Supporting Character, First Edition (11 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. Hardcover with bright clean dust jacket. Near fine inside and out.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Clean, unmarked copy with clean pages/boards, firm hinges, still sharp corners. DJ is in VG condition. Handsome copy. TM/Movies.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Photographs (illustrator). 1st Edition. One of the most important aspects of the history of the American motion picture has been the contribution of the character actor; the person who appears in a kind of role so frequently that he practically creates the role itself. But through the years he has been little recognized, often neglected, and many times ignored by the moviegoer whose wide-eyed looks are only for the glamorous star. Alfred Twomey and Arthur McClure hope to remedy this oversight by presenting to the reader, in The Versatiles, a collection of hundreds of photographs and biographical sketches of the finest and most often seen character actors and actresses who performed in motion pictures between 1930 and 1955. The authors were able to obtain photos and biographical information containing personal background, career background, and anecdotal material for 400 of the supporting players, and photos and brief career facts for 200 other actors and actresses. This period of years was selected because it marked the apex of the "Golden Years" of the American talking motion picture. Every studio had its own group of character actors under contract, and they were used frequently and with great versatility throughout the company's products. The studios always made an effort to cast a "type" in various featured parts. This made it necessary to define just what was the "featured" player. These characters were often more than supporting players. Frequently they were as important to the story as the stars, but their names were listed below the titles rather than above. Many of them became entrenched in one type of role and repeated the same kind of portrayal over and over. But many character actors spanned a wide range of emotions with the versatility of their performances. These actors brought life to a given scene. Many of the character roles had little to do with the plot but their technical importance in terms of acting was considerable. The character actors were specialists in every sense of the word. In looking back at some of the great motion pictures produced during the period, particular roles by character actors stand out: Sergeant York, for all its gripping story and Academy Award winning performance by Gary Cooper, would have proved much less potent without a character actress of Margaret Wycherly's ability in the role of the mother. The same sort of situation occurred in the Grapes of Wrath, in which Henry Fonda starred and gave an excellent performance. But the question may be asked, where would the story have been without Jane Darwell as Ma Joad? Moviegoers fondly remember these characters and the types that they played in picture after picture. How often has Ray Teal been seen as the local troublemaker in Western towns? Phillip Ober and Henry O'Neill consistently played executive types. Stanley Clements and William Benedict were called upon dozens of times to play either bellhops, jockeys, or punks. Dick Foran and Jack Haley were often seen as singing cops, and Noah Berry, Jr., and Harry Garey, Jr. were always cast as the shy, likable friend of the hero in Westerns. With a Foreword by Irene Dunne, an introductory essay devoted to the discussion of the historical significance of supporting players in the American motion pictures, and hundreds of magnificent photos, these pages will evoke a pleasant memory from the past. All orders shipped protected in a box. This is a large book and will require extra postage. Book.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. First edition. 304pp. Illustrated from black and white photographs. First page of the introduction with a very small note in the margin, front endleaf with offsetting, a bit of soiling on the page edges, near fine in a lightly rubbed, near fine dust jacket with lightly bumped corners and spine ends and a tiny tear on the bottom edge of the rear panel.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First edition. 304pp. Illustrated from black and white photographs. Owner name and date on front fly, binding slightly cocked, very good in a very good dust jacket with a few small chips, rubbing, and light sunning on the spine lettering.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Good. 1st Edition. In clean unclipped dust jacket. Small tear top edge of rear panel of dj. Red Boards. Clean unmarked pages. Strong binding. This book includes film credits and black and white photos of some of the early Hollywood actors.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. 304PP. 10.25 x 7.5 inches approx. Hardcover; Veery Good/Good+. 1st published 1969, third printing 1970. Fully illustrated in b&w.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First edition. Very good or better in very good dustwrapper.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Good. 1st Edition. 304pp. Fully illustrated. Light foxing to fore-edge. Sl. bruised dust wrapper.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: FRAYED & CHIPPED ( GOOD). 1st Edition. 600 MORE INSIDE, ED BEGLEY, S.Z. SAKALL, CHANEY, LON, HATTIE MCDANIEL.

Hardback, 26cm x 18cm green cloth boards, silver gilt titles, first edition, 3rd impression, , 304pp. Photographic illustrations. Good/Good. Owners inscription. Book is bumped and faded at corners and ends of spine. Block edges a little darkened with age. Occasional ink marks throughout - ususlly to give dates of death for actors still alive at publication. Dustwrapper is worn and chipped with some small loss at edges and corners. A-Z Guide to the most eminent character actors of the Golden Age of Hollywood from 1930-1955, with publicity photographs. Catalogue: Theatrical Biography. Keywords: Hollywood, studio, actor.