Individual actors Books

Book SynopsisFrom The Lady Eve, to The Big Valley, Barbara Stanwyck played parts that showcased her multidimensional talents but also illustrated the limits imposed on women in film and television. Catherine Russell's A to Z consideration of the iconic actress analyzes twenty-six facets of Stanwyck and the America of her times. Russell examines Stanwyck's work onscreen against the backdrop of costuming and other aspects of filmmaking. But she also views the actress's off-screen performance within the Hollywood networks that made her an industry favorite and longtime cornerstone of the entertainment community. Russell's montage approach coalesces into an engrossing portrait of a singular artist whose intelligence and savvy placed her center-stage in the production of her films and in the debates around women, femininity, and motherhood that roiled mid-century America. Original and rich, The Cinema of Barbara Stanwyck is an essential and entertaining reexamination of an enduring Hollywood star.Trade Review"Russell has positioned her concise, structurally adventurous contribution to 'Stanwyck studies' to reflect the expanding range of cultural approaches to women in media published during the past decade. . . . The twenty-six bite-sized essays cover themes of work, gender, sexuality, ageing, misogyny, class and race." --Times Literary Supplement"Catherine Russell's The Cinema of Barbara Stanwyck adds illuminating dimension to the actress's complex life story and equally vaunted career. Her meticulously researched and thoughtful analysis brings a fresh perspective to Stanwyck' s legacy, and captures the enduring power and charm of the classical Hollywood movie star." --Cineaste"The Cinema of Barbara Stanwyck makes the choice to refuse to simplify Stanwyck’s career. It underscores Stanwyck’s importance, but it doesn’t pretend like she, the films, or the era that created them are something they’re not. As a result, Russell has put together an unflinching work of criticism that must be acknowledged as the definitive work on the subject. It’s essential reading for anyone interested in Stanwyck or the era of film she headlined." --NewCity“Catherine Russell’s inventive study of Barbara Stanwyck’s long, fascinating career as a ‘working star’ offers a tantalizing model for other feminist histories of women’s work in the film industry. Achronological and essayistic, Russell’s approach weaves back and forth between Stanwyck’s onscreen roles, her star persona, and her working life to document what Russell calls ‘the structural misogyny of the industry.’”--Shelley Stamp, author of Lois Weber in Early Hollywood and Movie-Struck Girls“A deeply creative and insightful critical study of Barbara Stanwyck’s agency and labor as a performer, The Cinema of Barbara Stanwyck is a stunning blend of feminist historiography, archival research, star-studies, biography, and film analysis--a rewarding and immensely pleasurable read.”--Julie Grossman, author of The Femme FataleTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction to Stanwyck Studies A All I Desire: Pastiche and Performance B The Barbara Stanwyck Show: Everyday Melodrama C Crimes of Passion: A Destructive Character D Dion the Son, and Barbara the Bad Mother E Edith Head: Clothing Makes the Woman a Woman F Forty Guns and The Furies: Angry Women G Gambling Ladies: Playing Games H William Holden: Making Men I Illicit: How to be Ultramodern J Jungle Films/White Women K Kate Crawley: Cross-Dressing in the Archive L The Lady Eve: Performativity and Melancholia M Fred MacMurray: Kissing and Playing N No Man of Her Own: Double Women and the Star O Annie Oakley: A Girl and a Gun P Paranoia, Abjection, and Gaslighting Q The Queen R Riding, Falling, and Stunts S The Stella Dallas Debates T Theresa Harris: Black Double U Union Pacific: Unmaking History V Voice, Body, Identity W Working Women and Cultural Labor X Exotica and Bitter Tears Y You Belong to Me: Archives and Fans Z Zeppo Marx: Comedy and Agency Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis is a fascinating collection, several of the contributions making the reader wish for more. * Film International *Table of ContentsForeword / James NaremoreIntroduction: The Totality of Orson Welles / Sidney Gottlieb and James N. Gilmore1. The Death of the Auteur: Orson Welles, Asadata Dafora, and the 1936 Macbeth / Marguerite Rippy 2. Revisiting "War of the Worlds": First-Person Narration in Golden Age Radio Drama / Shawn VanCour 3. Old-Time Movies: Welles and Silent Pictures / Matthew Solomon 4. Orson Welles's Itineraries in It's All True: From "Lived Topography" to Pan-American Transculturation / Catherine L. Benamou 5. Orson Welles as Journalist: The New York Post Columns / Sidney Gottlieb6. Progressivism and the Struggles Against Racism and Anti-Semitism: Welles's Correspondences in 1946 / James N. Gilmore7. Multimedia Magic in Around the World, Orson Welles's Film-and-Theater Hybrid / Vincent Longo8. "The Worst Possible Partners for Movie Production": Orson Welles, Louis Dolivet, and the Filmorsa Years (1953-56) / François Thomas9. Presenting Orson Welles: An Exhibition Challenge / Craig S. SimpsonIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis is a fascinating collection, several of the contributions making the reader wish for more. * Film International *Table of ContentsForeword / James NaremoreIntroduction: The Totality of Orson Welles / Sidney Gottlieb and James N. Gilmore1. The Death of the Auteur: Orson Welles, Asadata Dafora, and the 1936 Macbeth / Marguerite Rippy 2. Revisiting "War of the Worlds": First-Person Narration in Golden Age Radio Drama / Shawn VanCour 3. Old-Time Movies: Welles and Silent Pictures / Matthew Solomon 4. Orson Welles's Itineraries in It's All True: From "Lived Topography" to Pan-American Transculturation / Catherine L. Benamou 5. Orson Welles as Journalist: The New York Post Columns / Sidney Gottlieb6. Progressivism and the Struggles Against Racism and Anti-Semitism: Welles's Correspondences in 1946 / James N. Gilmore7. Multimedia Magic in Around the World, Orson Welles's Film-and-Theater Hybrid / Vincent Longo8. "The Worst Possible Partners for Movie Production": Orson Welles, Louis Dolivet, and the Filmorsa Years (1953-56) / François Thomas9. Presenting Orson Welles: An Exhibition Challenge / Craig S. SimpsonIndex

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Book SynopsisCharlie Chaplin's Own Story covers Chaplin's earliest life through his first brushes with fame and depicts Chaplin as he wished to be seen in 1916, when he was on top of the world.Table of ContentsIntroductionCharlie Chaplin's Own StoryNotesAppendix: Chaplin's Birthplace

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Book SynopsisLove and Loss in Hollywood uses previously unpublished letters between raising star Florence Deshon and socialist writer Max Eastman to reconstruct their relationship against the backdrop of the "golden age" of Hollywood.Trade ReviewAn inherently fascinating and impressively informative read from cover to cover, Love and Loss in Hollywood: Florence Deshon, Max Eastman, and Charlie Chaplin is the extraordinary account of an extraordinary life lived out in extraordinary times and under extraordinary circumstances. * MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW *Table of ContentsList of Abbreviations List of Major Works by Max Eastman Frequently Cited in the Notes Introduction Editorial Note 1. "Words to Keep Us Warm" (1917) 2. "A Lovely Place to Work?" (1918/1919) 3. "Talking Together in the Ford" (1920) Interlude: Deshon Images 4. "I Object to the Slander of the Ladies" (1921) 5. Coda (1922) Glossary of Names Chronology Selected Bibliography Index Authors

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Book SynopsisLove and Loss in Hollywood uses previously unpublished letters between raising star Florence Deshon and socialist writer Max Eastman to reconstruct their relationship against the backdrop of the golden age of Hollywood.Trade ReviewAn inherently fascinating and impressively informative read from cover to cover, Love and Loss in Hollywood: Florence Deshon, Max Eastman, and Charlie Chaplin is the extraordinary account of an extraordinary life lived out in extraordinary times and under extraordinary circumstances. * MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW *Table of ContentsList of Abbreviations List of Major Works by Max Eastman Frequently Cited in the Notes Introduction Editorial Note 1. "Words to Keep Us Warm" (1917) 2. "A Lovely Place to Work?" (1918/1919) 3. "Talking Together in the Ford" (1920) Interlude: Deshon Images 4. "I Object to the Slander of the Ladies" (1921) 5. Coda (1922) Glossary of Names Chronology Selected Bibliography Index Authors

