DOCSLIB.ORG

Silent Film Stars of the 1920'S Man on the Flying Jackie Coogan : the Trapeze : the Life and World's Boy King : a Times of W.C

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Silent Film Stars of the 1920'S Man on the Flying Jackie Coogan : the Trapeze : the Life and World's Boy King : a Times of W.C The Silent earsY Silent Film Stars of the 1920's Man on the Flying Jackie Coogan : The Trapeze : the Life and World's Boy King : A Times of W.C. Fields Biography Of by Simon Louvish Hollywood's A meticulously researched and Legendary Child Star wonderfully entertaining by Diana Serra Cary biography of a comic genius A revealing biography of the attempts to disentangle the little-known private life of this facts from the pack of myths famous child star whose family and lies mischievously nurtured set the style for many other by Field himself. "stage parents." The First King of Hollywood : the Life of Pickford : the Woman Who Douglas Fairbanks Made Hollywood by Tracey Goessel by Eileen Whitfield "The first truly definitive biography of A comprehensive biography of film's Douglas Fairbanks, the greatest first star traces her rise to fame with leading man of the silent film era" the growth of the medium, her influence as a partner in United Artists, her relationship with Douglas The 100 Greatest Silent Fairbanks, and her struggles later in Film Comedians life. by James Roots The author ranks the greatest Possessed : the Life of performers based on each comic's Joan Crawford humor, timelessness, originality, and by Donald Spoto teamwork. Drawing on a recently opened archive, as well as exclusive interviews and access to personal Norma Shearer : a Life letters, the author explores the life of by Gavin Lambert a complicated Hollywood diva, Drawing on the reminiscences of including her four marriages, her friends and colleagues, as well as on affair with Clark Gable, her adoptive daughter's private archives, this evocative portrait accusations of abuse, her acting career and her final of the great Hollywood star captures years battling cancer. the triumphant film areerc and tragic private life of Norma Shearer Lindenhurst Memorial Library 1 Lee Avenue Lindenhurst, New York 11757 | (631) 957-7755 https://www.lindenhurstlibrary.org/ The Silent earsY Silent Film Stars of the 1920's Chaplin : a Life The Essential Chaplin : by Stephen M. Weissman Perspectives on the An intimate portrait of the Life and Art of the eminent silent-film star fo fers Great Comedian insight into the pivotal role of by Richard Schickel childhood tragedies in forming Presents essays on the life and his personality and art, in an accomplishments of the account that describes the filmmaker, discussing the poverty and parental alcoholism impact of his early life of poverty that marked his early years, his on the the recurring themes of first achievements in British his films, the ve olution and music halls, and his sudden refinement fo his movie-making success in America. techniques, and his final recognition as a comic genius Charlie Chaplin : a Brief Life Buster Keaton : Cut to the by Peter Ackroyd Chase A concise portrait of the iconic film by Marion Meade star traces his humble theatrical A 100th birthday celebration of the beginnings through his honorary life and work of Buster Keaton is Academy Award win, sharing based on interviews with his closest anecdotes about his lesser-known antics and friends and family members and associations chronicles his abusive childhood, struggle with alcoholism, and My Autobiography marriages. by Charlie Chaplin The author recounts his difficult Silent Stars childhood, his career as a film by Jeanine Basinger comedian and director, and the A richly illustrated study of the silent controversies that surrounded his film era by a noted film scholar personal life celebrates the work of such noted actors as Mary Pickford, Charlie Tramp : the Life of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Rudolf Valentino, Marion Davies, Pola Negri, Chaplin Gloria Swanson, John Gilbert, Douglas Fairbanks, and by Joyce Milton other legendary movie artists. An insightful biography of Charlie Chaplin sheds new light on complex Buster