Showing posts with label TCM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TCM. Show all posts

Thursday, December 21, 2023

Christmas in the Movies by Jeremy Arnold

Christmas in the Movies
35 Classics to Celebrate the Season
Revised and Expanded Edition
by Jeremy Arnold
TCM and Running Press
Hardcover ISBN: 9780762481040
280 pages
October 2023

"When we view [Christmas movies], we journey back to our childhoods, laugh at our quirks, and lose ourselves in tales of love and compassion. There's nostalgia in many of these stories and even in the simple act of watching them: they stir our memories of having seen them in earlier times, with earlier loved ones." — Jeremy Arnold


While you can't watch 35 Christmas movies in one day, you CAN read about 35 in one day with Christmas in the Movies: 35 Classics to Celebrate the Season by Jeremy Arnold. This is a newly updated, revised and expanded edition of Christmas in the Movies: 30 Classics to Celebrate the Season published in 2018 (read my review here).

This new edition has, of course, 5 additional Christmas movies. Each movie is presented with an essay that gives background, synopsis, a little analysis and an exploration of the Christmas elements as well as poster art and photographs from the movie. Some notable movies covered include Christmas in Connecticut, It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, White Christmas, Holiday Inn, etc. I particularly enjoyed the pieces on Remember the Night, Beyond Tomorrow, Cheaters, Holiday Affair, and Elf.

This new edition also boasts 70 pages of additional content including several really great thematic essays. These include:  Christmas movies of 1947,  Christmas and Film Noir, Disney Christmas Cartoons, essays on different adaptations of Little Women, A Christmas Carol, Three Godfathers, etc.

I was particularly taken with the Christmas and Film Noir piece and how it explored the dichotomy of the two very different movie styles and how they come together. 

“Film Noir is a visual style and storytelling attitude that stresses fatalism, cynicism, and sinister undercurrents of society that pull characters into a sordid world from which there is usually no escape. Christmas movies guide characters up, toward their better, positive natures; noir pulls them down, toward the depths of their own destructive impulses.” — Jeremy Arnold



interior spread courtesy of Running Press
source: Edelweiss

interior spread courtesy of Running Press
source: Edelweiss

interior spread courtesy of Running Press
source: Edelweiss

A worthy upgrade for those who already own the original book. It's a larger format with a new cover and so much more reading material that makes this book even more valuable for Christmas movie enthusiasts. Pick this one up for this season (or for the next!)


Thank you to Running Press for sending me a copy of Christmas in the Movies to review!


I share more thoughts about the book on episode #7 of The Classic Movie Roundup on YouTube. Watch here:


Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Kitty Feral and the Case of the Marshmallow Monkey by Eddie Muller

Kitty Feral and the Case of the Marshmallow Monkey
TCM Kid Noir
by Eddie Muller and Jessica Schmidt
illustrated by Forrest Burdett
Running Press Kids and TCM
Hardcover ISBN: 9780762481682
32 pages
4 years and up
September 2023


"My name is Kitty Feral. I was a gumshoe with no shoes, but I quit that racket. But when I overheard Cora talking about the missing Marshmallow Monkey, it was too sweet to ignore."

In his first picture book for children, Eddie Muller—along with writer Jessica Schmidt and illustrator Forrest Burdett—offers budding classic movie enthusiasts a kid-friendly introduction to film noir.

Kitty Feral and the Case of the Marshmallow Monkey is a mystery in the style of The Maltese Falcon (1941). The story a two-fold mystery with hardboiled detective Kitty Feral solving the case of the stolen chocolate covered Marshmallow Monkey while also trying to locate his missing partner, Mitch the Mutt. We follow along as Kitty Feral roams the dark city streets searching for answers.

Published by by TCM and Running Press Kids, Kitty Feral and the Case of the Marshmallow Monkey is a delightful ode to film noir and a must-have for noir enthusiasts, especially those who want to instill a love of classic movies in their children.