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisA riveting portrait of the great Sarah Bernhardt from acclaimed writer Robert GottliebTrade Review"[This] is that rarest of books, a serious biography that reads not only like a novel, but like a big, romantic, sprawling, over-the-top novel. . . . A wonderful book."—Michael Korda, Daily Beast -- Michael Korda * The Daily Beast *"A fascinating look at Bernhardt's mythology and the stagecraft behind it. . . . What Sarah understood--as Gottlieb, a storied editor and publisher, makes clear--was how the heightened drama of performance might be extended to her own life."--Vogue * Vogue *"Mr. Gottlieb's fluid style and lightly worn authority offer a lucid and essential modern guide to the making of celebrity, in an era before the noun existed."--Norman Lebrecht, Wall Street Journal -- Norman Lebrecht * Wall Street Journal *"Robert Gottlieb is true to the mystery of his subject's self-invented life. He also does what few biographers of famous women seem able or willing to do: He focuses on her work. . . . Vintage Gottleib, full of humor and refreshingly free of hagiography."--Susan Salter Reynolds, Los Angeles Times -- Susan Salter Reynolds * Los Angeles Times *"Immensely entertaining."--Jeremy McCarter, Newsweek -- Jeremy McCarter * Newsweek *"A delectable, witty short biography of legendary French actress Sarah Bernhardt, and a decidedly unstuffy debut for Yale's Jewish Lives series."--Shelf Awareness * Shelf Awareness *"Gottlieb's Sarah is a fine introduction to a fascinating woman, giving the reader a lively sense of why, so many decades after her death, the name of Sarah Bernhardt, above all others, still stands for actress."--Julius Novick, The Forward -- Julius Novick * The Forward *"Avoiding pedantry on the one hand and prurience on the other, [Gottlieb] writes about Bernhardt with convincing respect and sympathy, tempered with quiet amusement at her oddities and excesses. . . . His conversational, urbane prose is accompanied by numerous illustrations, including a splendid gallery of full-page photos showing Bernhardt in 16 of her famous roles. Gottlieb's Sarah is a fine introduction to a fascinating woman, giving the reader a lively sense of why, so many decades after her death, the name of Sarah Bernhardt, above all others, still stands for actress."--Julius Novick, The Forward -- Julius Novick * The Forward *"There's an amazing amount of information here, about an amazing woman. . . . This is the first English-language biography of Sarah Bernhardt, and it is wonderfully informative as well as entertaining. I'm glad I've been given the opportunity to experience it, and will never again think of her as just that woman who was famous for playing Hamlet."--Shakespeare Geek * Shakespeare Geek *"An elegant and engaging portrait worthy of Bernhardt. . . a terrific book."--Glenn C. Altschuler, NPR Books We Like -- Glenn C. Altschuler * NPR Books We Like *"Comprehensive and illuminating about many things besides Bernhardt--French anti-Semitism, sexual mores amongst the intellectual aristocracy, etc.--without being exhausting. I can't imagine Bernhardt's story being told better."--Scott Eyman, Palm Beach Post -- Scott Eyman * Palm Beach Post *"Appropriately lively. . . Gottlieb's affable, anecdotal style suits the subject well."--Graham Robb, New York Review of Books -- Graham Robb * New York Review of Books *"Sarah Bernhardt is a gift to the raconteur. Mr. Gottlieb takes full advantage. Where he can, he stages her life as a performance, with knowing asides and a certain kind of old-fashioned fun." — Economist * Economist *"[A] sharp, efficient biography."--Emma Brockes, New York Times Book Review -- Emma Brockes * New York Times Book Review *"A fascinating look at Bernhardt's mythology and the stagecraft behind it. . . . What Sarah understood--as Gottlieb, a storied editor and publisher makes clear--was how the heightened drama of performance might be extended to her own life."--Vogue * Vogue *"Robert Gottlieb's book is appropriately small, beautiful and packed with drama. . . . Mr. Gottlieb is a meticulous reader, researcher and distiller of information. . . . Although he claims we can know little about her actual performances, he manages to make them come alive. I see her and hear her, declamatory to our modern sensibilities, alarmingly natural and passionate to audiences of the late 19th century."--Kathleen George, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette -- Kathleen George * Pittsburgh Post-Gazette *"One ends this breathlessly readable and deeply intelligent book in as much awe of Sarah as people and audiences were in her own lifetime; it is that rarest of books, a serious biography that reads not only like a novel, but like a big, romantic, sprawling, over-the-top novel. Gottlieb has made of her story a wonderful book--one, which, to pay it its highest due, any editor, including himself (and me), would give his or her eye-teeth to have published!"--Michael Korda, Daily Beast -- Michael Korda * Daily Beast *'A book that is wise, funny, affectionate and enjoyable as well as blessedly compact.' — John Carey, Sunday Times -- John Carey * Sunday Times *"In his timely new biography, Sarah: The Life of Sarah Bernhardt, Robert Gottlieb traces the meteoric, improbable, epic life of the illegitimate daughter of a high-flying Paris courtesan who became the most famous actress in theater history."--Joseph A. Harris, American Spectator -- Joseph A. Harris * American Spectator *"In 'Sarah: The Life of Sarah Berndhardt', Robert Gottlieb presents (his subject) appreciatively, in full color, in all her exuberance, extravagance, beauty, passion and talent. This is the first English-language biography in decades of the first internationally known stage star."--Sandee Brawarsky, New York Jewish Week -- Sandee Brawarsky * New York Jewish Week *"At only 220 pages, Sarah is necessarily a breathless account of a life that would happily occupy a book three times longer; yet it makes for an absorbing, at times fantastical read, and is leavened throughout by a dry wit and affectionate scepticism."—Michael Simkins, Mail on Sunday -- Michael Simkins * Mail on Sunday *"A fabulous story and Gottlieb has produced a brilliant short biography, telling you everything you want to know in 200 pages. He’s especially good at analysing what Sarah’s magic was but there was so much of it you’ll have to read the book to find out."—Duncan Fallowell, Daily Express -- Duncan Fallowell * Daily Express *"Robert Gottlieb is a firmly even-handed biographer and his engagingly zippy account focuses particularly on exposing the cracks in the contradictory stories that Bernhardt and her hagiographers assembled about her life…This is a sterling biography, equal to its subject."—Olivia Laing, The Observer -- Olivia Laing * The Observer *"Although Bernhardt's fame is universal and the literature about her immense, the major postwar English language biographies have long been out of print...Gottlieb's succinct survey is timely"—Rupert Christiansen, Literary Review -- Rupert Christiansen * Literary Review *"Suave, intelligent, always slyly entertaining."—Terry Castle, London Review Of Books -- Terry Castle * London Review Of Books *"A riveting account of a life lived in the spotlight"—Richard Edmonds, Birmingham Post -- Richard Edmonds * Birmingham Post *Honorable Mention in the Biography/Autobiography category of the 2010 Los Angeles Book Festival -- Biography/Autobiography Honorable Mention * Los Angeles Book Festival *"Short, witty and tender…This book is one that your friends and family will actually want to read: a better stocking-topper for the literary-minded is hard to imagine."—Miranda Seymour, The Lady -- Miranda Seymour * The Lady *"Gottlieb does an excellent job describing Bernhardt, making her come alive for the reader or, perhaps more accurately, making her larger-than-life personality seem real. With its general overview of her life, the book serves as a perfect introduction to her personal life and her career."—Rabbi Rachel Esserman, Voice of the Dutchess Jewish Community -- Rabbi Rachel Esserman * Voice of the Dutchess Jewish Community *"Gottlieb shows in this fine, sympathetic biography [that Sarah Bernhardt] put the world on a leash and added it to her own private menagerie."—Betty Smartt Carter, Books & Culture -- Betty Smartt Carter * Books & Culture *"Very readable. . . . Gottlieb holds the reader's interest throughout. . . . [An] excellent biography. . . . Recommended very highly for casual reader as well as for specialists."—Richard Weigel, Pages -- Richard Weigel * Pages *"Robert Gottlieb's biography of Bernhardt is very readable and covers the actress' fascinating life qutie well."—Richard Weigel, Bowling Green Daily News -- Richard Weigel * Bowling Green Daily News *"Gottlieb writes about Bernhardt with convincing respect and sympathy, tempered with quiet amusement at her oddities and excesses. His lucid, conversational, urbane prose is accompanied by numerous illustrations. . . . Gottlieb's Sarah is a fine introduction to a fascinating woman."—Julius Novick, Forward -- Julius Novick * Forward *Received Honorable Mention in the Biography/Autobiography category of the 2010 New England Book Festival -- Biography Honorable Mention * New England Book Festival *"it's an ambitious book, a real doorstopper. . . . You'll learn all manner of facts."—David Wood, Book Report -- David Wood * Book Report *"[Robert Gottlieb] does what few biographers of famous women do: He focuses on her work."—Susan Salter Reynolds, Newsday -- Susan Salter Reynolds * Newsday *"Robert Gottlieb presents her appreciatively, in full color, in all her exuberance, extravagance, beauty, passion and talent."—Sandee Brawarsky, -- Sandee Brawarsky * The Jewish Week *"Gottlieb's Life casts a reassuringly sceptical eye over a plethora of less-than-reliable writings about Berhardt, some of them the actress's own memoirs."—John Nathan, Jewish Chronicle -- John Nathan * Jewish Chronicle *“With panache worthy of his subject, Gottlieb lays out the players as if Bernhardt’s life were a stage drama. His charismatic prose captures the spell of the consummate mythmaker.”—Carol Ockman, coauthor of Sarah Bernhardt: The Art of High Drama -- Carol Ockman“Robert Gottlieb sifts through the fiction in this hugely entertaining biography of the theatrical legend, and often casts doubt on the competing accounts of her life with little more than a raised eyebrow.”—Victoria Segal, The Guardian -- Victoria Segal * The Guardian *