Keaton : Tempest in world of the great actor, discussing a Flat Hat his love affairs and marriages, radical political activities, rise from the by Edward McPherson London slums to film stardom, and This biography introduces Keaton to a his extraordinary films. new generation. Lindenhurst Memorial Library 1 Lee Avenue Lindenhurst, New York 11757 | (631) 957-7755 https://www.lindenhurstlibrary.org/ The Silent earsY Silent Film Stars of the 1920's Beyond Paradise : the Stan and Ollie : the Life of Ramon Novarro Roots of Comedy : the by André Soares Double Life of Laurel A portrait of the Hollywood and Hardy actor best known for his by Simon Louvish sensational murder considers A biography and filmography of his starring roles in such films as black-and-white Hollywood Mata Hari, The Prisoner of stars Stanley Jefferson and Zenda, and the original Norvell Hardy describes their Ben-Hur, citing his carefully original teaming in the 1927 cultivated image, secret short, Duck Soup, their homosexuality, and death in considerable innovations, and 1968. their ongoing influence. Mary Pickford : Queen of Stan : the Life of Stan the Movies Laurel by Christel Schmidt by Fred Lawrence Guiles Discusses the legacy of cinema's first Drawing on scores of interviews with movie star Mary Pickford, including the legendary comedian's family and her acting, philanthropy, and how she friends, Guiles probes beneath the obtained creative control of her own exterior of Laurel's stage personality films to reveal a man plagued by financial troubles and a series of unfulfilling Wisecracker : The Life and relationships Times of William Haines, Hollywood's First Openly W.C. Fields : a Biography Gay Star by James Curtis by William J. Mann Drawing on the legendary Focusing on Hollywood before the performer's personal papers and Production Code drove many gay manuscripts, as well as interviews actors underground, this biography with friends and colleagues, an illuminates the life of a major 1930s incisive new biography of W. C. Fields film star who enjoyed initial success in movies but provides a revealing glimpse of the was eventually driven out of the business by man and artist behind the image of moralistic regulations. the gin-guzzling misanthrope, detailing his Philadelphia childhood, his career in vaudeville, his Mary Pickford : Canada's turbulent personal life, and his seminal film ork.w Silent Siren, America's Fields for President Sweetheart by W. C. Fields by Peggy Dymond Leavey Mary Pickford's ambition, talent, and savvy business acumen sent her career into the stratosphere. Lindenhurst Memorial Library 1 Lee Avenue Lindenhurst, New York 11757 | (631) 957-7755 https://www.lindenhurstlibrary.org/.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Lost Laugh
    #12 1 April 2020 Welcome to issue 12 of THE LOST LAUGH. I hope, wherever this reaches you, that you’re coping OK with these troubled times, and keeping safe and well. These old, funny films are a great form of escapism and light relief at times like these. In fact, I was thinking the other day that the times they were made in had their fair share of troubles : two world wars, the 1918 flu pandemic, the Wall Street Crash and the great depression, to name a few. Yet, these comics made people smile, often even making fun out of the anxi- eties of the day. That they can still make us smile through our own troubles, worlds away from their own, is testament to how special they are. I hope reading this issue helps you forget the outside world for a while and perhaps gives you some new ideas for films to seek out to pass some time in lockdown. Thanks to our contributors this issue: David Glass, David Wyatt and Ben Model; if you haven't seen them yet, Ben’s online silent comedy events are a terrific idea that help to keep the essence of live silent cinema alive. Ben has very kindly taken time to answer some questions about the shows. As always, please do get in touch at [email protected] with any comments or suggestions, or if you’d like to contribute an article (or plug a project of your own!) in a future issue. Finally, don’t for- get that there are more articles, including films to watch online, at thelostlaugh.com.
