Can’t get enough of going to the movies or watching TV shows at home? Grab your popcorn or your favorite cup of tea, settle into your comfiest reading nook, and dive into these reads that celebrate all things cinema and television!
Killin’ Generals by Dwayne Epstein
The making of “The Dirty Dozen,” the most iconic WWII movie of all time, comes to life in this
extensively researched book featuring exclusive interviews. This iconic addition to 1960s counterculture mocked the military while still delivering unforgettable action and reflected America’s problems back to society at a time of huge social change, when the televising of the Vietnam War would forever change the world’s perception of violence. Epstein does not simply tell the story of this enduring film, but how it fits into a changing culture.
The Exorcist Legacy by Nat Segaloff
Can you even call yourself a horror fan if you have not seen “The Exorcist?” This terrifying movie continues to strike as much fear into viewers today as it did in 1973 and Segaloff dives into not just the behind the scenes drama but the effect it has had on the horror genre since. From the real-life exorcism that inspired the novel the movie was based on to interviews with the cast and crew, Segaloff keeps readers hanging from his every word from cover to cover in the book even Michael Blatty, son of the author of The Exorcist recommends!
Elizabeth and Monty by Charles Casillo
They had on-screen chemistry and an off-screen friendship like no other but Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift’s relationship was far from easy. Their golden friendship was rocked by tragedy when Clift almost died in a car crash outside Taylor’s home, and Taylor famously saved his life. With his face damaged and in chronic pain Clift’s accident could have been the end of his career if it were not for Taylor’s star power and influence. Their relationship grew and changed over the years, never as easy as it had been before the accident, but unquestionably unforgettable.
The Way They Were by Robert Hofler
This first ever account of the making of the heartwarming and breaking romance, “The Way We Were” reveals controversies so big, it’s miracle the movie was made at all! Robert Redford almost didn’t take the part, calling Hubble a “Ken doll,” and when he did insisted his role be expanded, much to the chagrin of Arthur Laurents, the screenwriter. A disastrous early screening of the movie caused the film to be drastically recut at the last minute. And the real-life love story of Laurents and his longtime partner, Tom Hatcher, was the original inspiration for the love story that leaves viewers swooning today. This definitive account of the movie will make readers fall even more in love with it than they ever thought possible.
Living in Color by Tommy Davidson and Tom Teicholz
Whether you are a fan of Tommy Davidson from his work on “In Living Color,” “The Proud Family,” “Bamboozled,” or any of his other brilliant roles you have to read his autobiography to really know the man behind the laughs. Adopted as an infant by a white family, Davidson never saw himself as different until society told him he was. Davidson reflects now on the astronomic rise of “In Living Color” and gives readers a peak behind the scenes, as well as the beginnings of his career in stand-up, and his myriad other roles and work with A-listers like Spike Lee and Halle Berry.
Don Rickles by Michael Seth Starr
Make way for the first comprehensive biography of the merchant of venom, Don Rickles himself. Whether he was performing live or dazzling on the silver screen Rickles always knew how to make ‘em laugh! Tracing his career from the 50s onward Starr focuses not just on Rickles’ dominance in every entertainment medium, but on his personal life as a husband and father as well. Whether you love Rickles from his unforgettable performance in “Casino,” the softer side of his comedy as Mr. Potato Head in “Toy Story,” or you caught his later work performing in Vegas well into his 80s, you will love this biography of the king of insult comedy and real-life nicest man in town, Don Rickles.
May New Reads