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Book SynopsisA groundbreaking work that reveals how Marlon Brando shaped his legacy in art and life.Trade Review"Brimming with colorful anecdotes and details... a wonderfully cohesive work about Brando, both as an actor and a man." "[Mizruchi is] the first to have access to Brando's private archives, including his extensive library, film archives and research materials... Fascinating." -- Tom Shone "To understand the complete Brando...any future biographer will now have to take account of Mizruchi's Brando as well-to somehow square the lover and the sensualist with the critical thinker." -- Julia M. Klein "Renowned cultural scholar Susan L. Mizruchi explores the Brando that was not visible to the world in order to better understand the one that was-a Brando that was independent of the public persona and often at odds with it." "The most amazing restoration work on an artist's image that I've ever seen." -- Greg Carpenter

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Book SynopsisHow the smile and fortitude of a child actress revived a nation.Trade Review"The Little Girl Who Fought the Great Depression is an illuminating and highly entertaining look at the life and career of the greatest young movie star of her era. John Kasson perceptively reveals how Shirley Temple brought hope and joy to a diverse array of people throughout the world while simultaneously transforming the nature of celebrity, consumption, and childhood culture in 1930s America." -- Steven J. Ross, author of Hollywood Left and Right: How Movie Stars Shaped American Politics"John Kasson delights the reader with his lively account of feel-good films starring the adorable curly-headed moppet who, with radiant smile and winsome guile, lit up the dark nights of the 1930s. A brilliant analyst, Kasson lays bare coruscatingly, too, how exploited child actors serve as ‘canaries in the mine shaft of modern consumer culture.’" -- William E. Leuchtenburg, author of In the Shadow of FDR: From Harry Truman to Barack Obama"Carefully argued and gracefully written. Not since the pioneering essays of Warren Susman has any historian so brilliantly illuminated the emotional life of Americans in the 1930s. The Great Depression—not to mention Shirley Temple and Franklin Roosevelt—will never look the same." -- Jackson Lears, author of Rebirth of a Nation: The Making of Modern America, 1877-1920"John F. Kasson skillfully uses Shirley Temple as a prism to cast light on a vast range of subjects: The rise of FDR, optimism as Depression-era propaganda, the double existence of African-American stars, innocence as a consumer commodity, the fickleness of star adoration and the dangers of the mob, the meaning of childhood in a changing culture, and Hollywood's exploitation of its human profit centers, no matter how small. Connecting them all is Temple herself, serene, self-composed, and indestructible—the one movie star who wasn't putting on an act." -- Ty Burr, author of Gods Like Us: On Movie Stardom and Modern Fame"Sparkling, beautifully written, nearly impossible to put down. John Kasson moves behind the seemingly effortless smile of Shirley Temple to uncover the child labor it required, and explores the complex emotional work performed by that smile for Americans struggling to survive the Great Depression. A compelling and creative new cultural history of the 1930s." -- Karen Halttunen, author of Confidence Men and Painted Women: A Study in Middle-Class Culture, 1830-1870"[A] look back to a moment in American society when…the movies mattered and when one magnetic star could help change people’s minds and hearts." -- Publishers Weekly"In a time of widespread suffering and frequent despair, this little girl touched the hearts of millions of people in our own land and others… John F. Kasson shows how her films provided therapy as well as entertainment." -- Richard Striner - Weekly Standard"Examines the impact of the child star not only on Hollywood, but on politics as well… Elucidating… a must-read." -- USA Today"[Kasson’s] insightful new book explores the politics of the time, racial attitudes, movie-going habits and the breadth and depth of Shirley Temple’s appeal." -- Elizabeth Bennett - Dallas Morning News"A wonderful epilogue to Temple's career… and an enlightening examination of the curly topped moppet's impact on Hollywood, the economy and the mood of a troubled nation." -- Daniel Bubbeo - Newsday

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Book SynopsisA groundbreaking work that reveals how Marlon Brando shaped his legacy in art and life.Trade Review"Biographers have often highlighted Marlon Brando’s eccentricities. But in this sympathetic portrait, Mizruchi plays up his intellectualism: Brando was an autodidact with a library of 4,000 books, not to mention a great editor of his own lines." -- Rebecca Rose, Best Books of 2014 - Financial Times"...there is much to enjoy here for the confirmed Brando fan." -- Mail on Sunday"... this exhilarating new biography homes in on the kind of details that any serious Brando fan will devour like a starving man in the desert." -- Antonio Quirke, Summer Reading - Financial Times"Engrossing biography...Some great photos, too." -- The Bookseller"...this always interesting, addictive book..." -- Financial Times

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Book SynopsisDuring her lifetime (1755-1831), English actress Sarah Siddons was an international celebrity acclaimed for her performances of tragic heroines. We know what she looked like, but what of her famous voice, reported to cause audiences to hyperventilate or faint? In lively and engaging prose Judith Pascoe takes readers on a journey to discover how the actor's voice actually sounded.

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Book SynopsisIn his posthumous autobiography, Watakushi no eiga jinsei (1984), Yamamoto reflects on his career and legacy: beginning in the prewar days as an assistant director under the master Naruse Mikio, to his wide-ranging experiences as a filmmaker, including his struggles as an independent filmmaker in the 1950s and 1960s before returning to work within the mainstream industry.Trade ReviewChang’s translation of the filmmaker’s autobiography, My Life as a Filmmaker, is masterfully done. Chang has a strong reputation in the field for introducing many important Japanese literary, cultural, and historical works to the English-language world. This will be another important, though less well-known, work to give us not only a better appreciation of one of the greatest Japanese filmmakers but also a deeper understanding of postwar Japanese film and cultural history."" - Poshek Fu, University of Illinois""A magnificent memoir magnificently told. Film world: Stand up and take notice!"" - Roger Pulvers

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Book SynopsisStan Lai (Lai Shengchuan) is one of the most celebrated theatre practitioners working in the Chinese-speaking world. His work over three decades has pioneered the course of modern Chinese language theatre in Taiwan, China, and other Chinese speaking regions. This volume features works from across Lai's career.Table of Contents Introduction to Volume 3 by Raymond Zhou Notes on Staging A Dream Like a Dream Ago On the Contributors