    [Show full text]
  • Bibliography Filmography
    Blanche Sewell Lived: October 27, 1898 - February 2, 1949 Worked as: editor, film cutter Worked In: United States by Kristen Hatch Blanche Sewell entered the ranks of negative cutters shortly after graduating from Inglewood High School in 1918. She assisted cutter Viola Lawrence on Man, Woman, Marriage (1921) and became a cutter in her own right at MGM in the early 1920s. She remained an editor there until her death in 1949. See also: Hettie Grey Baker, Anne Bauchens, Margaret Booth, Winifred Dunn, Katherine Hilliker, Viola Lawrence, Jane Loring, Irene Morra, Rose Smith Bibliography The bibliography for this essay is included in the “Cutting Women: Margaret Booth and Hollywood’s Pioneering Female Film Editors” overview essay. Filmography A. Archival Filmography: Extant Film Titles: 1. Blanche Sewell as Editor After Midnight. Dir. Monta Bell, sc.: Lorna Moon, ed.: Blanche Sewell (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp. US 1927) cas.: Norma Shearer, Gwen Lee, si., b&w. Archive: Cinémathèque Française [FRC]. Man, Woman, and Sin. Dir. Monta Bell, sc.: Alice D. G. Miller, Monta Bell, ed.: Blanche Sewell (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp. US 1927) cas.: John Gilbert, Jeanne Eagels, Gladys Brockwell, si., b&w. Archive: George Eastman Museum [USR]. Tell It to the Marines. Dir.: George Hill, sc.: E. Richard Schayer, ed.: Blanche Sewell (Metro- Goldwyn-Mayer Corp. US 1927) cas.: Lon Chaney, William Haines, si, b&w, 35mm. Archive: George Eastman Museum [USR], UCLA Film and Television Archive [USL]. The Cossacks. Dir.: George Hill, adp.: Frances Marion, ed.: Blanche Sewell (Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer Corp. US 1928) cas.: John Gilbert, Renée Adorée, si, b&w.
    [Show full text]
  • Transcript a Pinewood Dialogue with Ken Jacobs
    TRANSCRIPT A PINEWOOD DIALOGUE WITH KEN JACOBS Ken Jacobs is a master of avant-garde cinema. For more than 50 years he has inventively probed the nature of the moving image. “Ghosts! Cine-recordings of the vivacious doings of persons long dead,” he wrote, fascinated by the power of cinema to coax reality from the flatness of the screen. Finding new ways to delve into filmed images, Jacobs created the Nervous System, a live two-projector system with which he “plays” film, in the spirit of jazz improvisation. During a major month-long retrospective, Jacobs premiered the Nervous System piece Two Wrenching Departures , to mark the deaths of Jack Smith and Bob Fleischner. A Pinewood Dialogue with Ken Jacobs [Performance] following a screening of Two Wrenching Departures (November 12, 1989): KEN JACOBS : There are two projectors that are analytic projectors, meaning that they are capable DAVID SCHWARTZ : We’re going to see the of freezing on a frame and advancing or going premiere of a new Nervous System piece called back one frame at a time, or in a pulse. I have two Two Wrenching Departures . Originally in the identical prints, and in this case, I’m using quite a schedule, Ken was going to do a piece that he bit of film for this kind of work. I’m usually only had worked on, on and off, called An American using a few feet of film, and this is actually almost Dance . About a month before the retrospective 200 feet, so that’s a lot . And normally, that would began, Bob Fleischner and Jack Smith, who go through a projector in about eight minutes.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ben-Hur Franchise and the Rise of Blockbuster Hollywood
    Chapman University Chapman University Digital Commons Film Studies (MA) Theses Dissertations and Theses Spring 5-2021 The Ben-Hur Franchise and the Rise of Blockbuster Hollywood Michael Chian Chapman University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/film_studies_theses Part of the Film and Media Studies Commons Recommended Citation Chian, Michael. "The Ben-Hur Franchise and the Rise of Blockbuster Hollywood." Master's thesis, Chapman University, 2021. https://doi.org/10.36837/chapman.000269 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations and Theses at Chapman University Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Film Studies (MA) Theses by an authorized administrator of Chapman University Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Ben-Hur Franchise and the Rise of Blockbuster Hollywood A Thesis by Michael Chian Chapman University Orange, CA Dodge College of Film and Media Arts Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Film Studies May, 2021 Committee in charge: Emily Carman, Ph.D., Chair Nam Lee, Ph.D. Federico Paccihoni, Ph.D. The Ben-Hur Franchise and the Rise of Blockbuster Hollywood Copyright © 2021 by Michael Chian III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to thank my advisor and thesis chair, Dr. Emily Carman, for both overseeing and advising me throughout the development of my thesis. Her guidance helped me to both formulate better arguments and hone my skills as a writer and academic. I would next like to thank my first reader, Dr. Nam Lee, who helped teach me the proper steps in conducting research and recognize areas of my thesis to improve or emphasize.