The book is chock full of film noir references. The endpapers display animal-inspired noir posters for movies like Nut Crazy, He Squawked by Night and The Possum Always Rings Twice. Kitty Feral visits the Acme Book Shop—a hat-tip to the famous bookstore sequence in The Big Sleep (1946). I spotted references to noirs like Deadline at Dawn (1946), On Dangerous Ground (1951) and I Walk Alone (1947) and to actors like Humphrey Bogart, Sydney Greenstreet, Gloria Grahame and Dorothy Malone. There are even references to non-noir classics like The Leopard Man (1943) and On the Waterfront (1954). Visual clues make this book a veritable treasure hunt for children (the villains are referenced on almost every page) as well as adult noir enthusiasts.

The style of the book is very fitting with film noir aesthetics. It features a limited color palette of black-and-white with pops of color. Kitty Feral wears a blue fedora and trenchcoat, Mitch the Mutt wears a red collar and the two are seen enjoying the multi-colored sunrise, signaling the end of the story's nighttime adventure.



Interior spread courtesy of Running Press Kids via Edelweiss

Interior spread courtesy of Running Press Kids via Edelweiss


The backmatter includes a single page entitled What is Film Noir which gives young readers the fundamentals of understanding noir. It explains why film noir was often black-and-white, the meanings behind certain terms and a gentle introduction to character and story types.

As a read aloud story this book has a lot of potential. I do wish the narrative flowed a bit better. There are a couple of awkward points in the narrative that could have easily been fixed. A design error on page 25 obscures one moment of dialogue. With that said, I read this book several times out loud and found that experience quite enjoyable. This book would make for a great bedtime story or read aloud for a group storytime. You'll want to develop character voices for Kitty Feral (who is also the narrator), Casper the Nighthawk, Polly the Bookstore Guard Dog, Mitch the Mutt and Lucky Lapin the mob bunny.

I hope Kitty Feral is the first of a series. I can see many more mysteries for Kitty Feral and Mitch the Mutt to solve and plenty of noir references to make.


Thank you to Running Press Kids for sending me a copy of Kitty Feral and the Case of the Marshmallow Monkey for review!

Monday, July 17, 2023

New & Upcoming Classic Film Books (21)

Hoo boy! Do I have a list of new classic film books for you! It took me a few weeks to gather this list and its finally here. I'm very impressed with what TCM/Running Press and University Press of Kentucky have coming up in their Fall catalogs. There are lots of good paperback editions of some big releases notably the Paul Newman memoir, the Elizabeth Taylor biography and Mark Vieira's George Hurrell's Hollywood. 

Are you new to my list? Here are the details. The books include biographies, memoirs, scholarly texts, coffee table books and more from a variety of publishers. For any scholarly books I make sure the ones included are affordable. There are also some reissues and paperback editions added to the bunch. Publication dates range from July to December 2023 and these are subject to change. These are U.S. release dates. International release dates and availability may vary.

Links go to Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Powell's. I receive a small commission if you shop through some (not all) of my buy links. 


I would love to hear what you think? Which books are you putting on your wishlist?


JULY



9780063026391
Bogie & Bacall
The Surprising True Story of Hollywood's Greatest Love Affair
by William J. Mann
Harper
656 pages — July 2023
Amazon Barnes and NoblePowell's




9781541700673
**Paperback Edition**
Agent Josephine
American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy 
by Damien Lewis
PublicAffairs
512 pages — July 2023
Amazon Barnes and NoblePowell's




9780813198408
**Paperback Edition**
Clarence Brown
Hollywood's Forgotten Master
by Gwenda Young
Foreword by Kevin Brownlow
University Press of Kentucky
454 pages — July 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9780806541945
The Exorcist Legacy
50 Years of Fear
by Nat Segaloff
Citadel
352 pages — July 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9780593467718
**Paperback Edition**
The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man
A Memoir
by Paul Newman
edited by David Rosenthal
Foreword by Melissa Newman
Vintage
320 pages — July 2023