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Book SynopsisConventional notions of avant-garde art suggest innovative artists rebelling against artistic convention and social propriety, shocking unwilling audiences into new ways of seeing and living. Viewers in Distress tells a different story.Table of Contents Illustrations Introduction: “Can We All Get Along?” Chapter 1: The Radical Formalism of Suzan-Lori Parks and Sarah Kane Chapter 2: A Spectator Prepares: Forced Entertainment’s Theatre of Critical Feeling Chapter 3: The Behzti Riot as a Contemporary Avant-Garde Chapter 4: Feeling Bad about Being White: Young Jean Lee’s Theatre and the Progressive Avant-Garde Coda: The Liberal Individual’s Postmodern Return Bibliography

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA rich and rewarding book. Reactivations reminds us how to think about performance in a manner that is direct and pragmatic, while still ambitious and fully embedded in both conceptual and historical knowledge of our subject."" - Matthew Reason, York St. John University""Philip Auslander is one of the most penetrating observers and interpreters of performance. He addresses the subtle substance and still radical and difficult form of performance in elegantly articulated, original insights, thought-provoking perspectives, and respectful debates. Reactivations is Auslander at his best."" - Kristine Stiles, Duke University

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Book SynopsisSome of theatre’s most powerful works in the past thirty years fall into the category of ‘verbatim theatre’, socially engaged performances whose texts rely on word-for-word testimony. But in this moment of what Ryan Claycomb terms the ‘rightward lurch’ of western democracies, does this idealized space of democratic deliberation remain effective?Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: In the LurchOne: Democratic Deliberation and the Theatricalized Public SphereTwo: Debating in UtopiaThree: Feeling TogetherFour: The Opposite of Empathy is Suspicion Coda: Nostalgia; or, the Pastness of the PresentBibliography

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Book SynopsisConventional notions of avant-garde art suggest innovative artists rebelling against artistic convention and social propriety, shocking unwilling audiences into new ways of seeing and living. Viewers in Distress tells a different story.Trade Review“This text maps a potential sea change in how we understand a work’s historical significance and ideological valence—a moment when ‘reliance on the formal qualities of an artwork’ has become not just problematic, but virtually useless. Even more troubling, it maps a collapse of the principles of Western liberalism. This is heady, thrilling, and, yes, deeply troubling stuff—and the epitome of critical scholarship.” —Mike Sell, Indiana University of Pennsylvania“Thought-provoking and drawing effectively on a wide range of scholarship . . . the author’s reading of these performances (and their reception) provides nuance and detail that works well for someone familiar with those performances or encountering them for the first time.” —Susan Bennett, University of CalgaryTable of Contents Illustrations Introduction: “Can We All Get Along?” Chapter 1: The Radical Formalism of Suzan-Lori Parks and Sarah Kane Chapter 2: A Spectator Prepares: Forced Entertainment’s Theatre of Critical Feeling Chapter 3: The Behzti Riot as a Contemporary Avant-Garde Chapter 4: Feeling Bad about Being White: Young Jean Lee’s Theatre and the Progressive Avant-Garde Coda: The Liberal Individual’s Postmodern Return Bibliography

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Book SynopsisRecognised as one of the most innovative and influential directors of our time, Peter Sellars has produced acclaimed - and often controversial - versions of many beloved operas and oratorios. He has also collaborated with several composers to create challenging new operas. This volume explores the development of his style.

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Book SynopsisThe films of Georges Melies (1861-1938) are landmarks in the early history of narrative filmmaking and cinematic special effects. He was a harbinger of modern aesthetics and media manipulation, and this book, written by his granddaughter, is the only one that tells his full story.Table of Contents List of Figures Editor’s Acknowledgments Editor’s Introduction Author’s Foreword Chapter 1. Bootmaker to Queen Hortense Chapter 2. The Dreams of a Student Chapter 3. Early Adventures Chapter 4. An Introduction to Magic in London Chapter 5. A Marriage Set in Motion Chapter 6. Opponent of the “Brave General” Chapter 7. Director of the ThÉ tre Robert-Houdin Chapter 8. From La Griffe to the Moulin Rouge Chapter 9. Spiritism, Catalepsy, Magnetism Chapter 10. A New Passion: Jehanne d’Alcy Chapter 11. Birth of the KinÉtographe Chapter 12. The First Feature Film Chapter 13. All Kinds of Trick Effects Chapter 14. The Dreyfus Affair Chapter 15. 1900 Chapter 16. Happy MÉliÈs! Chapter 17. The Triumphant Years, 1902-1903 Chapter 18. The “Genre MÉliÈs” Chapter 19. Cinema Becomes an Industry Chapter 20. The First Signs of Collapse Chapter 21. The Death of EugÉnie Chapter 22. Ruin Chapter 23. Candy-Seller at the Gare Montparnasse Chapter 24. MÉliÈs, Lord of the Manor Chapter 25. The End of a Pioneer

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Book SynopsisFrom his 1948 film debut in Red River through such classics as The Heiress, A Place in the Sun, and From Here to Eternity, Montgomery Clift epitomized the naturalistic style of acting. This book challenges the myth of Clift as tragic victim by examining his participation in the manipulation of his image, and his interactions with writers.Trade Review"This book makes a valuable contribution to star studies as well as enhancing our understanding of Clift's work." -- Martin Shingler Screen Journal

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Book SynopsisOffers a detailed play-by-play account of Harpo Marx's physical movements as captured on screen. This title guides us through the thirteen Marx Brothers films, from The Cocoanuts in 1929 to Love Happy in 1950, to focus on Harpo's chief and yet heretofore unexplored attribute - his profound and contradictory corporeality.Trade Review"A zesty and deeply literate joy to read." -- Jonathan Kiefer New Haven Review "A charming and rigorous study." -- Brian Dillon Sight & Sound Magazine "A fittingly zany, aphoristic, and meandering study of the great mime of Marx Brothers fame... Koestenbaum's approach to Harpo makes for highly animated reading." -- Noah Isenberg Bookforum "Koestenbaum provides an informed, original, and near-obsessive assessment of all things Harpo." Publishers Weekly "Provocative, original scholarship that lights a fire under the typically stodgy studies that we usually get from university press star biographies." -- Dennis King OklahomanTable of ContentsAcknowledgments I. Early Ecstatic Emptiness The Holy Fool Flees Language's Stink Bomb: The Cocoanuts (1929) Pinky, the Pointing Scapegoat, Lags Behind: Duck Soup (1933) The Mad Mohel's Goo-Goo Eyes of Monomaniacal Attunement: A Night at the Opera (1935) Poppy Power; or, The Thick-Enough Art of Zombie Dumbfoundment: Animal Crackers (1930) II. Later Astonishments Fake Dead Jew as Cute Zoo-Idiot: Room Service (1938) Passe Punchy's Humiliated Buddy Huddle: At the Circus (1939) Freeze Rusty's Anal Rage in a Cozy Void: Go West (1940) Lonely Wacky's Incremental Lines of Flight: The Big Store (1941) The Bubble-Blowing Demarcator Tickles Totality: A Night in Casablanca (1946) Bulge, Glaze, Pause, Shock; or, The Bushy-Haired Ragpicker's Burnt Offering: Love Happy (1949) III. The Idiot Tumbles Back to the Beginning of Time The Undeliverable Ice of Pinky's Mom-Mouth: Horse Feathers (1932) The Kippering, Bopping, Shushing, Bear-Hugging, Beard-Pulling Bustle: Monkey Business (1931) The Pretzel Glimmer-Eye of Stuffy's Stuttering Surge: A Day at the Races (1937)