    [Show full text]
  • A Biography of Gary Cooper Pdf, Epub, Ebook
    THE LAST HERO : A BIOGRAPHY OF GARY COOPER PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Larry Swindell | 394 pages | 16 Dec 2016 | Echo Point Books & Media | 9781626545649 | English | none The Last Hero : A Biography of Gary Cooper PDF Book Cooper was one of the top money-making movie stars of all time. It didn't take long for Cooper to realize that stunt work was challenging and risky. The sport-loving family often went on vacations together, taking frequent trips to Europe. The screen icon learned that some friends of his from Montana were working as extras, and Cooper wanted a piece of the action. He was a three-time Academy Award winner in , and All of these were subsequently played by John Wayne. I called Robert Taylor. His brother Arthur Cooper died in May , at the age of Cooper has undoubtedly left his mark on American culture — besides his Old West good guy persona, he's actually the reason why any male today has the first name "Gary. His wife explained, "Gary loved Southampton. O'Doul certainly aimed some harsh criticism at Cooper, saying, "You throw a ball like an old woman tossing a hot biscuit. I've been coasting along. He worked for five dollars per day as an extra, but that was only to fund an art course he wanted to enroll in. He started to attend Catholic Mass more regularly with his wife and daughter and felt moved spiritually. One Hemingway scholar maintained Papa was profoundly impressed that Cooper was such a stud. While Hemingway was a voracious reader and novelist, Cooper barely picked up a book unless it was a movie script.
    [Show full text]
  • The Survival of American Silent Feature Films: 1912–1929 by David Pierce September 2013
    The Survival of American Silent Feature Films: 1912–1929 by David Pierce September 2013 COUNCIL ON LIBRARY AND INFORMATION RESOURCES AND THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS The Survival of American Silent Feature Films: 1912–1929 by David Pierce September 2013 Mr. Pierce has also created a da tabase of location information on the archival film holdings identified in the course of his research. See www.loc.gov/film. Commissioned for and sponsored by the National Film Preservation Board Council on Library and Information Resources and The Library of Congress Washington, D.C. The National Film Preservation Board The National Film Preservation Board was established at the Library of Congress by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, and most recently reauthorized by the U.S. Congress in 2008. Among the provisions of the law is a mandate to “undertake studies and investigations of film preservation activities as needed, including the efficacy of new technologies, and recommend solutions to- im prove these practices.” More information about the National Film Preservation Board can be found at http://www.loc.gov/film/. ISBN 978-1-932326-39-0 CLIR Publication No. 158 Copublished by: Council on Library and Information Resources The Library of Congress 1707 L Street NW, Suite 650 and 101 Independence Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20036 Washington, DC 20540 Web site at http://www.clir.org Web site at http://www.loc.gov Additional copies are available for $30 each. Orders may be placed through CLIR’s Web site. This publication is also available online at no charge at http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub158.
    [Show full text]
  • Walking Box Ranch Planning and Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending January 10, 2012
    Walking Box Ranch Public Lands Institute 1-10-2012 Walking Box Ranch Planning and Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period ending January 10, 2012 Margaret N. Rees University of Nevada, Las Vegas, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/pli_walking_box_ranch Part of the American Popular Culture Commons, Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, and the Historic Preservation and Conservation Commons Repository Citation Rees, M. N. (2012). Walking Box Ranch Planning and Design Quarterly Progress Report: Period ending January 10, 2012. 1-115. Available at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/pli_walking_box_ranch/30 This Article is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Article in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Article has been accepted for inclusion in Walking Box Ranch by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. QUARTERLY PROGRESS REPORT University of Nevada, Las Vegas Period Covering October 11, 2010 – January 10, 2012 Financial Assistance Agreement #FAA080094 Planning and Design of the Walking Box Ranch Property Executive Summary UNLV’s President Smatresk has reiterated his commitment to the WBR project and has further committed full funding for IT and security costs.