9798887712376
Lena Horne: The M-G-M Years
Hollywood’s First Black Star
by Stephen Bourne
Bear Manor Media
120 pages — July 2023
AmazonBarnes and Noble




9781538183892
The Monster Movies of Universal Studio
by James L. Neibaur
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
228 pages — July 2023
AmazonBarnes and Noble Powell's




9781477327333
Selling Science Fiction Cinema
Making and Marketing a Genre
by J.P. Telotte
University of Texas Press
192 pages — July 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781951213794
Still Laughing
A Life in Comedy 
From the Creator of Laugh-in 
by George Schlatter with Jon Macks
Foreword by Lily Tomlin
Afterword by Goldie Hawn
The Unnamed Press
239 pages — July 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781803990354
When Harry Met Cubby
The Story of the James Bond Producers
by Robert Sellers
The History Press
352 pages — July 2023
Amazon Barnes and NoblePowell's




AUGUST



9781493062850
Becoming Nick and Nora
The Thin Man and the Films of William Powell and Myrna Loy 
by Rob Kozlowski
Applause Books
256 pages — August 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781493074884
Breaking the Code
Otto Preminger Versus Hollywood's Censors
by Nat Segaloff
Applause
288 pages — August 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9780711283657
Clint Eastwood
The Iconic Filmmaker and his Work
by Ian Nathan
White Lion Publishing/Quarto Group
176 pages — August 2023
Amazon Barnes and NoblePowell's




9781631495809
Daughter of the Dragon
Anna May Wong's Rendezvous with American History 
by Yunte Huang
Liveright
400 pages — August 2023






9780813197913
Designing Hollywood
Studio Wardrobe in the Golden Age 
by Christian Esquevin
University Press of Kentucky
256 pages — August 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781474474009
**Paperback Edition**
Diana Dors
Film Star and Actor
by Martin Shingler
Edinburgh University Press
176 pages — August 2023




9780813197883
Eleanor Powell
Born to Dance
by Paula Broussard and Lisa Royère
University Press of Kentucky
360 pages — August 2023




 9781648230356
Gary Cooper
Enduring Style
by G. Bruce Hoyer
Foreword by Ralph Lauren
Afterword by Maria Cooper Janis
powerHouse Books
200 pages — August 2023




9781399066952
James Stewart at War
His Career in the USAAF 
by Pavel Türk
Air World
224 pages — August 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9780813199276
Monsters on Maple Street
The Twilight Zone and the Postwar American Dream
by David J. Brokaw
University Press of Kentucky
280 pages — August 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781496846051
Starmaker
David O. Selznick and the Production of Stars in the Hollywood Studio System
by Milan Hain
University Press of Mississippi
320 pages — August 2023




9780813198088
Strictly Dynamite
The Sensational Life of Lupe Velez 
by Eve Golden
University Press of Kentucky
488 pages — August 2023
Amazon Barnes and Noble Powell's




9781476687254
Theda Bara
Her Career, Life and Legend
by Roy Liebman
McFarland
120 pages — August 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9780813198019
The Warner Brothers
by Chris Yogerst
Foreword by Michael Uslan
University Press of Kentucky
360 pages — August 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's





SEPTEMBER



9781641609227
Bing and Billie and Frank and Ella and Judy and Barbra
by Dan Callahan
Chicago Review Press
400 pages — September 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's





9781623717148
Chaplin
The Tramp's Odyssey 
by Simon Louvish
Interlink Publishing Group
464 pages — September 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781493076062
Double Solitaire
The Films of Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder
by Donald Brackett
Applause
312 pages — September 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9780762484621
**Revised Edition**
Edith Head 
The Fifty-Year Career of Hollywood's Greatest Costume Designer 
by Jay Jorgensen
Running Press
400 pages — September 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9780063067660
**Paperback Edition**
Elizabeth Taylor
The Grit & Glamour of an Icon
by Kate Andersen Brower
Harper Paperbacks
512 pages — September 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781911397625
The Final Curtain
Obituaries of Fifty Great Actors
by Michael Coveney
foreword by Sam Mendes
Unicorn Publishing Group
256 pages — September 2023
Amazon Barnes and NoblePowell's