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Book SynopsisThe king of radio comedy from the Great Depression through the early 1950s, Jack Benny was one of the most influential entertainers in twentieth-century America. A master of comic timing and an innovative producer, Benny, with his radio writers, developed a weekly situation comedy to meet radio's endless need for new material, at the same time integrating advertising into the show's humor. Through the character of the vain, cheap everyman, Benny created a fall guy, whose frustrated struggles with his employees addressed mid-century America's concerns with race, gender, commercialism, and sexual identity. Kathryn H. Fuller-Seeley contextualizes her analysis of Jack Benny and his entourage with thoughtful insights into the intersections of competing entertainment media and argues that transmedia stardom, branded entertainment, and virality are, in fact, the newest versions of key elements in the history of American popular culture.Trade Review"By discussing in depth the ways the show was and wasn’t distributed during and after its initial run (including the balance of radio stations carrying the show vs. TV stations carrying the show throughout the ‘50s), Fuller-Seeley makes the book itself an intermedia experience, encouraging readers to contribute to the vital work of media archiving." * Splitsider *“…a deeply researched and powerfully argued analysis of Benny’s persona, productions, distribution, advertising, and sponsorship from the early 1930s through the late 1950s. …It is a must-read for scholars seeking to understand the inner workings, products, and impact of mass media and intermedia develop­ment, consumer culture, and celebrity culture during the heyday of mid-twentieth-century American commercial radio broadcasting and how to write about such issues incisively and inclusively.” * The Journal of American History *"Kathryn H. Fuller-Seeley’s monograph on Jack Benny provides the first full-length scholarly account of the comedian’s influential broadcasting career, which began in 1932 and ended with his death in 1974. As well as discussing his film and television work, she presents an extremely detailed analysis of Benny’s long-running, but largely overlooked, multifaceted radio program (1932–1955) which she calls his ‘greatest achievement’." * Historical Journal of Film Radio and Television *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction 1 • Becoming Benny: Th e Development of Jack Benny’s Character-Focused Comedy for Radio 2 • “What Are You Laughing at, Mary?” Mary Livingstone’s Comic Voice 3 • Masculine Gender Identity in Jack Benny’s Humor 4 • Eddie Anderson, Rochester, and Race in 1930s Radio and Film 5 • Rochester and the Revenge of Uncle Tom in the 1940s and 1950s 6 • Th e Commercial Imperative: Jack Benny, Advertising, and Radio Sponsors 7 • Jack Benny’s Intermedia Juggling of Radio and Film 8 • Benny at War with the Radio Critics 9 • Jack Benny’s Turn Towards Television Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisBorn into the first family of the British stage, Fanny Kemble was one of the most famous woman writers of the English-speaking world, a best-selling author on both sides of the Atlantic. Her autobiographical writings are compelling evidence of Kemble's wit and talent, and they also offer a dazzling overview of her transatlantic world.Trade ReviewThe fascination of a modern reader, I think, is partially rooted in the way Kemble braids a modernist sensibility (freedom, women's rights) with conventional prejudices (class, ethnicity). Like Henry James, I find Kemble's journals absorbing, and also like him, I presume, I find her beguiling. -- James L. Roark, Emory UniversityI enthusiastically recommend Fanny Kemble's Journals. Fanny Kemble has always been one of those mysterious fugitive characters about whom we would like to know more. With this new edition by Kemble's modern biographer, these writings will take their place in college classrooms and on the shelves of readers interested in the theater, the South, the Civil War, and women's studies. To shrink eleven volumes to one manageable one and to include the critical outlines of Kemble's life as well as her observations on aspects of American life such as politics and slavery is quite a triumph. Kemble writings afford readers a fascinating retelling of the outlines of an unusual life. It is not exaggerating to say that the Clinton selections created a new autobiography that in the past was obscured by the sheer mass of Kemble's memoirs. She is a terrific writer. Clinton has placed her emphasis on areas such as race, class, and women's issues, including the story of the marriage. Clinton's introduction locates the Journals within the context of Kemble's life, and as every editor must do, she makes a strong case for their relevance and historical significance. -- Jean H. Baker, author of Mary Todd Lincoln[From] six books of memoirs, Clinton has extracted an anthology...of consistent interest. Kemble is forthright throughout, and never boring...she writes candidly about acting, social and economic contracts between England and America, slavery, politics, religion, the status of women, her reading and herself. -- Stanley Weintraub * Wall Street Journal *A work of withering detail and explosive passion. -- Jonathan Yardley * Washington Post Book World *Parting the curtains obscuring a nineteenth-century celebrity, historian Clinton offers...journal excerpts by a woman who was an actress, author, and abolitionst...Composed over her 80-plus years, Kemble's journals convey a variety of nineteenth-century experiences, from the discomforts of travel to the wonders of Rome...Clinton has admirably restored to interest a multifaceted figure pertinent to Civil War and women's studies. -- Gilbert Taylor * Booklist *In Fanny Kemble's Journals, Clinton has edited down the journals and letters from a voluminous collection into a compendium of excerpts that gives the reader Kemble in her own voice. -- Stephanie Harvin * Post and Courier *Fanny Kemble has finally found a historian worthy of her remarkable career. -- Eric Foner * author of Reconstruction and the Story of American Freedom *A remarkable story...supplying color and atmosphere and Kemble's distinctive voice...Her journal, begun when she was 18 and kept regularly into her 70's, records her sharp observations of roads and accommodations and social behavior in the young American democracy [and her] blunt indictment of racial hypocrisy and sexual exploitation...The voice that 'reanimated the old drawing rooms, relighted the old lamps, retuned the old pianos,' is captured again. -- David Walton * New York Times Book Review *Kemble's writing rings with passion, liveliness and wit. It is almost shocking in its clarity, precision and logic, its audacity and relevance. I marked dozens of passages in Fanny Kemble's Journals to read to friends. -- Julie Brickman * San Diego Union-Tribune *Kemble's journal entries on slavery are both poignant and horrifying. She writes passionately against the use of slave women for sex by plantation owners, as well as the demands of backbreaking physical labor they performed. -- Robin Dougherty * Boston Globe *One of the most moving and edifying personal accounts I have ever read of how oppression of slaves--and, incidentally, of women, both black and white--resulted in a war that tore apart not just one family, but a whole nation. -- Ann Morrissett Davidon * Philadelphia Inquirer *Clinton's edition of Fanny Kemble's Journals offers fascinating selections from her heart-rending account of slavery and from earlier and later journals as well. Whether as a young girl weighing the pros and cons of marriage or as an older woman considering the question of women's suffrage, Kemble's keen mind and forthright style of expression are a constant delight. -- Merle Rubin * Los Angeles Times *Kemble's life wasn't entirely devoted to the rights of women and the wrongs of slavery: she acted and wrote, had triumphs, pleasures, and friends, and she often feels like our contemporary. Clinton doesn't insist that her subject was flawless, but she finds her irresistible. * New Yorker *Kemble's biographer, historian Catherine Clinton has edited a slender volume, selecting the juiciest, most revealing and most incisive sections of Kemble's oeuvre...Splendidly edited and handsomely designed, this collection clears room for readers to hear the unforgettable voice of Kemble herself, with little interference. * Publishers Weekly *In Fanny Kemble's Journals, Clinton has judiciously selected excerpts from Kemble's six published journals...Kemble casts her keen eye on the many foibles and failings of those around her. Her journals blaze with the fire of her passionate desire for reform in social institutions and justice in inequitable relationships. -- Henry L. Carrigan, Jr. * Columbia State *Despite its welcome place in my library, when I finished [Fanny Kemble's Civil Wars], I still felt that something was missing. An element of frivolity, a touch of wit, a hint of acerbity--of course! I missed...Fanny Kemble's own voice. The antidote: Fanny Kemble's Journals...So when I want Kemble's exact words about a topic in the biography, I need only reach for this compact compilation...It's been well more than a century since Kemble was widely toasted on either side of the Atlantic; perhaps her moment has arrived again. -- Annie Ludlum * Seattle Times *Clinton offers a second book, entitled Fanny Kemble's Journals, presenting a chronological narrative of Kemble's life in her own words… Fanny Kemble's Journals is a useful introduction to the story of Kemble's life in the United States, especially during the period 1832 to 1865. -- John Anthony Scott * Civil War Book Review *

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Book SynopsisExamining the transnational film star system and the formations of historically important stars, Making Personas casts new light on Japanese modernity from the 1910s to 1930s. The book shows how film stardom began and evolved, looking at the production, representation, circulation, and reception of performers' images in film and other media.

