.
6Hollywood Horrors: Murders, Scandals, and Cover-Ups from Tinseltown Avoiding tabloid takes, this set dresser turned historian revisits the most newsworthy tales about the dark underbelly of glamour over the decades, including stories about Thelma Todd, Johnny Stompanato, Cheryl Crane, Judy Lewis and Elizabeth Taylor.
Avoiding tabloid takes, this set dresser turned historian revisits the most newsworthy tales about the dark underbelly of glamour over the decades, including stories about Thelma Todd, Johnny Stompanato, Cheryl Crane, Judy Lewis and Elizabeth Taylor.
7Pull Focus Walsh, a former film and digital media producer who’s now head of the Canadian literary mentoring organization Diaspora Dialogues, pens a lusty debut thriller about the newly appointed interim CEO of the (fictional) Worldwide Toronto Film Festival whose partner goes missing.
Walsh, a former film and digital media producer who’s now head of the Canadian literary mentoring organization Diaspora Dialogues, pens a lusty debut thriller about the newly appointed interim CEO of the (fictional) Worldwide Toronto Film Festival whose partner goes missing.
8The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind) was once just little Ronny Howard, a child star growing up in front of the camera on The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days. This dual memoir from the Oklahoma-born filmmaker and his younger brother Clint, an actor, shares their coming-of-age story as child actors, some behind-the-scenes reminiscences and their affectionate (but still competitive) familial bond.
Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind) was once just little Ronny Howard, a child star growing up in front of the camera on The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days. This dual memoir from the Oklahoma-born filmmaker and his younger brother Clint, an actor, shares their coming-of-age story as child actors, some behind-the-scenes reminiscences and their affectionate (but still competitive) familial bond.
9The Coppolas: A Movie Dynasty This portrait is structured chronologically, with the output of the famous Coppola clan –primarily centered around patriarch Francis Ford Coppola’s branch of the family tree as he rises through the Hollywood ranks – with insight into the financing and business of making movies, as well as the family’s creative contributions.
This portrait is structured chronologically, with the output of the famous Coppola clan –primarily centered around patriarch Francis Ford Coppola’s branch of the family tree as he rises through the Hollywood ranks – with insight into the financing and business of making movies, as well as the family’s creative contributions.
10Women vs Hollywood: The Fall and Rise of Women in Film In this polemic about institutional inequality and putting women back in the picture, the film critic and editor at the British entertainment magazine Empire explores the shifting fortunes of women in the industry, beginning with French cinema pioneer Alice Guy-Blaché, through male-driven New Hollywood to the present. (Dec. 14)
In this polemic about institutional inequality and putting women back in the picture, the film critic and editor at the British entertainment magazine Empire explores the shifting fortunes of women in the industry, beginning with French cinema pioneer Alice Guy-Blaché, through male-driven New Hollywood to the present. (Dec. 14)