    [Show full text]
  • Filmic Tomboy Narrative and Queer Feminist Spectatorship
    UNHAPPY MEDIUM: FILMIC TOMBOY NARRATIVE AND QUEER FEMINIST SPECTATORSHIP A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Cornell University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Lynne Stahl May 2015 © 2015 Lynne Stahl ALL RIGHTS RESERVED UNHAPPY MEDIUM: FILMIC TOMBOY NARRATIVE AND QUEER FEMINIST SPECTATORSHIP Lynne Stahl, Ph.D. Cornell University, 2015 ABSTRACT This dissertation investigates the ways in which American discourses of gender, sexuality, and emotion structure filmic narrative and the ways in which filmic narrative informs those discourses in turn. It approaches this matter through the figure of the tomboy, vastly undertheorized in literary scholarship, and explores the nodes of resistance that film form, celebrity identity, and queer emotional dispositions open up even in these narratives that obsessively domesticate their tomboy characters and pair them off with male love interests. The first chapter theorizes a mode of queer feminist spectatorship, called infelicitous reading, around the incoherently “happy” endings of tomboy films and obligatorily tragic conclusions of lesbian films; the second chapter links the political and sexual ambivalences of female-centered sports films to the ambivalent results of Title IX; and the third chapter outlines a type of queer reproductivity and feminist paranoia that emerges cumulatively in Jodie Foster’s body of work. Largely indebted to the work of Judith Butler, Lauren Berlant, and Sara Ahmed, this project engages with past and present problematics in the fields of queer theory, feminist film criticism, and affect studies—questions of nondichotomous genders, resistant spectatorship and feminist potential within linear narrative, and the chronological cues that dominant ideology builds into our understandings of gender, sexuality, narrative, and emotions.
    [Show full text]
  • New Findings and Perspectives Edited by Monica Dall’Asta, Victoria Duckett, Lucia Tralli Resea Rching Women in Silent Cinema New Fisnd Ng and Pers Pectives
    in Silent Cinema New Findings and Perspectives edited by Monica Dall’Asta, Victoria Duckett, lucia Tralli RESEA RCHING WOMEN IN SILENT CINEMA NEW FISND NG AND PERS PECTIVES Edited by: Monica Dall’Asta Victoria Duckett Lucia Tralli Women and Screen Cultures Series editors: Monica Dall’Asta, Victoria Duckett ISSN 2283-6462 Women and Screen Cultures is a series of experimental digital books aimed to promote research and knowledge on the contribution of women to the cultural history of screen media. Published by the Department of the Arts at the University of Bologna, it is issued under the conditions of both open publishing and blind peer review. It will host collections, monographs, translations of open source archive materials, illustrated volumes, transcripts of conferences, and more. Proposals are welcomed for both disciplinary and multi-disciplinary contributions in the fields of film history and theory, television and media studies, visual studies, photography and new media. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/ # 1 Researching Women in Silent Cinema: New Findings and Perspectives Edited by: Monica Dall’Asta, Victoria Duckett, Lucia Tralli ISBN 9788898010103 2013. Published by the Department of Arts, University of Bologna in association with the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne and Women and Film History International Graphic design: Lucia Tralli Researching Women in Silent Cinema: New Findings and Perspectives Peer Review Statement This publication has been edited through a blind peer review process. Papers from the Sixth Women and the Silent Screen Conference (University of Bologna, 2010), a biennial event sponsored by Women and Film History International, were read by the editors and then submitted to at least one anonymous reviewer.
