This is the HARDBACK version. Ann Harding. Laurence Oliver, who starred with her in Westward Passage (1932), referred to her as an "angel." Director Henry Hathaway, who directed her and Gary Cooper in Peter Ibbetson (1935), claimed she was a "bitch." Critics hailed her as the finest actress to venture from Broadway to Hollywood. The Ann Harding story follows her from humble beginnings as the daughter of a career army office who moved around constantly, to her youth settling in New York. After spending a year attending Bryn Mawr college, she found work as a clerk and freelance script reader with a film company. Then, she made her stage debut in 1921, and eight years later, she made her film debut in an early talkie, Paris Bound, opposite Fredric March. She was the Gallant Lady (1933), an unwed mother, who gives up baby for adoption and hopes to get it back when the adoptive mother dies. Her unique, natural screen presence in Holiday (1930) earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. From 1929-1936, she reigned as cinema's "Gallant Lady." Her co-stars included Ronald Coleman, Mary Astor, Conrad Nagel, Leslie Howard, Melvyn Douglas, Richard Dix, and William Powell, among many others. Ann's ethereal quality belied a passionate nature. Her affairs with three remarkably talented and very married men associated with the film industry could have easily outraged fans and quashed her career. Theater visionary-director Jasper Deeter, Ann's life-long mentor, remarked that Ann was a master at hiding her childish, stubborn temperament. Friends of Ann's daughter, Jane Otto, claim that despite Ann's highly publicized custody battles, she was a detached mother. In the 1950s and 1960s, she appeared extensively on American television in series such as The Defenders (1961), Dr. Kildare (1961), Ben Casey (1961), Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1961), and Burke's Law (1963). Scott O'Brien's richly researched and illustrated biography draws heavily from Ann's family, friends, and personal papers. The book includes behind-the-scenes anecdotes, contemporary reviews, and synopses of Ann's films. He pays tribute to her career and unveils a complex portrait of one of stage and cinema's most remarkable talents.

Many Broadway stars appeared in Hollywood cinema from its earliest days. Some were 19th century stage idols who reprised famous roles on film as early as 1894. One was born as early as 1829. Another was cast in the performance during which Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. One took her stage name from her native state. Some modern-day stars also began their careers on Broadway before appearing in films. This book details the careers of 300 performers who went from stage to screen in all genres of film. A few made only a single movie, others hundreds. Each entry includes highlights of the performer's career, a list of stage appearances and a filmography.

Begun as an audacious experiment, for thirty years the Hedgerow Theatre prospered as America's most successful repertory company. While known for its famous alumnae (Ann Harding and Richard Basehart), Hedgerow's legacy is a living library of over 200 productions created by Jasper Deeter's idealistic and determined pursuit of 'truth and beauty.'

June Allyson (1917-2006) was an American film, television and stage actress, singer, dancer and author. After appearing in movie shorts and on Broadway as a chorus girl and featured player, she became an A-list box office attraction in the 1940s and 1950s in films like The Three Musketeers (1948), Little Women (1949), The Glen Miller Story (1954) and Strategic Air Command (1955). She went on to host and star in her own television anthology series from 1959 to 1961, and made many appearances in films in television shows. This first biography of Allyson covers her life and career, and features an appendix of her work.

Frank Murphy was a Michigan man unafraid to speak truth to power. Born in 1890, he grew up in a small town on the shores of Lake Huron and rose to become Mayor of Detroit, Governor of Michigan, and finally a U.S. Supreme Court Justice. One of the most important politicians in Michigan’s history, Murphy was known for his passionate defense of the common man, earning him the pun “tempering justice with Murphy.” Murphy is best remembered for his immense legal contributions supporting individual liberty and fighting discrimination, particularly discrimination against the most vulnerable. Despite being a loyal ally of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, when FDR ordered the removal of Japanese Americans during World War II, Supreme Court Justice Murphy condemned the policy as “racist” in a scathing dissent to the Korematsu v. United States decision—the first use of the word in a Supreme Court opinion. Every American, whether arriving by first class or in chains in the galley of a slave ship, fell under Murphy’s definition of those entitled to the full benefits of the American dream. Justice and Faith explores Murphy’s life and times by incorporating troves of archive materials not available to previous biographers, including local newspaper records from across the country. Frank Murphy is proof that even in dark times, the United States has extraordinary resilience and an ability to produce leaders of morality and courage.

The definitive guide to classic films from one of America's most trusted film critics Thanks to Netflix and cable television, classic films are more accessible than ever. Now co-branded with Turner Classic Movies, Leonard Maltin’s Classic Movie Guide covers films from Hollywood and around the world, from the silent era through 1965, and from The Maltese Falcon to Singin’ in the Rain and Godzilla, King of the Monsters! Thoroughly revised and updated, and featuring expanded indexes, a list of Maltin’s personal recommendations, and three hundred new entries—including many offbeat and obscure films—this new edition is a must-have companion for every movie lover.

Los Angeles and the movies grew up together, and a natural extension of the picture business was the premium presentation of the product--the biggest, best, and brightest theatres imaginable. The magnificent movie palaces along Broadway in downtown Los Angeles still represent the highest concentration of vintage theatres in the world. With Hollywood and the movies practically synonymous, the theatres in the studios' neighborhood were state-of-the-art for showbiz, whether they were designed for film, vaudeville, or stage productions. From the elegant Orpheum and the exotic Grauman's Chinese to the modest El Rey, this volume celebrates the architecture and social history of Los Angeles's unique collection of historic theatres past and present. The common threads that connect them all, from the grandest movie palace to the smallest neighborhood theatre, are stories and the ghosts of audiences past waiting in the dark for the show to begin.