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Book SynopsisWhether as a curiosity or a beloved idol, Gene Kelly lives on in our cultural memory as a fantastic dancer in MGM musicals, especially Singin' in the Rain. But dancing, however extraordinary, was only one of his many gifts. This book, for the first time, offers a full picture of Gene Kelly as the Renaissance man he actually was.Trade ReviewHess and Dabholkar's Gene Kelly: The Making of a Creative Legend is the most complete biography of Gene Kelly to date. It offers a substantial addition to what we know about Gene Kelly's career and enriches our appreciation for the depth and range of his accomplishments, thanks to extraordinary and far-reaching research into materials never studied by Kelly's previous biographer. Gene Kelly is a delightful read and a true page-turner."" - Rick Altman, author of Film/Genre""This meticulously researched biography not only is an important addition to film musical scholarship and to our understanding of Kelly's transformative contribution to the film musical genre but also gives us a rounded portrait of him as a human being. We follow him from his youth in Depression-era Pittsburgh to his early years on Broadway to his career in Hollywood not only during film musical's 'golden age' but also during his work with the navy and for the first time his not inconsiderable accomplishments in television, in film, and on stage in his later years. Perhaps most important, this biography throws important new light on the Kelly-Donen working relationship by providing deeply researched evidence on the primacy of Kelly's role. Also examined is Kelly's role as an active supporter of progressive causes during the New Deal and the McCarthy era and its underlying connection to the 'common man' roles he developed with great sympathy. The authors illuminate Kelly's role as artist and innovator not only in his championship of dance as an art form but also in his role as an educator who effectively promoted the value of male dancing at a time when those who practiced the profession in the United States were stigmatized and stereotyped."" - Beth Genne, professor of dance history, University of Michigan

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Book SynopsisWhere else but in America could a Jewish kid from Kansas, son of self-made, entrepreneurial parents and a grandson of Russian and Eastern European immigrants, end up as a congressman, secretary of agriculture, and chief lobbyist for Hollywood? In Laughing at Myself Dan Glickman tells his story.Trade ReviewOur nation these days desperately needs more leaders like Dan Glickman: people whose values are deeply rooted and have a sense of humor about themselves. This book explores the secrets to his success and should serve as an inspiration to those who want to be as respected and beloved as he has been." - Walter S. Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs and Leonardo Da Vinci"It's been Dan's wit and wisdom that has taken him from Wichita to Washington. But it's also been his decency, his ability to work across political spectrums, and his awareness and ability to understand the power of humor to often diffuse, distract, and always delight that has truly defined his success." - James Carville, Democratic political strategist"The skeletal components of an exceptional leader and public servant are a wishbone, a backbone, and a funny bone. Those of us fortunate to know and work with Dan Glickman admire him greatly because he has all three. This book is clear confirmation of that and is a great read." - Tom Daschle, former US senator"Dan Glickman's memoir reveals the essence of who he is: self-deprecating, passionate, optimistic, purpose-driven, principled, and living proof that you can accomplish a great deal of good in the world as a political centrist who values listening over talking. His personal journey and the lessons he learned along the way in Kansas; Washington, DC; and Hollywood make for an entertaining, at times surprising, and always fascinating read-and will hopefully inspire and challenge a new generation of would-be changemakers to revive the art of 'constructive partisanship' and compromise." - Howard G. Buffett, farmer and philanthropist, chairman and CEO of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation"In my Washington career, I was often asked why I enjoyed a strong sense of humor. My response was that the alternative was 'jumping in the Potomac.' My friend Dan Glickman in Laughing at Myself makes the same point, particularly in these crazy times. I have known Dan for over forty years-he was my classmate in Congress, we worked together in the Clinton administration, and as the children of immigrants we share the same values and beliefs. He is a good man and this book tells you why." - Leon Panetta, former secretary of defense and cofounder of the Panetta Institute for Public Policy"Secretary Dan Glickman has long brought good humor, common sense, happiness, and a strong expression of his Jewish identity to Capitol Hill, the administration, Hollywood, and now to all of us through his new book. Hailing from the tiny Jewish community in Wichita, Kansas, he conquered Washington and Hollywood. And now he will also capture your heart and help you laugh and smile. In these trying times, we all need more good memories, smiles, and laughs. There is nobody better to help us with that than Dan Glickman. King Solomon taught in the Jewish Scriptures that 'a constant joyous heart' is a good thing. Dan has that, and he shares it with us here. Everyone always leaves meeting him happier than they were before. Picking up this book and finding out why is easy; putting it down will be much more difficult." - Rabbi Levi Shemtov, executive vice president, American Friends of Lubavitch, and founder and president, Capitol Jewish Forum

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Book SynopsisFor many diehard music fans and critics, Oklahoma-born James Talley ranks among the finest of American singer-songwriters. In this engaging, down-to-earth memoir, Talley recalls the highs and lows of his nearly fifty-year career in country music.Trade Review“James Talley is an American artist. Putting on a Talley vinyl, I always feel as if I am getting a tour of John Steinbeck’s basement and Woody Guthrie’s garage and Dorothea Lange’s darkroom. There are nights when my wife and I go two-stepping around the dining room to a Talley tune. Now the world has this wonderful memoir, as honest and plainspoken and direct and American in its sentence rhythms as the beautiful songs themselves. I read it in a sitting and wanted even more.”—Paul Hendrickson, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award and author of Hemingway’s Boat: Everything He Loved in Life, and Lost“An inspiring, yet harrowing memoir by an outstanding singer-songwriter who made a landmark album in 1975 in the populist, folk-country tradition of Woody Guthrie and Merle Haggard, only to spend decades in the nightmarish record business in hopes of getting his music the wide audience that it deserved. Like his songs, Talley’s text has a warm and resilient spirit.”—Robert Hilburn, author of Johnny Cash: The Life and Paul Simon: The Life“A well-penned journey through the Nashville music business, told by someone who was positioned to become a keen observer of the Music Row scene ‘back in the day.’”—Robert K. Oermann, coauthor of Songteller (with Dolly Parton) andLittle Miss Dynamite (with Brenda Lee) “Talley’s book is unlike almost all others: it tells the hardest truths and captures the greatest achievements of someone who started with nothing, never flinches and is still doing his best to follow his dream.”—Americana Highways"Nashville City Blues is as straightforward, understated and affecting as Mr. Talley’s true-life songs, which have been covered by performers from Johnny Cash to Moby. The book is also a field guide for any outsider without connections or prospects who wonders how to persevere despite long odds and plenty of bad luck and bad choices."—Wall Street Journal

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Book SynopsisFor many diehard music fans and critics, Oklahoma-born James Talley ranks among the finest of American singer-songwriters. In this engaging, down-to-earth memoir, Talley recalls the highs and lows of his nearly fifty-year career in country music.Trade Review“James Talley is an American artist. Putting on a Talley vinyl, I always feel as if I am getting a tour of John Steinbeck’s basement and Woody Guthrie’s garage and Dorothea Lange’s darkroom. There are nights when my wife and I go two-stepping around the dining room to a Talley tune. Now the world has this wonderful memoir, as honest and plainspoken and direct and American in its sentence rhythms as the beautiful songs themselves. I read it in a sitting and wanted even more.”—Paul Hendrickson, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award and author of Hemingway’s Boat: Everything He Loved in Life, and Lost“An inspiring, yet harrowing memoir by an outstanding singer-songwriter who made a landmark album in 1975 in the populist, folk-country tradition of Woody Guthrie and Merle Haggard, only to spend decades in the nightmarish record business in hopes of getting his music the wide audience that it deserved. Like his songs, Talley’s text has a warm and resilient spirit.”—Robert Hilburn, author of Johnny Cash: The Life and Paul Simon: The Life“A well-penned journey through the Nashville music business, told by someone who was positioned to become a keen observer of the Music Row scene ‘back in the day.’”—Robert K. Oermann, coauthor of Songteller (with Dolly Parton) andLittle Miss Dynamite (with Brenda Lee)

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Book SynopsisCharting the origins of serious theatre, drama pedagogy, and the nonprofit model, this illustrated volume argues that the Little Theatre movement was a national phenomenon, not just the result of aspirants copying the efforts of the much-storied Provincetown Players, Washington Square Players, Neighborhood Playhouse, and Chicago Little Theatre.