    [Show full text]
  • The HBO Documentary SHOWBIZ KIDS Premieres August 11, Exclusively on HBO
    The HBO documentary SHOWBIZ KIDS premieres August 11, exclusively on HBO MIAMI, FL., - SHOWBIZ KIDS, debuting AUGUST 11, offers an unvarnished look at the high risk, high reward business of working as a child actor in the entertainment industry. The film chronicles the personal and professional price of fame and failure on a child. Those who know the industry best, including several successful child actors and two aspiring hopefuls, unpack their own complicated experiences as they reconcile the hardships they’ve faced and sacrifices they’ve made on their way to finding success in show business. The film will be available on HBO and to stream on HBO GO. SHOWBIZ KIDS is written and directed by former child actor Alex Winter (“Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” “Panama Papers”), who relies on the perspectives of many of his peers to explore the complexities of growing up under the glare of Hollywood’s spotlight, refusing to shy away from the more difficult truths about the industry. Winter’s commitment to creating an honest representation of a complicated industry stems from his own childhood in show business, beginning as a child actor on Broadway at the age of ten. "This is a story I’ve been wanting to tell for many years,” said Winter. “Having grown up in the business I've never seen the experiences of a child actor, from their early career through to the transition into adulthood, told from the perspective of those involved. I’m honored that these talented actors trusted me with their very personal stories." Highlighting the shared experiences of prominent former child stars, SHOWBIZ KIDS features a wealth of intimate, revealing interviews with: Henry Thomas, who starred in “E.T.
    [Show full text]
  • Ben-Hur Trivia
    IMDb All | IMDb Apps | Help Movies, TV Celebs, Events News & & & Photos Community Watchlist Login Showtimes Edit Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ Trivia Did You Know? Trivia Goofs Crazy Credits Showing all 38 items Quotes Alternate Versions Connections Despite the fact that there is nudity in this film, it was passed by censors of that time Soundtracks because it dealt with Christianity, as it was originating. 9 of 10 found this interesting | Share this Explore More Share this page: The troubled Italian set was eventually torn down and a new one built in Culver City, California. The famed chariot race was shot with 42 cameras were and 50,000 feet of film consumed. Second-unit director B. Reeves Eason offered a bonus to the winning driver. Like You and 217 others like this.217 people like The final pile-up was filmed later. No humans were seriously injured during the US Like this. Sign Up to see what your friends like. production, but several horses were killed. 7 of 8 found this interesting | Share this User Lists Create a list » Future stars Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, and Myrna Loy were uncredited Related lists from IMDb users extras in the chariot race scenes. Crawford and Loy also played slave girls. (ebop) 2015 Seen Movies: 1925 7 of 8 found this interesting | Share this 5, v. Google a list of 35 titles on June created 31 May 2012 in Garcia According to The Guinness Book of World Records (2002), thearchived movie contains the most edited scene in cinema history.
    [Show full text]
  • “Can't Help Singing”: the “Modern” Opera Diva In
    “CAN’T HELP SINGING”: THE “MODERN” OPERA DIVA IN HOLLYWOOD FILM, 1930–1950 Gina Bombola A dissertation submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Music in the College of Arts and Sciences. Chapel Hill 2017 Approved by: Annegret Fauser Tim Carter Mark Katz Chérie Rivers Ndaliko Jocelyn Neal ©2017 Gina Bombola ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT Gina Bombola: “Can’t Help Singing”: The “Modern” Opera Diva in Hollywood Film, 1930–1950 (Under the direction of Annegret Fauser) Following the release of Columbia Pictures’ surprise smash hit, One Night of Love (1934), major Hollywood studios sought to cash in on the public’s burgeoning interest in films featuring opera singers. For a brief period thereafter, renowned Metropolitan Opera artists such as Grace Moore and Lily Pons fared well at the box office, bringing “elite” musical culture to general audiences for a relatively inexpensive price. By the 1940s, however, the studios began grooming their own operatic actresses instead of transplanting celebrities from the stage. Stars such as Deanna Durbin, Kathryn Grayson, and Jane Powell thereby became ambassadors of opera from the highly commercial studio lot. My dissertation traces the shifts in film production and marketing of operatic singers in association with the rise of such cultural phenomena as the music-appreciation movement, all contextualized within the changing social and political landscapes of the United States spanning the Great Depression to the Cold War. Drawing on a variety of methodologies—including, among others, archival research, film analysis, feminist criticisms, and social theory—I argue that Hollywood framed opera as less of a European theatrical art performed in elite venues and more of a democratic, albeit still white, musical tradition that could be sung by talented individuals in any location.
    [Show full text]