The MGM Stock Company: The Golden Era - Hardcover

James Robert Parish; Ronald L. Bowers

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0517216639 ISBN 13: 9780517216637

Publisher: Bonanza Books, division of Crown Publishers, Inc., 1977

Synopsis

Part of the Encore Film Book Classics series, this is a reprint of the original text to The MGM STOCK COMPANY: THE GOLDEN ERA by James Robert Parish and Ronald L. Bowers. June Allyson was born in the Bronx, Edward Arnold once considered running for Republican Senator from California. Brawny Wallace Beery entered show business as a chorus boy. At 61, Marie Dressler made a major comeback and became MGM’s highest paid star. A clerk in MGM’s legal department saw young Ava Gardner’s photo in the window of a New York photographer and distributed 60 copies throughout the MGM offices. Stewart Granger’s real name was James Stewart (any wonder why he changed it!) These are just some of the thousands of cinematic facts in The MGM Stock Company: The Golden Era. This reference directory to gigantic MGM—home to “more stars than are in the heavens”—is a cornucopia of film lore, with carefully detailed biographies and career studies of nearly 150 studio greats from June Allyson to Robert Young. This volume also stars Fred Astaire, Mary Astor, Lew Ayres, Lucille Ball, all three Barrymores, Leslie Caron, Joan Crawford, Marion Davies, Jimmy Durante, Nelson Eddy, Clark Gable, Greta Garbo, Greer Garson, John Gilbert, Jean Harlow, Helen Hayes, Katharine Hepburn, Lena Horne, Van Johnson, Gene Kelly, Hedy Lamarr, Angela Lansbury, Mario Lanza, Myrna Loy, Jeanette MacDonald, Robert Montgomery, Maureen O’Sullivan, Walter Pidgeon, Eleanor Powell, Jane Powell, William Powell, Luise Rainer, Mickey Rooney, Rosalind Russell, Norma Shearer, Red Skelton, Ann Sothern, Elizabeth Taylor, Robert Taylor, Franchot Tone, Spencer Tracy, Lana Turner, Robert Walker, Johnny Weismuller, Esther Williams, and nearly 100 more of the film lot’s magical stars and beloved supporting players. Also included are feature film listings for each talent profiled. Rich in quotes from the stars themselves, replete with fascinating salary statistics and contemporary reviews, The MGM Stock Company: The Golden Era is an anatomy of Hollywood’s greatest studio and its glittering array of contracted notables during the lot’s magical heyday.

About this title

About the Author:

JAMES ROBERT PARISH, a former entertainment reporter, publicist, and book series editor, is the author of many published major biographies and reference books on the entertainment industry including Whitney Houston: We Will Always Love You; The Hollywood Book of Extravagance; It’s Good to Be the King: The Seriously Funny Life of Mel Brooks; The Hollywood Book of Breakups; Fiascos: Hollywood’s Iconic Flops; The Hollywood Book of Scandals; The Hollywood Book of Love; Hollywood Divas; Jet Li; Hollywood Bad Boys; The Encyclopedia of Ethnic Groups in Hollywood; The Hollywood Book of Death; Gus Van Sant; Whoopi Goldberg; Rosie O’Donnell’s Story; The Unofficial “Murder, She Wrote” Casebook; Today’s Black Hollywood; Let’s Talk! America’s Favorite TV Talk Show Hosts; Prison Pictures from Hollywood; Prostitution in Hollywood Films; The Great Cop Pictures; Ghosts and Angels in Hollywood Films; Pirates and Seafaring Swashbucklers on the Hollywood Screen; Gays and Lesbians in Mainstream Cinema; Hollywood’s Great Love Teams; Good Dames, and The Fox Girls. Mr. Parish is a frequent oncamera interviewee on cable and network TV for documentaries on the performing arts. The author resides in Studio City, California RONALD L. BOWERS, is a film historian and film book collector who, besides co-authoring The MGM Stock Company: The Golden Era, has authored The Selznick Players.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bonanza Books, division of Crown Publishers, Inc.
• Publication date: 1977
• ISBN 10: 0517216639
• ISBN 13: 9780517216637
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 862
• Editor: T. Allan Taylor