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Book SynopsisProposes a practical philosophy of contemporary theatrical design that addresses all design disciplines, all theatrical collaborators, and all forms of theatre, from the traditional to the avant-garde. Joshua Langman celebrates design as a transformative force with the power to elevate a performance.Table of ContentsPreface 1. House to half: A beginning 2. Design for theatre: Why we attend theatre; why we make theatre; why we design theatre 3. The concept: How designers make meaning 4. Acts of creation: Navigating art, craft, and trade in the theatre 5. Guiding principles and practical advice: Nine hints for theatrical designers 6. On magic and mechanics: A theatrical designer’s spell-book 7. The limits of design: Two lessons in humility 8. What it takes: A character analysis of the designer 9. Curtain call: An ending Postscript Recapitulation Notes A designer’s library Acknowledgments Credits Index

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Book SynopsisThrough interviews with prominent producers, directors, choreographers, designers, dancers, and actors, Young and Zabriskie create a portrait of a diverse, dynamic artistic community between 1970 and 2010. They frame this history with helpful guides, including a chronology of key events, a glossary of names, and an appendix of leading performing arts institutions in Chicago.

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Book SynopsisInvestigates how and why three of Russia's most innovative directors - Meyerhold, Tairov, and Eisenstein - used the fantastical tales of E.T.A. Hoffmann to reinvent the rules of theatrical practice. Because the rise of the director and the Russian cult of Hoffmann closely coincided, Posner argues, many characteristics we associate with avant-garde theatre become uniquely legible in the context of this engagement.

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Book SynopsisBefore film made them international comedy legends, the Marx Brothers developed their comic skills on stage for twenty-five years. In Four of the Three Musketeers: The Marx Brothers onStage, Robert S. Bader offers the first comprehensive history ofthe foursome's hardscrabble early years honing their act in front of live audiences.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Auerbach writes beautifully. . . . In this biography of Ellen Terry, she evokes the story of every woman's life, in all its accepted roles. . . . England's most famous actress is here re-created, herself creating the life of woman. A glorious book." * Carolyn G. Heilbrun *"One of the finest examples I know of theatre biography as cultural history. . . . Auerbach's force of feeling . . . [makes us] understand Terry's career as the bowdlerized body of woman's expressive genius in the Victorian age. . . . A life-and-times classic that will become a model for other feminist work." * Jane Marcus, Women's Review of Books *

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Book SynopsisPresents a professional dancer's personal journey over four decades, across three continents and 23 countries, and through defining moments in the story of black dance in America. In this memoir, Halifu Osumare reflects on what blackness and dance have meant to her life and international career.

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Book SynopsisOffers an insightful look at the origins and influence of dance in American universities, focusing on Margaret H'Doubler, who established the first university courses and the first degree program in dance. Janice Ross shows how H'Doubler changed the way Americans thought, not just about female physicality but also about higher education for women.Trade ReviewPraise for the previous edition:"This detailed portrait of a singular woman will be of interest to dance, education, and women's studies collections." —Library Journal"Ross sketches the end of the constraints of the Victorian age and the feminist liberation through changes in fashion, health practices and physical education for women." —Dance Magazine"Highly recommended reading for its breadth of research and depth of analysis. Ross's scholarship is impressive." —Journal of Dance Education"Mak[es] the case that H'Doubler's life work led to an educational environment where empowerment of body, creative vision, and their synthesis through movement became a real option for American students. . . . A provocative and thoroughly engaging book." —Dance Research Journal"Engaging and well-researched. . . . The book is not only a history and biography but also a testimonial to Margaret H'Doubler's determination and tenacity." —Theatre Journal

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Book SynopsisThe 1971 Allman Brothers Band album At Fillmore East was a musical manifesto years in the making. In Play All Night!, Bob Beatty dives deep into the motivations and musical background of band founder Duane Allman to tell the story of what made this album one of the most important live rock albums in history.

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Book Synopsis'Being Rita Hayworth' considers the ways in which this actress has been treated by film scholarship over the years to accomplish its own goals, sometimes at her expense.Trade ReviewMcLean's work is significant because it addresses a major flaw in the majority of star studies--the lack of knowledge regarding how movie stars were created by the Hollywood studio system. She achieves an understanding of movie stars as economic constructs, of the relationship of their real selves to their images, and of how a star's original meaning and reception by fans sometimes differ from what we assume today....Being Rita Hayworth is a model of good scholarship. * Film Quarterly *[T]he plethora of stimulating ideas in Being Rita Hayworth should jolt star, labor, and film scholarship to reassess contemporary, too easily accepted truths and lead to dynamic debates and exciting exchanges. Fresh perspectives rejuvenate, and that's a gift to scholarship. * Quarterly Review of Film and Video *This book is praiseworthy in all aspects of the subject....This is an excellent book well worth reading because of the cogent discussion of ubiquitous processes of commodification, advertising, and their influence on modes of subjectivity. * Visual Anthropology *Exploring the creation of this popular movie star's persona, Being Rita Hayworth takes an especial interest in her appeal to other women of the day who were struggling to navigate the demands of family and work outside the home. An excellent read for anyone with an especial interest in not only Hayworth's career, but the ripple effect her star persona had on the hearts and minds of a female generation. * The Midwest Book Review *This book reexamines Rita Hayworth's star image and her proficiency as a dancer in order to challenge received wisdom about the objectification of female stars in classical Hollywood cinema. This is a superior piece of scholarship and an outstanding contribution to star studies. -- Ina Rae Hark * University of South Carolina *McLean's argument is complex, coherent, and eminently readable. Through meticulous research, she productively opens up the notion of star as worker. -- Mary R. Desjardins * Dartmouth College *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: Why Rita Hayworth? Part One. Stardom Off the Screen Part Two. Film Stars, Film Texts, Film Studies Afterword: Replacing the Love Goddess Notes Cansino/Hayworth Filmography Bibliography Index

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Book Synopsis In the 1990s, American civil society got upended and reordered as many social, cultural, political, and economic institutions were changed forever. Pretty People examines a wide range of Hollywood icons who reflect how stardom in that decade was transformed as the nation itself was signaling significant changes to familiar ideas about gender, race, ethnicity, age, class, sexuality, and nationality. Such actors as Denzel Washington, Andy Garcia, Halle Berry, Angela Bassett, Will Smith, Jennifer Lopez, and Antonio Banderas became bona fide movie stars who carried major films to amazing box-office success. Five of the decade’s top ten films were opened by three women—Julia Roberts, Jodie Foster, and Whoopi Goldberg. “Chick flick” entered the lexicon as Leonardo DiCaprio became the “King of the World,” ushering in the cult of the mega celebrity. Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise defined screen masculinity as stark contrasts between &ldquTrade Review"Everett assembles a coterie of capable scholars to investigate changes in society, popular culture, and stardom during the 1990s. Several chapters shine with insight. Everett's chapter on the talents of the iconoclastic Johnny Depp delights as it instructs. Recommended." * Choice *"Everett assembles a coterie of capable scholars to investigate changes in society, popular culture, and stardom during the 1990s. Several chapters shine with insight. Everett's chapter on the talents of the iconoclastic Johnny Depp delights as it instructs. Recommended." * Choice *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Arnold Schwarzenegger: Corporeal Charisma 2. Jodie Foster: Feminist Hero?3. Denzel Washington: A Revisionist Black Masculinity4. Julia Roberts: Cultural Phenomenon5. Leonardo DiCaprio: King of the “World”6. Antonio Banderas, Andy Garcia, and Edward James Olmos: Stardom, Masculinity, and “Latinidades” 7. Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise: The Box Office and “True Masculinity”8. Angela Bassett and Halle Berry: African American Leading Ladies9. Michael Douglas: An Ordinary Man10. Pierce Brosnan: Licensed to Sell11. Johnny Depp and Keanu Reeves: Hollywood and the IconoclastsIn the WingsWorks CitedContributorsIndex