9780762484607
**Revised Edition**
George Hurrell's Hollywood
Glamour Portraits, 1925-1992
by Mark A. Vieira
Foreword by Sharon Stone 
Running Press
416 pages — September 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781978806504
Ideal Beauty
The Life and Times of Greta Garbo
by Lois W. Banner
Rutgers University Press
286 pages — September 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781636810850
John Waters
Pope of Trash
by John Waters
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
256 pages — September 2023
Amazon Barnes and NoblePowell's




9780762481682
Kid Noir
Kitty Feral and the Case of the Marshmallow Monkey  
by Eddie Muller and Jessica Schmidt
illustrated by Forrest Burdett
Running Press Kids and TCM
32 pages — September 2023




9781477328330
**Paperback Edition**
Making the Best Years of Our Lives
The Hollywood Classic That Inspired a Nation
by Alison Macor
University of Texas Press
208 pages — September 2023
AmazonBarnes and Noble




9780228018681
Queer Film Classics: Anders als die Andern
by Ervin Malakaj
McGill-Queen's University Press
176 pages — September 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9780228018780
Queer Film Classics: Maurice
by David Greven
McGill-Queen's University Press
208 pages — September 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781770417427
Wrath of the Dragon
The Real Fights of Bruce Lee
by John Little
ECW Press
352 pages — September 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781839025419
The Deer Hunter
BFI Classics
by Brad Prager
BFI
120 pages — September 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781839023484
It's a Wonderful Life
BFI Classics
by Michael Newton
BFI
168 pages — September 2023
Amazon — Barnes and NoblePowell's




9781839025761
Point Blank
BFI Classics
by Eric G. Wilson
BFI
112 pages — September 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's





OCTOBER



9780762484263
A.K.A. Lucy
The Dynamic and Determined Life of Lucille Ball 
by Sarah Royal
Foreword by Amy Poehler
Running Press
240 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781982176358
Charlie Chaplin vs. America
When Art, Sex, and Politics Collided
 by Scott Eyman
Simon & Schuster
432 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9780762481040
**Revised and Expanded Edition**
Christmas in the Movies
35 Classics to Celebrate the Season
by Jeremy Arnold
TCM and Running Press
280 pages — October 2023
Amazon — Barnes and Noble — Powell's




9781838719173
The Cinema of Powell and Pressburger
edited by Nathalie Morris and Claire Smith
BFI
216 pages — October 2023
Amazon — Barnes and NoblePowell's




9781496838391
C'mon, Get Happy
The Making of Summer Stock
by David Fantle and Tom Johnson
Foreword by Savion Glover
University Press of Mississippi
304 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9780228104506
Elvis Remembered
Interviews With the People Who Knew Him Best 
by Shelly Powers
Firefly Books
240 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781496846518
Ferocious Ambition
Joan Crawford's March to Stardom
by Robert Dance
University Press of Mississippi
400 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's





9781922754677
Film Buff
The Ultimate Movie Quiz
by Smith Street Books
Smith Street Gift
200 pages (novelty book) — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and Noble




9781743798416
Grace Kelly
The Illustrated World of a Fashion Icon
by Megan Hess
Hardie Grant Books
192 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9780316526005
Head Over Heels: Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman
A Love Affair in Words and Pictures 
by Melissa Newman, 
edited by Andrew Kelly
Voracious
288 pages — October 2023




9780593542972
Hitchcock's Blondes
The Unforgettable Women Behind the Legendary Director's Dark Obsession
by Laurence Leamer
G.P. Putnam's Sons
pages — October 2023




