Böcker av Scott O'Brien

Gene Nelson was one of a kind-dancer, actor, choreographer, and director for stage, screen, and television. The admiration he received from co-players (with one exception) is moving and impressive. Musicals with Doris Day (who took up dancing again thanks to Gene), and his delightful portrayal of Will Parker in the blockbuster screen classic Oklahoma! make for an unforgettable legacy. And yes, Nelson managed to overcome scandal as he transitioned into becoming a prolific director. Gene Nelson is Scott O'Brien's ninth biography of cinema legends. His books have garnered positive reviews from Classic Images, Sight & Sound, and SF Gate. Three of O'Brien's books have made the Huffington Post's "Best Cinema Books of the Year."

Gene Nelson was one of a kind-dancer, actor, choreographer, and director for stage, screen, and television. The admiration he received from co-players (with one exception) is moving and impressive. Musicals with Doris Day (who took up dancing again thanks to Gene), and his delightful portrayal of Will Parker in the blockbuster screen classic Oklahoma! make for an unforgettable legacy. And yes, Nelson managed to overcome scandal as he transitioned into becoming a prolific director. Gene Nelson is Scott O'Brien's ninth biography of cinema legends. His books have garnered positive reviews from Classic Images, Sight & Sound, and SF Gate. Three of O'Brien's books have made the Huffington Post's "Best Cinema Books of the Year."

Cecil B. DeMille boosted the career of Elissa Landi in The Sign of the Cross (1932). Her leading men included Laurence Olivier, Fredric March, Cary Grant, and Robert Donat in The Count of Monte Cristo (1934). After 33 films, Landi gave up on Hollywood, to focus on her career as a novelist. "O'Brien reveals things about Elissa, I never knew!" - Suki Landi Sennett (niece) Elissa Landi is Scott O'Brien's eighth biography of classic cinema legends. His books have garnered positive reviews in such publications as Classic Images, Sight & Sound, and SF Gate. Three of O'Brien's books have made the Huffington Post "Best Cinema Books of the Year." From the Foreword: When Elissa Landi arrived at Fox Studios in the Fall of 1930, she had a résumé of nine films to her credit, over a dozen stage plays, and had written two novels. Writing was her real passion, but her acting career had been pushed forward by the likes of Noel Coward, Dorothy Gish, John Barrymore, and directors Anthony Asquith and Rouben Mamoulian. Landi's recent success in Broadway's A Farewell to Arms (1930) inspired composer George Gershwin to rhapsodize that her performance was "a symphony of emotion." Fox did a spin on Gershwin's comment, coupling it with Elissa's mother's claim of being the daughter of Empress Elisabeth of Austria. Landi had to cope with the studio promoting her as Hollywood's "Empress of Emotion." She had reason to go along for the ride.

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.

This is the HARDBACK version. Sylvia Sidney was one of a kind. Author James Baldwin said of her, "She was the only American film actress who reminded me of reality." Film historian John Springer called her the "finest emotional actress" of Hollywood's Golden Age. Her work enhanced landmark films of the 1930s, yet it wasn't until 1974 that Sidney received an Academy Award(R) nomination (Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams). Sidney was blunt and opinionated, offering salty assessments of her directors and co-stars. She had high praise for Spencer Tracy and James Cagney, but her opinion of Humphrey Bogart was less than enthusiastic. A whole new generation of fans enjoyed Sidney's about-turn in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice (1986). Along with acting, her passion for pug dogs and needlepoint contributed to the fascinating persona that was Sylvia Sidney. Author Scott O'Brien had input from Sylvia Sidney's co-stars and friends for this long overdue biography of one of cinema's best. Three of O'Brien's books have made the Huffington Post's "Best Cinema Books of the Year."