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Book SynopsisClint Eastwood has appeared in virtually every major film genre and, at this late point in his career, has emerged as one of America’s most popular and respected—though controversial—filmmakers. Tough Ain’t Enough offers readers a series of original essays by prominent cinema scholars who explore the actor-director’s extensive career. Trade Review"The editors have assembled a diverse group of scholars and turned them loose to make sense of the vast array of contradictions that is Clint Eastwood. This is a unique and extraordinary collection with not a weak chapter in it." -- Dennis Bingham * author of Whose Lives Are They Anyway?: The Biopic as Contemporary Film Genre *"Chronicle of Higher Education 'New Scholarly Books' Weekly Book List, August 31, 2018," compiled by Nina C. Ayoub * Chronicle of Higher Education *"Highly recommended." * Choice *Table of ContentsChapter 1: The Teller and the Tale: An Introduction to the Films of Clint Eastwood Lester D. Friedman and David Desser Part I: Crosscurrents Chapter 2: “I Don’t Want Nobody Belonging to Me”: Riding the Post-Leone Western Stephen Prince Chapter 3: “God/Country/Family:” The Military Movies Lester D. Friedman Chapter 4: “A Man’s Got to Know His Limitations”: The Cop Films from Nixon through Reagan Jonathan Kirshner Chapter 5: “I’m Not So Tough”: Melodrama and Performance in the Later Films Diane Carson Chapter 6: “Heroes are Something We Create: The Biopics” David Sterritt Part II: Controversies Chapter 7: “I Am a Camera”: Clint Eastwood’s Performative Gaze Murray Pomerance Chapter 8: “You ain’t ugly like me; it’s just that we both got scars”: Women in Eastwood’s Films Lucy Bolton Chapter 9: “I know I'm as blind as a slab of concrete, but I'm not helpless”: Eastwood and the Aging Action Hero David Desser Chapter 10: “Seems like we can’t trust the White Man”: The Theater of Race in and out of Eastwood’s Films Alexandra Keller Chapter 11: Play Music for Me: Eastwood’s Film Scores Charity Lofthouse Acknowledgments Notes on Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisClint Eastwood has appeared in virtually every major film genre and, at this late point in his career, has emerged as one of America’s most popular and respected—though controversial—filmmakers. Tough Ain’t Enough offers readers a series of original essays by prominent cinema scholars who explore the actor-director’s extensive career. Trade Review"The editors have assembled a diverse group of scholars and turned them loose to make sense of the vast array of contradictions that is Clint Eastwood. This is a unique and extraordinary collection with not a weak chapter in it." -- Dennis Bingham * author of Whose Lives Are They Anyway?: The Biopic as Contemporary Film Genre *"Chronicle of Higher Education 'New Scholarly Books' Weekly Book List, August 31, 2018," compiled by Nina C. Ayoub * Chronicle of Higher Education *"Highly recommended." * Choice *Table of ContentsChapter 1: The Teller and the Tale: An Introduction to the Films of Clint Eastwood Lester D. Friedman and David Desser Part I: Crosscurrents Chapter 2: “I Don’t Want Nobody Belonging to Me”: Riding the Post-Leone Western Stephen Prince Chapter 3: “God/Country/Family:” The Military Movies Lester D. Friedman Chapter 4: “A Man’s Got to Know His Limitations”: The Cop Films from Nixon through Reagan Jonathan Kirshner Chapter 5: “I’m Not So Tough”: Melodrama and Performance in the Later Films Diane Carson Chapter 6: “Heroes are Something We Create: The Biopics” David Sterritt Part II: Controversies Chapter 7: “I Am a Camera”: Clint Eastwood’s Performative Gaze Murray Pomerance Chapter 8: “You ain’t ugly like me; it’s just that we both got scars”: Women in Eastwood’s Films Lucy Bolton Chapter 9: “I know I'm as blind as a slab of concrete, but I'm not helpless”: Eastwood and the Aging Action Hero David Desser Chapter 10: “Seems like we can’t trust the White Man”: The Theater of Race in and out of Eastwood’s Films Alexandra Keller Chapter 11: Play Music for Me: Eastwood’s Film Scores Charity Lofthouse Acknowledgments Notes on Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisDenys Arcand has been making films in Quebec for nearly sixty years. The Films of Denys Arcand illuminates his films in the context of the massive changes in Quebec society during that period. It explores the work of a major director who has achieved international success and some key issues in film studies and Canadian studies. Trade Review"Jim Leach knows Quebec cinema incredibly well, and this book is a terrific introduction to that tradition through one of its most important filmmakers. The close analyses of Arcand's documentaries are especially welcome. Readers who know Arcand's feature films since The Decline of the American Empire will also learn a great deal about those films as well as Arcand's overall feature-film corpus, which goes back to the early 1970's." -- Jerry White * editor of The Cinema of Canada *"Jim Leach proves a sure-footed guide to an enigmatic filmmaker whose long career 'has spanned the entire history of modern Quebec cinema.' The detailed treatment of every entry in Arcand’s eclectic filmography contextualizes each work according to genre, production history, and moment in time. Leach’s book is especially strong in its consideration of Arcand’s films in relation to the culture and politics of Quebec, and in the ways the films cite, reflect, and comment on each other." -- David Pike * author of Canadian Cinema since the 1980s: At the Heart of the World *"This is a clear and comprehensive introduction to the texts and contexts of one of Quebec and Canada's leading film directors, bringing out his significance via insightful readings of his works in terms of both their national and international dimensions." -- William Marshall * author of Quebec National Cinema *"Skilfully presented by Leach who then goes on to examine Arcand’s films chronologically from his time at the National Film Board, where his documentary work proved at times too challenging for his paymasters....Leach is a perceptive and sympathetic critic." * British Journal of Canadian Studies *"Leach knows how to work through the tangle of Quebec film criticism—a must with a much-debated director like Arcand— and he acts as a judicious mediator for the anglophone academic reader." * Canadian Journal of Film Studies *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Foreword Introduction: Denys of Quebec Chapter 1: Alone or with others: Arcand and the Quiet Revolution Chapter 2: Subjective documentaries: Arcand at the NFB Chapter 3: Dirty money: Arcand's crime films Chapter 4: Fall and rise: Arcand and the American empire Chapter 5: Of beauty and death in the digital epoch Chapter 6: Living in the shadows: Arcand and contemporary Quebec Filmography Works cited Index

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Book SynopsisDenys Arcand has been making films in Quebec for nearly sixty years. The Films of Denys Arcand illuminates his films in the context of the massive changes in Quebec society during that period. It explores the work of a major director who has achieved international success and some key issues in film studies and Canadian studies. Trade Review"Jim Leach knows Quebec cinema incredibly well, and this book is a terrific introduction to that tradition through one of its most important filmmakers. The close analyses of Arcand's documentaries are especially welcome. Readers who know Arcand's feature films since The Decline of the American Empire will also learn a great deal about those films as well as Arcand's overall feature-film corpus, which goes back to the early 1970's." -- Jerry White * editor of The Cinema of Canada *"Jim Leach proves a sure-footed guide to an enigmatic filmmaker whose long career 'has spanned the entire history of modern Quebec cinema.' The detailed treatment of every entry in Arcand’s eclectic filmography contextualizes each work according to genre, production history, and moment in time. Leach’s book is especially strong in its consideration of Arcand’s films in relation to the culture and politics of Quebec, and in the ways the films cite, reflect, and comment on each other." -- David Pike * author of Canadian Cinema since the 1980s: At the Heart of the World *"This is a clear and comprehensive introduction to the texts and contexts of one of Quebec and Canada's leading film directors, bringing out his significance via insightful readings of his works in terms of both their national and international dimensions." -- William Marshall * author of Quebec National Cinema *"Skilfully presented by Leach who then goes on to examine Arcand’s films chronologically from his time at the National Film Board, where his documentary work proved at times too challenging for his paymasters....Leach is a perceptive and sympathetic critic." * British Journal of Canadian Studies *"Leach knows how to work through the tangle of Quebec film criticism—a must with a much-debated director like Arcand— and he acts as a judicious mediator for the anglophone academic reader." * Canadian Journal of Film Studies *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Foreword Introduction: Denys of Quebec Chapter 1: Alone or with others: Arcand and the Quiet Revolution Chapter 2: Subjective documentaries: Arcand at the NFB Chapter 3: Dirty money: Arcand's crime films Chapter 4: Fall and rise: Arcand and the American empire Chapter 5: Of beauty and death in the digital epoch Chapter 6: Living in the shadows: Arcand and contemporary Quebec Filmography Works cited Index

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Book SynopsisProvides the first full-length exploration of Carrie Fisher's career as actress, writer, and advocate. Fisher's entangled relationship with the iconic Princess Leia is a focal point of this volume. The collection engages with the multiple interfaces between Fisher's most famous character and her other life-giving work.

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