9780307958921
Hollywood and the Movies of the Fifties
The Collapse of the Studio System, the Thrill of Cinerama, and the Invasion of the Ultimate Body Snatcher
by Foster Hirsch
Knopf
672 pages — October 2023
Amazon Barnes and NoblePowell's




9780762475209
Lena Horne
Goddess Reclaimed
by Donald Bogle
TCM and Running Press
272 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and Noble Powell's




9780785843689
Lucille Ball Treasures
Featuring Memorabilia and Pictures 
by Cindy De La Hoz
Chartwell Books/Quarto Group
176 pages — October 2023




9780785843740
Marilyn Monroe
A Photographic Life 
by Jenna Glatzer
Chartwell Books
176 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and Noble




9781639730766
The Method
How the Twentieth Century Learned to Act
by Isaac Butler
Bloomsbury Publishing
512 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and Noble Powell's




9780814347768
Movie-Made Los Angeles
by John Trafton
Wayne State University Press
256 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and Noble — Powell's




9780231206211
Teen Movies
A Century of American Youth
by Timothy Shary
Wallflower Press
192 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and Noble




9780813197524
They Made the Movies
Conversations with Great Filmmakers 
by James Bawden and Ron Miller
University Press of Kentucky
392 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781803365084
The Wicker Man
The Official Story of the Film
by John Walsh
Titan Books
192 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and Noble




9781839022951
Mean Streets
BFI Classics
by Demetrios Matheou
BFI
112 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781839026065
The Red Shoes
BFI Classics
by Pamela Hutchinson
BFI
112 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781839024498
Rushmore
BFI Classics
by Kristi Irene McKim
BFI
120 pages — October 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's





NOVEMBER




9781909526938
1001 Movie Posters
The Essential Collection 
edited by Tony Nourmand
introduction by Christopher Frayling
Reel Art Press
552 pages — November 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781636810607
Agnès Varda
Director's Inspiration  
by Agnès Varda
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
208 pages — November 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781789099546
Alfred Hitchcock Storyboards
by Tony Lee Moral
Titan Books
144 pages — November 2023




9781476689708
Artie Shaw
Icon of Song
by Barnett Singer and Jesse Read
McFarland
164 pages — November 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781915310125
Charlot
by Ian Masters
Monsoon Books Pte. Ltd.
336 pages — November 2023
Amazon Barnes and Noble



9781786751331
Cinema of the 70s
101 Iconic Movies
by John H. Foote
Palazzo Editions
224 pages — November 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781538183571
Elmer Bernstein, Film Composer
An Authorized Biography
by Peter M. Bernstein
Rowman and Littlefield
296 pages — November 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9780063041417
The Fatal Alliance
A Century of War on Film
by David Thomson
Harper
448 pages — November 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781493053957
Hello, Norma Jeane
The Marilyn Monroe You Didn't Know
by Elisa Jordan
Applause
360 pages — November 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9780063056954
**Paperback Edition**
Hollywood: The Oral History
by Jeanine Basinger and Sam Wasson
Harper Paperbacks
768 pages — November 2023
Amazon — Barnes and Noble — Powell's




9781476686578
In Search of the Thin Man
Dashiell Hammett, William Powell and the Classic Film Series
by Philip Zwerling
McFarland
227 pages — November 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's




9781476687889
Mummy Movies
A Comprehensive Guide
by Bryan Senn
McFarland
329 pages — November 2023
Amazon — Barnes and NoblePowell's





DECEMBER



9781476692593
Dueling Harlows
The Race to Bring the Actress's Life to the Silver Screen
by Tom Lisanti
McFarland
183 pages — December 2023
Amazon Barnes and Noble




9781681990422
**Updated on sale**
Getting Carter
Ted Lewis and the Birth of British Noir
by Nick Triplow
Soho Syndicate
December 2023
AmazonBarnes and NoblePowell's



9780813198378
**Revised Edition**
John Ford
by Joseph McBride and Michael Wilmington
University Press of Kentucky
346 pages — December 2023
AmazonBarnes and Noble


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