Bette Davis answered, "George Brent" whenever asked to name her favorite co-star. Her longtime crush on the actor (they teamed in eleven films) culminated in an off-screen affair while filming Dark Victory (1939) for which she won an Oscar nomination and Brent gave what many consider his "finest performance." Hollywood's top stars clamored to play opposite Brent, who infused his easy-going warmth into such blockbuster films as 42nd Street (1933). Before long, Garbo demanded that MGM cast him opposite her in The Painted Veil (1934). Brent was perfect foil for cinema's leading ladies: Ruth Chatterton (his second wife), Ginger Rogers, Loretta Young, Claudette Colbert, Barbara Stanwyck, Myrna Loy, Kay Francis, Olivia de Havilland, Joan Fontaine, Hedy Lamarr, Merle Oberon, and Ann Sheridan (his fourth wife). Not to be pigeonholed Brent's perfection as the dissipated Englishman in The Rains Came (1939) and surprise turn as the heavy in The Spiral Staircase (1946) fueled the longevity of his career. The personal life of George Brent remained undercover. Upon signing with Warner Bros., studio publicity fabricated a back-story for Brent: a graduate of Dublin University (he dropped out of school at 16); a player in the Abbey Theatre (for which no record exists); a dead mother (who was very much alive); and, a dispatcher for Michael Collins during the Irish Revolution (this . . . was true). Brent's biography offers a fascinating look into the life of Hollywood's elusive lone wolf. Scott O'Brien, whose biography on Ruth Chatterton made The Huffington Post's "Best Film Books of 2013," abetted by Irish filmmaker Brian Reddin, sheds new light on Ireland's gift to Hollywood and its leading ladies: George Brent. (Foreword by Wesleyan University's Chair of Film Studies, Jeanine Basinger.) 331 pages with 125 illustrations capture the glamour and private world of Hollywood's Golden Age.

Sylvia Sidney was one of a kind. Author James Baldwin said of her, "She was the only American film actress who reminded me of reality." Film historian John Springer called her the "finest emotional actress" of Hollywood's Golden Age. Her work enhanced landmark films of the 1930s, yet it wasn't until 1974 that Sidney received an Academy Award(R) nomination (Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams). Sidney was blunt and opinionated, offering salty assessments of her directors and co-stars. She had high praise for Spencer Tracy and James Cagney, but her opinion of Humphrey Bogart was less than enthusiastic. A whole new generation of fans enjoyed Sidney's about-turn in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice (1986). Along with acting, her passion for pug dogs and needlepoint contributed to the fascinating persona that was Sylvia Sidney. Author Scott O'Brien had input from Sylvia Sidney's co-stars and friends for this long overdue biography of one of cinema's best. Three of O'Brien's books have made the Huffington Post's "Best Cinema Books of the Year."

Bette Davis answered, "George Brent" whenever asked to name her favorite co-star. Her longtime crush on the actor (they teamed in eleven films) culminated in an off-screen affair while filming Dark Victory (1939) for which she won an Oscar nomination and Brent gave what many consider his "finest performance." Hollywood's top stars clamored to play opposite Brent, who infused his easy-going warmth into such blockbuster films as 42nd Street (1933). Before long, Garbo demanded that MGM cast him opposite her in The Painted Veil (1934). Brent was perfect foil for cinema's leading ladies: Ruth Chatterton (his second wife), Ginger Rogers, Loretta Young, Claudette Colbert, Barbara Stanwyck, Myrna Loy, Kay Francis, Olivia de Havilland, Joan Fontaine, Hedy Lamarr, Merle Oberon, and Ann Sheridan (his fourth wife). Not to be pigeonholed Brent's perfection as the dissipated Englishman in The Rains Came (1939) and surprise turn as the heavy in The Spiral Staircase (1946) fueled the longevity of his career. The personal life of George Brent remained undercover. Upon signing with Warner Bros., studio publicity fabricated a back-story for Brent: a graduate of Dublin University (he dropped out of school at 16); a player in the Abbey Theatre (for which no record exists); a dead mother (who was very much alive); and, a dispatcher for Michael Collins during the Irish Revolution (this . . . was true). Brent's biography offers a fascinating look into the life of Hollywood's elusive lone wolf. Scott O'Brien, whose biography on Ruth Chatterton made The Huffington Post's "Best Film Books of 2013," abetted by Irish filmmaker Brian Reddin, sheds new light on Ireland's gift to Hollywood and its leading ladies: George Brent. (Foreword by Wesleyan University's Chair of Film Studies, Jeanine Basinger.) 331 pages with 125 illustrations capture the glamour and private world of Hollywood's Golden Age.

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 cinemäs most remarkable talents.