Monday, May 21, 2018

Book Review: Meet Mr. Greenstreet

Author and researcher Derek Sculthorpe is becoming the film noir fan's best friend. In short order, he produced fine books on Brian Donlevy, Van Heflin, and Claire Trevor. Now he's given us The Life and Times of Sydney Greenstreet (BearManor Media).

Tackling this actor's life and career would have scared off a lesser writer. Not only has Greenstreet been dead for more than sixty years, but much of his work was in the inherently transitory world of live theater. Covering only his relatively short film career (where he made his debut after the age of sixty) would have provided an incomplete portrait of the man. But Sculthorpe's painstaking research reveals the actor's rich life on stage, acting alongside giants such as Lunt and Fontanne, before plunging into the late-in-life triumphs of The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca. 

Sculthorpe's book gets a substantial boost from the participation of the late actor's granddaughter. In addition to granting an interview, she also provided dozens of fascinating photos. Many of the pictures illustrate the actor's career, which covered virtually the entire first half of the 20th century, but there are also one-of-a-kind family photos showing Greenstreet, his wife and his son. The somewhat sad story of Greenstreet's marriage, to a woman ultimately consumed by mental illness, is covered honestly but with respect and taste.

Might as well be frank -- if you love the film classics of the 1940s, you'll want to meet the gentleman whose life is contained between these covers.

NOTE: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Big Sale!

Boy, am I late posting this, so hop to it if you'd like to save 25% on any of McFarland's myriad assortment of Pop Culture books! Use the discount code PopCulture25 when ordering print editions from the publisher's website.

Yes, I see you there in the back row with your hand raised. Why, yes, as a matter of fact you could pre-order my new Gale Storm book during this sale. But don't dawdle -- sale ends Friday, May 11th.

Thursday, May 3, 2018

Finis!

Having spent many hours in recent days indexing, proofreading, and just generally worrying over details, I think I can safely say that Gale Storm: A Biography and Career Record is DONE. The final product should be out soon. Having seen the page proofs, I know it will be a beautiful book; my publishers did their usual bang-up job.

At the moment, I am giving myself a couple of days off to recharge and regroup. Maybe I can even relax and enjoy reading someone else's book. On the other hand, there are also naps...